At CES,
Hyundai showcased a wearable ‘exoskeleton' that could give paraplegics and
spinal injury patients new legs to stand on
Apart from
cars, South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai appears to be serious about
other forms of mobility as well. At the CES expo currently underway, the
company showcased a range of three wearable ‘robots' that are aimed at
assisting human movement, especially for those with limited mobility caused by
injury or age.
The first, called the H-MEX (Hyundai Medical Exoskeleton), is targeted at
patients who suffer from lower spinal cord injuries. This exoskeleton attaches
to the lower half of the body, where it utilizes a wireless clutch and an
on-board motion control system that work together to enable the wearer to
stand, walk, turn and even use a staircase - activities that a patient with a
debilitating spinal injury would otherwise be incapable of performing.
The second wearable system is called
the HUMA (Hyundai Universal Medical Assist), which is aimed at supplementing
the ability of wearers having limited muscular power and control. It delivers
what is known as ‘assistive torque', effectively amplifying the muscular power
of the wearer for several types of movement such as walking, running, and
walking up and down slopes and stairs. When worn, it bears up to 40 kg of the
wearer's body weight and can enable running at a speed of up to 12 km/h.
Both of these units are powered by removable and
rechargeable battery packs, and have harness points on the lower back and
knees. The orientation of the complex joints used in the frame change shape and
flex in real time, where the system can ‘learn' and even replicate an
individual's unique gait and body posture by monitoring parameters such as
walking pace, length of stride, and torso tilt angle.
The third in the trio of devices, the H-WEX (Hyundai
Waist Exoskeleton), targets a different application: delivering added
mechanical assistance for manual labour such as heavy lifting, which may
involve repetitive actions such as by workers in cargo depots or steel and
timber processing plants. This device has a ‘waist assist' function that lets
the exoskeleton flex its joints at a speed of 180 degrees per second (the torso
swivelling action involved in moving loads between two nearby locations, for
example.) This exoskeleton aims to increase protection against injuries
associated with such forms of physical labour, while increasing the worker's
productivity.
Source: DNA-7th January,2017
