Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have teamed up to create X-ble Shoulder, a wearable robot designed to improve people’s productivity while reducing musculoskeletal injuries and fatigue. The exoskeleton is designed to help workers perform various overhead tasks, such as mechanics under a car. It can reduce the load on the shoulders by 60% and the tension in the deltoid muscles of the arms by 30%.
Image source: Hyundai
One of the features of the X-ble Shoulder is that the exoskeleton does not have an electric drive. Lightweight, non-torque carbon composite construction weighs 1.9kg. The exoskeleton generates auxiliary force through a multi-link “muscle compensation module”, so it does not require recharging. It is also characterized by good durability: according to the developers, the X-ble Shoulder is designed to perform 700 thousand cycles of compression and expansion of the mechanism per year.
The kit includes a soft vest that can be easily removed if you need to clean or adjust the operation of mechanical components. Buyers will be offered two versions of the X-ble Shoulder: standard and adjustable. The first option is aimed at areas of work where a lot of movement is required. It offers about 2.9 kg of assist force. The second option is intended for performing repetitive tasks when the worker has to repeat his actions many times. In this case, 3.7 kg of auxiliary force is provided. This means that a person will be able to lift anything weighing up to 3.7 kg with minimal effort.
The developers are confident that X-ble Shoulder is suitable for use in a variety of industries, from construction and automotive to aviation, shipbuilding and agriculture. The X-ble Shoulder will begin to be used at Hyundai and Kia manufacturing plants and service points in South Korea early next year, with the device hitting overseas markets by 2026.
The companies are also jointly developing another wearable robot called X-ble Waist, which will help lift heavy loads and reduce the likelihood of back and lower back injuries. In addition to this, the X-ble MEX model is being developed for use in medical institutions in the process of assisting in the rehabilitation of people with injuries of the musculoskeletal system. The cost of the announced X-ble Shoulder has not been disclosed.