Hyundai Is Building A Real Iron Man Suit

Hyundai Is Building A Real ‘Iron Man’ Suit

Hyundai’s automotive division is working on a wearable robot, the company announced in a blog post. Facts are scarce, but it seems to be an Iron Man-like suit designed for medical rehabilitation and industrial use among other applications.

The Korean car company has made a suit that people can strap themselves into that will help them with walking or carrying heavy objects. According to Yonhap, it can help somebody pick up objects that weigh 60kg while Hyundai didn’t say whether it had built-in rocket jets or if it could shoot energy beams from its hands. In photos, it looks more like something that goes in the film Aliens than anything that might have seemed in a Marvel movie.

According to the firm , it may possibly also be handy for the military, helping them move faster while trying heavy duty gear.

Hyundai also clarified how it could be a guide for people recovering from injuries or managing with disabilities. Hyundai isn’t the first to work on an exoskeleton, many companies have built prototypes which can support to increase more weight than our natural body or assist with an injury.

“This wearable robot that we are developing for commercial purposes will be used in diverse areas,” Hyundai told Yonhap. “Such a robot development is in line with Hyundai Motor Group’s vision for free mobility of people and things.”

Image by Hyundai

The suit is actually an update to the H-LEX (Hyundai Life caring ExoSkeleton) suit it debuted last year, according to The Verge, which could have applications both on factory floors and in the military. Hyundai was not instantly available to comment on when its robot suits would be available to the public.

While the suit doesn’t look nearly as flashy as Tony Starts and there’re no rocket shoes or hand repulsors, there seem to be quite a few practical uses.

Hyundai hasn’t exposed any information about if and when these robots might be let loose in the wild, but at the very smallest there’ll be fewer visits to the chiropractor for the firm’s auto workers.

Another form of the suit is more stripped-down and intended to help “paraplegics, the handicapped and the elderly” with just a mechanical spine and legs strapped to the user. This second version is a lot more lightweight and less offensive than its full-sized sibling which is likely to only find use in construction and military scenarios.

Image by Hyundai

Hyundai, one of the world’s biggest automakers, hasn’t been as active in autonomous cars or developing robots as its Japanese rivals Honda and Toyota, but it is no stranger to innovative ideas. The previous fall, Hyundai released its Virtual Guide App, which permits owners to use a smartphone or tablet to get interactive information on vehicle features via an improved reality overlay.