Hyundai Motor and Kia Robotics LAB have designed the X-ble Shoulder, an upper-body exoskeleton designed for those doing overhead work. The design was heavily informed by user research, by interviewing over 300 production line workers at Hyundai’s manufacturing facilities.
The designers first focused on two things: Creating a device that would not only assist with efficiency by increasing a worker’s applicable strength, but would also reduce musculoskeletal injuries. They furthered tailored the design by incorporating test user feedback: Workers wanted it to be comfortable, so that they wouldn’t have to take it off every time they went on break; they wanted it to be easy to put on by themselves; they wanted it to be lightweight; they wanted it to easily fit over existing uniforms; they wanted it to be easy to clean.
The resultant design uses springs and mechanical advantage rather than motors; the units are unpowered and do not require charging. The system consists of a soft vest and hard components that can easily be decoupled from the vest, for ease of cleaning. A worker can don the system in 20 seconds by themselves, using easily understandable interfaces like a zipper, clips and straps. And the device reduces shoulder load by up to 60% and anterior/lateral deltoid muscle strain by up to 30 percent.
Made from both metal and carbon composites, the X-ble Shoulder is strong but lightweight, tipping the scales at just 1.9kg (4.2 lbs).
The system was designed specifically for Hyundai’s factory line workers, who will start receiving the units next year. However, the design is promising enough that they’re planning to commercialize the design overseas by 2026, so it should be coming to the North American and European markets.
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In the following interviews with the designers, you can see how crucial the user feedback was to the development process. If only all designers were this thorough, in interviewing test users!
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