위로보틱스가 초경량 보행보조 웨어러블 로봇 윔(WIM)을 출시했다. 위로보틱스는 인간과 안전하게 공존할 수 있는 인터렉티브 로봇기술과, 단일 모터로 구동하는 혁신적인 폼팩터를 기반으로 전 국민의 보행능력을 개선하겠다는 포부를 드러냈다.
Launch of WIM B2C based on interactive robot technology
1.6kg·Single motor driven form factor innovation
Big data collection and analysis...providing personal AI coaching
Werobotics has launched an ultra-lightweight walking assistance wearable robot, WIM. Werobotics has revealed its ambition to improve walking ability of all people based on interactive robot technology that can safely coexist with humans and an innovative form factor driven by a single motor.
Wearable robot startup WIRobotics held a press conference in Seokchon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 24th and introduced the main functions and features of its WIM B2C product.
Werobotics is a startup in the fields of collaborative robots, humanoids, and interactive robots that started in June 2021. The founding members, who are from Samsung Electronics, have been researching robot technology for about 20 years and have attracted a total investment of 17.6 billion won to date. Since last year, we have been participating in CES and expanding our base globally through collaborations with MIT and Tesla.
Kim Yong-jae, co-CEO of Werobotics, said, "Based on our differentiated robot development technology, we have maximized the weight and usability of wearable robots," and "We will expand the market, which was previously limited to those with impaired walking, through robot technology so that all people can safely coexist with robots, improve walking abilities that have declined due to aging or disease, and help them lead healthy lives."
■ Emphasizes the daily life of robots based on interactive robot technology
Werobotics possesses high-performance robot arm technology that is fundamentally different from existing industrial robots and collaborative robots in terms of structure and actuators. While collaborative robots operate based on position, this operates based on force, making it flexible and safe like a spring, making it advantageous for interaction with humans. It is also durable and capable of precise movements.
Based on this technology, 'WIM (We Innovate Mobility, WIM)', launched in February 2024, is a wearable robot for walking assistance. WIM is lightweight at 1.6 kg, easy to carry and store, and the wearing method is intuitive and simple. The WIM B2C product released this time is available in two colors, navy blue and light green, and in addition to the flat-ground walking assistance and exercise mode of the existing B2B product, a walking assistance function for uphill and downhill roads has been added.
Wim is different from other companies in that it innovates the form factor limitations of existing products. CEO Kim said, "There has been a lot of research on walking robots both domestically and internationally, including by Samsung Electronics, but the existing form factor weighed 3-4 kg at the lightest, making it difficult to wear comfortably like clothes." He added, "We have developed a new form factor that is highly portable, comfortable to wear, and lightweight, weighing no more than 2 kg, for everyday use by the general public."
To achieve this, Wim applied a single-motor actuator, unlike existing walking robots with two motors. "As for assisting walking, we were able to optimize the compact symmetrical auxiliary frame structure by connecting the two legs with the optimal path so that the two legs move relative to each other and providing symmetrical torque," explained CEO Kim.
Wirobotics emphasizes the popularization and daily use of Wim. Team leader Kim Ji-young said, "Wim is not a medical device, but an exercise aid device. It is helpful not only for seniors with reduced walking ability, but also for students, office workers, construction workers, and others who suffer from chronic back pain and disc disease due to poor posture habits, and anyone who needs to improve their walking posture and high-intensity interval training."
Uprobotics provides personal AI coaching functions with a gait analysis algorithm. It senses a person’s actions within 0.2 seconds and collects and analyzes important gait indicators such as the wearer’s muscle strength, balance, and posture. Ultimately, it diagnoses the wearer's strengths and provides a long-term customized exercise solution.
Meanwhile, Werobotics opened the Wim Walking Exercise Center so that consumers can become familiar with wearable robots and experience them firsthand, and provides in-depth consultations with experts such as physical education instructors, exercise managers, and physical therapists, as well as exercise programs optimized for each individual's health condition and exercise goals.
■ The next work is expected to be the exercise assistance robot 'Wim'
After the introduction of Wirobotics and the explanation of the Wim product, we had time to experience it by wearing Wim ourselves and walking around Seokchon Lake.
When the reporter personally wore the Wim, it felt a bit tight at first and felt strange, but it was easy to get used to and it didn't feel heavy. However, it seems that you will need the help of a professional to check the position of the waist and legs at first. It was made in a band type so that people with various body types over 145cm tall can wear it with one size.
The detachable battery is attached to the front and is easy to replace. The lithium-ion battery can be charged with Type C, and the usage time is 4-6 hours after a 2-hour full charge. The lifespan is about 300 charge/discharge cycles. It has acquired KC certification and IP54 dustproof and waterproof.
It's definitely easy to use. It is easy to control and collect data by installing an application on your smartphone and connecting it via Bluetooth, but it is intuitive even without the app.
Werobotics announced that in a usability test conducted for approximately one year from 2023, it was confirmed that physical functions were improved after exercising for 1 hour once or twice a week for 4 weeks. It explained that among the participants with an average age of 78.4 years, 78% of the participants' walking age before exercise decreased from 70 years to 54 years.
That's why I didn't feel a dramatic effect from the perspective of someone who had no trouble walking. While the reporters were walking around Seokchon Lake in a group, I set the exercise mode and the assistance mode alternately to levels 1, 2, and 3, but I didn't feel much of a difference.
However, if data is acquired through the app in the long term, it seems that it will be helpful for walking ability and posture correction. For example, when using exercise mode, it creates a 'resistance like walking in water' to help strengthen the wearer's lower body muscles and supports aerobic exercise and muscle strength exercise of appropriate intensity, and it is explained that when walking uphill or downhill, metabolic energy is reduced by an average of 16%, and knee impact load is reduced by an average of about 13%.
Wim from Uprobotics is expected to have even more success in the future. It is already receiving enough attention in B2B, and the key for B2C is to secure popularity through continuous innovation of form factors.
It is similar to the reason why the metaverse is difficult to popularize due to its form factor. The metaverse has reached the stage of making VR devices lighter as a substitute, but unless it has the usability, price, and functions of a smartphone, it will take more time for it to be accepted as an everyday device by the public. There is also little demand for content that can outweigh the form factor.
Werobotics Wimdo is also considered a product that informs of the safe coexistence of humans and robots in the era of one robot per person. Werobotics CEO Kim stated, "We will develop our next product with a focus on balance rather than weight, and we will release a more comfortable and sporty product. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the unit price to the level of a smartphone."