Not quite Superman, but super helpful: Hyundai's X-ble Shoulder exoskeleton takes a load off at work

Home > Business > Industry

Not quite Superman, but super helpful: Hyundai's X-ble Shoulder exoskeleton takes a load off at work

Published: 28 Nov. 2024, 13:30 Updated: 28 Nov. 2024, 14:33

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hyundai Motor Group's X-ble Shoulder exoskeleton [HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP]

Wearing the X-ble Shoulder didn’t necessarily feel like becoming Iron Man, nor did it provide the power of Superman. The exoskeleton shoulder — which the company calls a "wearable robot" — did, however, make lifting light weights basically effortless and tightening overhead bolts much easier.

Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics Lab revealed its passive exoskeleton shoulder on Wednesday and started taking business orders Thursday — five years after the company first unveiled its exoskeleton Vex. The X-ble shoulder will be offered to Hyundai Motor, Genesis, Kia and other companies under Hyundai Motor Group and to other Korean customers starting in 2026 before subsequently becoming available in overseas markets in 2026.

“We aim to enter the [overseas] market, considering the United States and European market priorities,” said Kim Yeong-hun, the Robotics Business Team's senior research engineer, during Wednesday’s Wearable Robot Tech Day media event at Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

“The United States and Europe focus greatly on protecting workers from musculoskeletal system disorders.”

Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Lab's passive exoskeleton X-ble Shoulder in use at a demo session on Wednesday at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Gyeonggi [CHO YONG-JUN]

The X-ble Shoulder is a type of exoskeleton, a wearable that provides structural support and aids the human body. Unlike a powered exoskeleton that uses motorized parts powered by batteries, Hyundai's uses a spring-based multilink mechanism that utilizes elastic energy to provide torque to the shoulder.

The apparatus reduces the load on the shoulder joint by up to 60 percent and stress on the front and side deltoid by up to 30 percent, according to Hyundai Motor Group.

The Robotics Lab said they went for the unpowered exoskeleton design to reduce bulk, complexity and cost. The multilink mechanism provides up to 3.7 kilograms-force (36 newtons) of assisting power to the shoulder.

“Musculoskeletal system disorders caused in workplaces not only deteriorate health but also the happiness of a family and the quality of the product made, and therefore are crucial issues that need to be resolved,” Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Lab’s Yoon Ju-young said.

Yoon said the team’s goal was to create “technology that works with people, not replaces them.”

A worker uses Hyundai Motor Group's X-ble Shoulder exoskeleton at a Hyundai Motor Group factory [HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP]

The exoskeletons were first designed with the aim of helping aid factory workers of Hyundai Motor Group, as the automobile manufacturing process involves working upward for an extensive amount of time. The team aims to expand the sales to construction, shipbuilding, aviation and other industries.

Similar shoulder exoskeletons have been on the market for many years, and the team admitted that they only started developing exoskeletons in 2018. Their goal was to make one that is better suited to its workers using the technologies of Hyundai Motor Group.

The X-ble Shoulder, which used carbon fiber parts, weighs 1.9 kilograms (4.18 pounds) including the vest, which weighs 500 grams — a 40 percent reduction in weight compared to the company’s aluminum-made prototype. The company said the lightness makes it more wearable in the long run, while the detached vest can be washed separately. Each shoulder is also detachable to better suit single-arm use.

The X-ble Shoulder can be adjusted into two types: a standard type providing up to 2.9 kilograms-force of torque, suitable for tasks that require the user to constantly change movements, and an adjustable type, providing up to 3.7 kilograms-force of torque that is more specifically calibrated for repetitive tasks.

Hyundai Motor Group's X-ble Shoulder exoskeleton [HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP]

Reporters were given a chance to wear the X-ble Shoulder and were provided with demonstrations that were designed to emulate a car manufacturing site. While the maximum 3.9 kilograms-force power may not sound like that much, it provided enough support, to the point that lifting both arms with power drills to tighten bolts didn’t feel difficult at all. Lifting dumbbells, once with the support of the exoskeleton and once without, provided a much easier comparison as the lack of assistance was instantly noticeable.

The exact pricing of the exoskeleton units was never mentioned throughout Wednesday’s event, but the company said it will have “reasonable pricing" compared to competing manufacturers because the exoskeleton is yet to be sold directly to the end users. Instead, the X-ble Shoulder will be offered to interested businesses in a complete package, from offering consultation and analysis on whether the workplace needs the exoskeleton and how many they need, to delivering the products with a warranty provided.

“I hope everyone who extensively uses their shoulder in their workplace gets to try [the X-ble Shoulder] out," Senior Research Engineer Kim said.

Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Lab's passive exoskeleton X-ble Shoulder in different use cases, displayed Wednesday at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Gyeonggi [CHO YONG-JUN]

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]