Hyundai Motor Group to mass-produce wearable robots in 2024

Hyundai Motor Group’s wearable robot ‘VEX’. Hyundai Motor Group will unveil the ‘X-ble Shoulder’ which improves the performance of the model. [Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor Group has designated robots as its future growth engine and is expected to speed up commercialization.

According to Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday, the conglomerate plans to produce thousands of units of its industrial wearable robot, X-ble Shoulder, at its local factory in December 2024.

This is the first time Hyundai Motor Group has entered into full-scale production of the robot since it established a dedicated team for the robotics business in 2019.

An example photo of a worker wearing the wearable robot ‘VEX’. [Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

The X-ble Shoulder is a robot designed to augment workers’ strength and reduce injury risks, as well as enhancing productivity while reducing work fatigue.

It is expected to be priced in the millions of won range per unit.

Hyundai Motor Group has focused on enhancing the robot through significant research and development (R&D) investments, but now it plans to create revenue through its full-scale sales from the end of 2024.

The group also has plans to produce new robots next year. It plans to mass-produce its cart-type robot, Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED), which can be used for delivery, guidance, filming, and more, in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The company has yet to decide on its price, but it is known to be engaging with various business-to-business (B2B) clients to secure supply contracts.

Hyundai Motor Group’s decision to accelerate its robotics business is believed to be driven by Chairman Euisun Chung’s strong commitment.

Chung has emphasized that the conglomerate “cannot remain a business that only sells cars” and has called for the exploration of new growth engines.

“The robots that have remained in the laboratory will now demonstrate their true value through our full-scale commercialization,“ said Hyun Dong-jin, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Lab.