Industrial workers are always exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Repeating the same movements, unnatural postures, and excessive force often leads to injuries in the shoulders, arms, and back.

 

The ’wearable robot’, or exoskeleton, has emerged as an alternative.

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According to market research firm BIS, the global wearable robot market is expected to grow rapidly from $96 million (about 107.4 billion won) in 2016 to $4.65 billion (about 5.2 trillion won) in 2026.

 

FRT Robotics (FRT) is a leading Korean wearable robot company that produces muscle-strengthening robots ’StepUp series’ for industrial workers and ’HyPER series’ for defense and firefighting. We met CEO Jae-ho Jang at the headquarters in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk.

 

What is a wearable robot?

▶ It is an exoskeleton that controls the driving part by measuring signals from the human body, and it is a device that enhances the wearer’s physical abilities. Think of ’Iron Man’ in the movie. Efforts to commercialize products are underway in various fields such as industrial work, national defense, and medical care, centering on the United States and Japan.

 

What was the reason for starting a business?

▶ After receiving a doctorate in mechanical engineering, I joined the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology in 2008 and worked as a senior researcher in the robotics group until early this year. FRT Robotics is a company that I started in 2015 while working, based on my experience so far. Now, I have left my job and am focusing only on managing FRT Robotics.

 

It wouldn’t have been easy to leave a stable job and start a startup.

 

"▶ I have confidence in wearable robots. As a researcher, I wanted to contribute to society by commercializing the experience of developing robots into services. It was not easy to commercialize wearable robots just by staying in the research institute. As much as I conducted research and development with taxpayers’ money, I have a sense of mission to show results to society by creating added value and employment through successful commercialization.

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-What is your representative product?

 

▶ First, there is HyPER, Korea’s first hydraulic wearable robot. HyPER is mainly used when transporting heavy objects weighing 25 kg or more. Firefighters or soldiers can wear HyPER and receive muscle strength assistance at fire sites or operation sites. With the development of HyPER, we also won the grand prize in the government technology contest in 2017. However, although it is good to show technological advancement, the target market is mainly public, so there are difficulties in actual supply or sales. StepUp, an industrial robot, was developed to create a market.

 

-Were there any difficulties in the development process?

 

▶ The concept of a wearable robot itself is unfamiliar. Because it is something that has never been used before, it is difficult to make consumers understand and persuade them. There may be countless failures because the market is still in its formative stage, but the tendency in Korea to perceive even experiences for success as failures is also a burden. I hope that the HyPER series, which is in the commercialization stage, will be understood as a process of creating a business model through continuous supplementation rather than failure.

 

-Market demand is gradually increasing, but how is the delivery status?

 

▶ The demand from the private sector is very high. Many companies want it and individuals are also interested. Currently, about 50 units have been delivered to about 10 sites, including construction sites, logistics centers, and nursing homes. Recently, the StepUp 3rd generation product has been supplied to the HANKOOK TIRE tire repair shop T Station to help with tire replacement work. In the future, we plan to develop subscription-type services rather than simply selling products.

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-What kind of subscription service is it?

 

▶ It is a form of helping workers work efficiently and safely by securing various user experiences to help prevent musculoskeletal diseases or manage health. If movement data and muscle data are quantified through an algorithm, companies can clearly distinguish when workers will work and when they will rest based on this data. We plan to upgrade our services so that not only industrial sites but also agriculture, food service businesses, and individuals can easily use wearable robots.

 

-Doesn’t a wearable robot make you work more?

 

▶ A wearable robot doesn’t make workers work twice as hard. The main purpose is disease prevention. For example, wearing StepUp does not help strengthen muscles in all movements of the wearer. It only works when you have an abnormal posture or apply excessive force momentarily. In other words, a muscle-strengthening wearable robot is a robot that supports muscle strength only when necessary to reduce fatigue and prevent injuries.

 

-If you look at the growth potential of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk robot industry?

 

▶ Rather than being optimistic about growth with abundant infrastructure alone, actual consumption must be made. If robots are purchased and actually used here, companies will come on their own. There is a big difference between having one robot roaming around Dongdaegu Station and not having one. If people see robots, companies gather, and so on, the industry will develop.

 

-What are your future business plans?

 

▶ I don’t think technology alone drives the market. The robot market is formed by combining appropriate business models and services. That’s why we’re putting a lot of effort into developing subscription services.

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Also, as we are rooted in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, we want to contribute to the local community by creating jobs through continuous growth.

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