Park Cheol Hoon is the founder and CEO of Sartexo, the maker of Bionic Suit. (Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials)

By Kang Gahui

A wearable robot that boosts the user's ability to lift simply by wearing it is set to hit the market.

Sartexo, a startup spun off from the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials in Daejeon, on Nov. 5 announced that it unveiled and launched the commercial application of Bionic Suit, a garment-style wearable robot incorporating "muscle fabric" based on shape-memory alloy.

The key element is the fabric, which generates force on its own. Shape-memory alloy wires each thinner than a strand of hair are woven into the fabric.

When an electric current is applied, the material contracts like a muscle, assisting the bodily movements of the wearer. This allows the suit to remain lightweight, flexible and comfortable without the need for motors or metal frames.

A mere 10 g of the fabric can lift weights of 10 kg–15 kg. A lumbar support device incorporating the technology weighs 1.3 kg, including its battery and controller.

An integrated version of the product supports three joints—the lower back, shoulders and elbows—while weighing under 1.8 kg. Testing confirmed that it reduces the strain on lower back muscles over 40% during repetitive tasks.

Sartexo plans to expand the technology's applications beyond industrial settings such as logistics, construction and manufacturing to areas spanning caregiving, rehabilitation, daily activities and defense.

Company founder and CEO Park Cheol Hoon said, "We will build on our research achievements starting at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials to develop real products -- robots that anyone can easily use in daily life as well as industrial settings."

kgh89@korea.kr