When we think of industrial robots, we often think of robots that replace human workers.

However, rather than taking away workers’ jobs, ‘X-ble Shoulder’ helps workers stay healthy and injury-free. This is a robot designed for our auto manufacturing colleagues who lift their arms more than 3,600 times a day. We leave only essential parts on the exterior of the robot so that workers can easily wear and take it off.

The ‘X-ble Shoulder’ only has a vest and a pair of mechanical parts. Simply wear the robot like a vest, tighten the belt around your body, and wear cuffs around your arms. This intuitive and easy-to-wear method contains the opinions of more than 150 car manufacturing site workers.

X-ble Shoulder is also the closest robot to clothing. It is designed in the form of a vest so that workers can put it on and take it off intuitively. The robot also reduces the activity of the deltoid muscles used during work by at least 18-30%. The shape of the clothing not only makes it easy to put on and take off, but also allows you to rest comfortably while wearing it.

The frame that firmly supports the arms spreads left and right in the sitting position, and when the worker puts down the arms to rest, the assistive force of the gravity compensation module weakens. Because the robot operates with the physical force of springs rather than a motor, there is no need to turn the power on or off or charge. You can just put it on before you start work and take it off before you leave.

Mesh was applied to a large area of the vest to minimize discomfort of getting hot and sweaty while working. In addition, all parts that touch the human body, such as arm pads, are made of clothing material and can be washed separately, thereby maintaining a comfortable and sanitary working environment.

Category:RoboticsYear:2024Designers:Junghyun Min, Sookyoung Kang, Hyeonjeong An, Hanwool Choi, Hongseok Kim, Robotics LAB, Hyundai Motor Company, Uiwang, South KoreaManufacturer:Hyundai Motor Company, Uiwang, South Korea