Tech Talk: Wearable Robot for Industrial Workers

A South Korean robotics company is commercializing a lightweight wearable robot designed to reduce physical strain on workers performing repetitive lifting and other demanding tasks, with potential applications in shipbuilding, manufacturing, construction and logistics.

SARTEXO, a spin-off of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), has introduced its Bionic Suit, a third-generation wearable robotic system that uses electrically activated artificial muscles embedded in fabric rather than conventional motors and rigid mechanical frames. The technology, called Fabric Muscle, was developed through research led by SARTEXO CEO Cheol Hoon Park at KIMM beginning in 2012.

The system incorporates shape memory alloy (SMA) wires thinner than human hair, formed into spring-like yarn and woven into fabric. When electrical current is applied, the material contracts, generating pulling force that assists the wearer's movements. When the current stops and the material cools, it relaxes.

According to KIMM, just 10 grams of Fabric Muscle can lift between 10 and 15 kg, approximately 1,500 times its own weight.

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