CES 2017: Hyundai creates exoskeleton to offer mobility to the disabled

Mark Blunden @_MarkBlunden27 February 2017

Exoskeletons that aim to provide “true freedom in mobility” for disabled people and super strength for the elderly have been built by Hyundai using self-driving vehicle technology.

The car giant announced three lines of lightweight aluminium robotic suits at a launch event at CES yesterday and claimed its factories can produce them in large quantities to make them affordable.

The wearable devices are designed to help people who need assistance accomplishing everyday tasks, from those with spinal injuries to workers lifting heavy objects.

The Hyundai Universal Medical Assist is designed to give elderly people with limited muscular power “assistive torque” in their daily life, with lower back and knees supported with harness fixture points.

Power: Hyundai claims it exoskeleton allows paraplegic people to stand from a seated position and climb stairs

The company claims its Medical Exoskeleton gives paraplegic people the power to stand from a seated position and climb stairs.

The design can adjust walking pace, length of stride, and torso tilting angle via an application program installed in a smartphone.

Cutting-edge:  a man wears the Medical Exoskeleton, which can be controlled via smartphone

Finally, the Waist Exoskeleton fits around a worker’s waist to help with lifting heavy objects by providing upper body and hip support to prevent back injuries.

The designs use sensors, actuators and batteries from Hyundai’s autonomous vehicles, which the Korean firm’s senior robotics engineer, Dr Dongjin Hyun, said can “truly make a big difference in human society” by “providing the exoskeleton to consumers at affordable prices”.

No price or release date was revealed.

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