Exoskeletons are being built by many companies, they can help enhance lifting capacity and even prevent injuries, but Hyundai is making one that does more than that. It’s creating an exoskeleton which it calls a “wearable robot,” one that will enable soldiers to carry up to 110 pounds over long distances and workers to lift objects that weigh hundreds of pounds. Hyundai’s latest creation is an upgrade of the H-LEX “wearable walking assistant” that it announced last year.
This is different than the lightweight H-Lex which was designed to be worn as a suit, this fully mechanized exoskeleton actually wears the pilot, and then provides them with the ability to do much more than physically possible.
Hyundai has also created a lightweight version of the exoskeleton which only has a mechanical spine and legs strapped to the user, that particular model has been developed to help the elderly, the handicapped and paraplegics.
These projects are part of Hyundai’s “Next Mobility” system that aims to contribute to the free movement of people and things. What this suggests is that Hyundai, a company best known for making cars, is looking at these suits at not just worker aids but as methods of transportation.
It’s going to be a while before such products are easily available for purchase and that too at an affordable price, and who knows what these exoskeletons will be capable of by then.
Filed in . Read more about Exoskeleton and Hyundai. Source: engadget