SARTEXO begins commercializing Bionic Suit, a clothing-type wearable robot on KIMM's Fabric Muscle

SARTEXO Inc., a spin-off of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), has begun commercializing a third-generation clothing-type wearable robot, according to newswise.com. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗ The device is built on KIMM's Fabric Muscle technology. The company says it wants strength-assist robots to be as easy to wear as ordinary clothing, at industrial worksites and in daily life. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

SARTEXO was founded by Dr. Cheol Hoon Park, a principal researcher at the Advanced Robotics Research Center of KIMM, who is also its CEO. He has developed shape memory alloy (SMA) artificial muscle at KIMM since 2012. The company has launched the Bionic Suit and is entering the market with a focus on industrial applications. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

How Fabric Muscle works

Fabric Muscle is a textile that generates force by itself, without motors or rigid frames. SMA wires thinner than a human hair are coiled into spring-like yarn and woven into fabric. When electric current is applied, the fabric contracts like a muscle and produces a pulling force; when the current stops and the fabric cools, it relaxes. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

According to the company, 10 g of Fabric Muscle can lift 10–15 kg, up to 1,500 times its own weight. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

Lineup, production and plans

The Bionic Suit Waist supports the lower back and weighs 1.3 kg including the battery and controller. The Bionic Suit Full supports the lower back, shoulders and elbows and weighs 1.8 kg or less. SARTEXO calls it the world's first clothing-type wearable robot that assists these three joints at once. In repetitive lifting tasks, the suit reduced lower-back muscle activity by more than 40%, the company reports. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

SARTEXO has also secured a production base. An automated weaving system produces Fabric Muscle continuously and has replaced a largely manual process, significantly improving productivity. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

The suit is easy to wash and store. It can be worn over workwear or built into work clothes and uniforms. Prices will depend on performance and the body area supported; the company says they will be set at a level that lowers adoption costs, but gives no figures. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗

SARTEXO plans to expand from logistics, construction and manufacturing into caregiving, rehabilitation and daily life. "The Bionic Suit is a third-generation wearable robot with a completely new form factor: the clothing itself is the robot that assists the wearer's strength," said Cheol Hoon Park. newswise.comnewswise.comnewswise.comOpen source ↗