On the morning of June 25, the opening day of the ICROS 2025 academic conference, the Field Robot Forum, hosted by the Field Robot Society (FIROS, President Hyunjun Jung), was held as a special session at Conference Room 4 of the Jeonbuk National University International Convention Center.

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With over 100 attendees, this session brought together leading institutions in wearable robot development in Korea to introduce and exhibit their technologies. The event facilitated direct communication and interaction with end-users, while also discussing future directions and challenges for domestic wearable robotics.

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In his opening remarks, President Jung expressed his gratitude for the participants' attendance and hoped the forum would be a meaningful networking opportunity. He then presented a plaque of appreciation to former president Prof. Jinwoong Ahn of DGIST, recognizing his outstanding contributions and service during his term in 2023.

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The forum officially began with a presentation by Senior Researcher Gwanghyuk Park of LIG Nex1, who introduced their wearable robot technology. He explained that LIG Nex1 focuses on military-use wearable robots, such as combat and logistics support types, and has secured core technologies through multi-phase R&D since 2011. He introduced various products and achievements, such as high-mobility lower-limb exoskeletons, integrated control technologies, heavy-load assistive suits, modular designs, and their flagship devices like LEXO-W, LEXO-V, LEXO-2.5, and LEXO-M. Park emphasized LIG Nex1’s safety and reliability, being the first in the defense sector to pursue ISO 13482 certification, and its future plans for civilian market expansion.

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The second speaker, Prof. Kyungchul Kong of KAIST, also Chairman of Angel Robotics, presented Angel Robotics' technologies. He highlighted their modularization based on in-house development of controllers, motors, and torque sensors, and emphasized a software-driven development paradigm. He introduced the Angel Suit H10, designed for support in tasks like door lifting, semiconductor maintenance, and logistics loading/unloading, and stressed that wearable robots must be treated as customized tools, not generic ones. He noted difficulties in applying commercial tech directly to defense systems but pointed out many applicable areas within military logistics.

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Prof. Kiuk Lee of Chung-Ang University, also CEO of Hurotics, presented the third talk. He introduced wearable robots aimed at overcoming physical limits, with products like H-Medi (rehabilitation), H-Flex (daily recovery), H-Fit (intense training), and H-Swing (golf swing enhancement). He emphasized Hurotics’ three core technologies: deep tech tendon-driven mechanisms, on-device AI for personalized control, and human-centric design for ergonomic performance feedback. He also introduced the ultra-lightweight passive robot “H-Band” for mobile workers to reduce walking fatigue.

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The fourth speaker, Jaeho Jang, CEO of FRT Robotics, introduced FRT’s wearable robot technology. He explained that industrial exoskeletons currently account for 66% of the total exoskeleton market, with over 50,000 units deployed globally. FRT’s StepUp exoskeleton aims to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and reduce worker fatigue. The current version (4.0) weighs 4.3 kg and offers 8-hour battery life, with a lighter and more affordable 5.0 version launching in September. Over 300 units have been supplied to the Korea Forest Service, notably used in wildfire clean-up, and the robot is also being piloted in Seoul’s caregiver program.

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The fifth presenter, Junwoo Kim, CEO of Peach Lab, introduced their technology developed over seven years. He highlighted their high-compliance sensors and hybrid actuation for safe human-robot collaboration. He shared applications including medical brain stimulation robots and mine detection exosuits for soldiers. Peach Lab plans to build a gait data platform for lower-limb wearable robots using large-scale movement datasets.

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The sixth speaker, Manbok Hong, Principal Researcher at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), explained their military exoskeleton R&D. He described systems composed of multiple sensors and actuators designed to support soldier mobility, integrate personal weapons and gear, and enable interoperability with unmanned systems. Current projects include both hard- and soft-type exoskeletons and flexible multi-joint wearable suits under inter-ministerial collaboration.

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Seventh, Chulhoon Park, Principal Researcher at KIMM, presented KIMM's soft wearable robot technologies. He introduced textile-like artificial muscle actuators and garments as an alternative to traditional rigid wearable robots. Park criticized existing products for high cost, weight, and discomfort, proposing instead Spider-Man-style textile robots over Iron Man-style metal suits. KIMM is developing wearable robotics woven with shape memory alloy fibers, claiming wearable robots should be viewed as fashion, not machines.

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Eighth, Wonkyung Song, Director at the National Rehabilitation Center, introduced integrated wearable care robot technologies for people with disabilities. She presented ongoing R&D projects focusing on user-centric care robots, testbeds, and smart caregiving platforms, including usability evaluation indicators and service model development.

Ninth, Prof. Jesung Ko of Ajou University, currently in the U.S., joined via Zoom to present his project funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare: the development of a textile-type wearable robot with embedded artificial muscles to assist walking for people with mild disabilities. The project aims to support flat-ground walking, conduct technical validations, and prepare for certification.

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Finally, Prof. Kiwon Kim of Seoul National University Hospital, also via Zoom, presented research on short- and long-term clinical and biomechanical evaluation metrics for soft-type wearable caregiving robots. He is evaluating four products—WIM (WeRobotics), H10 (Angel Robotics), H-Medi (Hurotics), and Mostlab—through clinical testing and refinement.

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Source: Robot News (https://www.irobotnews.com)

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