Seoul-based electronics giants LG Electronics is to showcase a “human-centric” wearable robot next week at IFA 2018 in Berlin. The wearable robot will connect into a “smart working network”, said LG, to deliver information and tools required for manufacturing, logistics and distribution.
LG took a share of robotics startup SG ROBOTICS last year, one of five recent investments in the robotics space, which have also included $3 million piece equity in US-based Bossa Nova Robotics, a 20 per cent stake in Seoul-based firm Robostar, and 10 per cent of South Korean developers Acryl and Robotis.
The LG CLOi SuitBot, designed with SG ROBOTICS, promises a “comfortable fit and naturally rotating joints,” said LG in a statement. “Its sandal-type shoes and automatic adjustment feature allow the wearer to get in and out of the suit more easily, differentiating LG CLOi SuitBot from many other exoskeletons,” the company said.
It is part of a array of robotics – covering also ‘guide robots’, ‘cleaning robots,’ and ‘serving robots’ – That form part of a broader artificial intelligence (AI) initiative for the commercial sector.
“AI technology allows LG CLOi SuitBot to learn and evolve through the recognition and analysis of biometric and environment data, measuring and analysing movements to suggest optimal movements and stances for maximum power efficiency,” said LG.
LG announced the establishment of two new research centres to focus on developing technologies for AI and robotics at the end of last year. It said the new units will put the company in a good position for the incoming ‘fourth industrial revolution’.
“We will graft key technologies in the fourth industrial revolution such as AI, big data and IoT onto existing businesses to transform them to become new business paradigms,” it said.
