KIMM’s breakthrough ushers in a new era of wearable robotics

• With scalable production now a reality, offering lucrative opportunities for manufacturers, healthcare providers, and end-users alike.
•  Industry stakeholders are watching closely as commercialisation efforts ramp up—and as wearable robots move from prototypes to everyday tools on job sites and in clinics worldwide.
• A major breakthrough from the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) is poised to reshape the global wearable robotics industry.
• Automated weaving of ultra-light SMA-based fabric muscle enables mass production, powering the first wearable robot that assists three joints simultaneously.

KIMM’s Advanced Robotics Research Centre, led by Principal Researcher Dr. Cheol Hoon Park, has unveiled the world’s first automated system for mass-producing “fabric muscle”—a lightweight, flexible actuator technology designed for next-generation clothing-type wearable robots.

The new technology relies on ultra-thin shape memory alloy (SMA) coil yarn—just 25 microns in diameter, four times thinner than a human hair. By replacing a traditional metallic core with a natural fiber core and optimising both the actuator’s design and the weaving machinery, KIMM has overcome previous barriers to mass production.

The result: highly uniform, durable fabric muscle that is strong enough for industrial use yet light and flexible enough for daily wear.

Performance and market potential

A single 10-gram strip of this fabric muscle can lift loads up to 15 kilograms, a performance leap that positions it as a central component for wearable robots across industries. Previous wearable assistive devices have been hampered by heavy, noisy motors and limited adaptability, restricting them mostly to rigid, single-joint assistance.

In contrast, KIMM’s new fabric muscle enables comfortable, full-day wear and synchronised support for multiple joints—including the shoulder, elbow, and waist.

This technical edge has already led to world-firsts:

• A clothing-type wearable robot weighing under 2 kilograms, capable of reducing user muscle effort by over 40% during repetitive tasks.
• An ultra-light shoulder-assist device, just 840 grams, developed specifically for patients with muscular ailments such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Clinical trials with Seoul National University Hospital showed patients’ shoulder mobility improve by more than 57%.

Commercialisation and societal impact

KIMM’s automated weaving system lays crucial groundwork for scaling up production. As a result, wearable robots that once seemed costly or impractical for mass adoption are now within reach for sectors ranging from healthcare and rehabilitation to logistics and construction. The potential benefits are far-reaching:

• Reduced workplace injuries and fatigue.
• Greater independence for patients and those with muscle weakness.
• Alleviated burdens for caregivers and healthcare professionals.

Dr. Park emphasised the broad vision, stating, “Our development of continuous mass-production technology for fabric muscle will significantly improve quality of life in fields such as healthcare, logistics, and construction. We aim to accelerate commercialisation and lead the global wearable robotics market.”