A carbon exoskeleton to improve industrial productivity

Automotive production lines can require operators to work at height, sometimes putting prolonged strain on their arms and shoulders. To limit this impact on their employees, Kia Corporation and Hyundai Motor, two subsidiaries of South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Group, have developed X-ble Shoulder in their robotics laboratory.

This exoskeleton, whose lightness is made possible by the absence of a battery and the use of a carbon-based composite material used in the manufacture of top-of-the-range vehicles, is designed to make it easier to perform tasks above head level. By optimising the muscular strength of the upper arms, the X-ble Shoulder reduces stress on the shoulders by 60% and the activity of the anterior and lateral deltoid muscles by 30%. It weighs around 1.9 kg and can be adapted to the user’s body shape. Its length can be adjusted from 406 mm to 446 mm, and it guarantees total freedom of movement for the arms, from 0 to 180 degrees.

A robot tested in-house

The assistance force of the X-ble Shoulder is generated by a patented multi-arm structure, integrated into the muscle compensation module. Each arm of this structure can be adjusted independently to ensure optimum assist force in different working environments. The module is designed to perform some 700,000 folding and unfolding operations per year in industrial environments.

It is aimed at applications in various sectors, including the automotive industry, of course, but also construction, shipbuilding, aviation and agriculture.

“The X-ble Shoulder is a portable robot that exploits all the technical capabilities of our robotics laboratory while taking into account feedback from real users,” explains Dong Jin Hyun, vice-president and director of the robotics laboratory at Kia and Hyundai.

Around 300 employees and health managers working in Kia and Hyundai factories took part in a pilot test carried out between 2022 and 2024. Their suggestions, particularly in terms of ease of handling, comfort, freedom of movement for the arms, adjustment of the assistance force and ease of cleaning, were taken into account to improve the product and add new functions.

Launch of a new range

The robot was first deployed at Kia and Hyundai production and maintenance sites. Then, from 2025, the two brands extended sales to the 27 subsidiaries of Hyundai Motor Group, as well as to external companies in South Korea. In 2026, Kia and Hyundai intend to penetrate foreign markets, notably Europe and North America, and then plan to extend sales to other industries such as construction, shipbuilding, aviation and agriculture.

The X-ble Shoulder is just the first product in the X-ble range – a combination of ‘X’, symbolising infinite potential, and ‘able’, a suffix indicating the ability to do anything. Kia and Hyundai have already announced a wearable industrial robot called X-ble Waist for waist-level assistance when carrying heavy loads, and a wearable medical robot called X-ble MEX specialising in the rehabilitation of people with walking difficulties.

Photos : Hyundai Motor Group