This Wearable Robot Won't Help You Lift Cars, But Will Make You Feel Like You Could

In a bid to make life easier for workers, several robotic aids have been developed over the years, targeting different body parts and activities, and innovation in this field doesn't seem to stop. Enter the newest work-aid gizmo, Hyundai's (and Kia's, because these two are siblings) X-ble Shoulder.

The name X-ble may not mean a lot of things right now, but it probably will soon enough. It stands for a new wearable technology brand developed by the two South Korean companies, with the aforementioned X-ble Shoulder being the first product to be launched.

The wearable robot, as it makers call it, is technically nothing more than a high tech vest. It can be put on to assist in boosting efficiency, but also as a means to reduce musculoskeletal strain and potential injuries. It does so by boosting the human body when it's faced with overhead work.

How does the vest do this? Well, it features something called a muscle compensation module that comes with a multi-link structure. The exact details on it were not made public, but we're told it needs no separate charging or battery to generate assistive force.

That's because the X-ble Shoulder has a "non-powered torque generation structure." And even if we don't know exactly how it works, we do get a sense of what the wearable is capable of.

The Shoulder comes in two variants, basic and adjustable. The standard one, meant to be used by people who don't work in a fixed posture, provides up to 2.9 kgf of assist. The second variant, which is best suited for tasks that repeat the same movement over and over, gives out 3.7 kgf of assistive force.

This is possible thanks to the fact that each link in the system can be adjusted for optimal assistive force. Weighing about 4.1 pounds (1.9 kg), the vest has adjustable body length (between 406 mm and 446 mm) and allows for arm movement from zero to 180 degrees, effectively making it a tool that has no movement limits.

The system has been designed it such a way as to really be able to take a beating. As per Hyundai's estimates, in industrial settings the wearable is expected to perform around 700,000 folding and unfolding actions each year.

The vest and its component parts are made of carbon composites and wear-resistant materials the likes of which the two carmakers use in automobile production. The parts that come in contact with the body of the wearer feature impact-resistant materials, such as those found in a car's crash pad, as a way to protect users from harm.

But what about the benefits of wearing this thing? Hyundai and Kia say they tested the system in a pilot program that ran from 2022 to 2024 at several of their plants, with the help of some 300 workers and health managers.

The results show the X-ble Shoulder can reduce shoulder joints load by 60% and deltoid muscle activity by 30%, significantly improving people's health and abilities. Moreover, it can be used for hours at a time, it is modular and its components can easily be detached, and the vest itself, compatible with most work attire currently in use, is washable.

Hyundai and Kia showed off the hardware during the Wearable Robot Tech Day at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in South Korea. The tech is ready for implementation, and should reach customer hands in the first half of next year, at first on the domestic market, and later internationally.

By customers I mean, naturally, only companies, as the X-ble Shoulder has not been designed for use in civilian hands. The production run will be limited, but we're not told exactly how much so. We also have no info on the price Hyundai will be asking for this cyborg part.

This design is just the first of many the two companies plan to develop over the coming years. With their eyes set on becoming the leaders of the wearable robots and exoskeleton markets (one that is expected to reach $10.25 billion by the end of the decade, according to Mordor Intelligence), they plan to expand into other industries as well.

Whereas the X-ble Shoulder has been designed with the automotive world and overhead work in mind (but will likely also be used in construction, shipbuilding, aviation, and agriculture), the so-called X-ble Waist will help people lift heavier loads more easily, and the X-ble MEX will help the walking impaired move around easier.