Hyundai Starts Testing Exoskeletons for Workers
23 October, 2018
Hyundai has started testing robotic exoskeletons that will help workers take a load off their feet and work more easily in uncomfortable positions.
Tests on the Hyundai Chairless Exoskeleton (H-CEX) started in September for workers at North American plants with the aim of reducing safety risks and increasing productivity.
Weighing just 1.6 kg, the exoskeletons can hold up to 150 kg of weight and allow workers to sit at any angle they want and stay in the same posture for a long time. The company estimates that the futuristic devices take 80 percent of the physical burden off laborers.
Hyundai announced Monday that it has set robotics and artificial intelligence among five innovative fields for future growth, and formed a team focusing on robotics earlier this year.
They will roll out a pilot program of another type of robot suit for assisting workers while they look up, supporting their shoulders and neck.
Hyundai is developing various other types of robots. The company is also scooping up technology in machine learning, investing in U.S. start-up Perceptive Automata and collaborating with Chinese start-up DeepGlint.
It also set up a fund worth US$450 million with SK Telecom and Hanwha Asset Management at the end of last year which invests in promising start-ups in artificial intelligence and smart mobility (US$1=W1,132).