[Reading Science] "Wearable Robots Are Coming"... Ultra-Lightweight Wearable Era Opens with Automatic Weaving of Muscle Fabric

KIMM Develops Mass Production Technology for Muscle Fabric
Simultaneous Support for Three Joints and an 840g Shoulder Robot Achieved

Robots that can be worn like clothing are becoming a reality. The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials has developed equipment capable of automatically mass-producing ultra-lightweight "muscle fabric" by weaving shape memory alloy coil threads thinner than a human hair into fabric. This brings the commercialization of wearable robots in the form of clothing one step closer.

On October 29, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robot Research Center at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, under the National Research Council of Science & Technology, announced that the research team led by Principal Researcher Park Cheolhun has developed an automatic weaving machine that continuously weaves shape memory alloy coil threads to create "muscle fabric."

Wearable robot clothing that simultaneously supports the elbows, shoulders, and waist using muscle fabric. This robot weighs less than 2kg, is lightweight and easy to wear, and can reduce muscle strength usage by 40-50% during heavy lifting tasks. Provided by Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials.

Artificial Muscle Woven Like Fabric: "Lifts 15kg with Just 10g"

The equipment developed by the institute processes shape memory alloy wires, which are about one-fourth the thickness of a human hair (25 micrometers in diameter), into coils and weaves these threads to continuously produce muscle fabric. This fabric is both powerful and flexible, capable of lifting 10 to 15 kilograms with just 10 grams of weight, making it a core actuator for wearable robots in clothing form.

Previously, coil threads with metallic cores had low elongation rates, making automatic weaving difficult. The research team solved this by using natural fiber as the core thread instead of metal. By redesigning the loom structure and improving the manufacturing process, they enabled the automatic and continuous production of muscle fabric with uniform quality.

Applying this muscle fabric, the research team developed the world’s first wearable robot in clothing form that simultaneously supports the elbows, shoulders, and waist. Weighing less than 2 kilograms, it has been confirmed to reduce the wearer’s muscle usage by more than 40 percent.

Conventional wearable robots use motors or pneumatic actuators, making them heavy and noisy, and in practice, they only assist a limited number of joints. In contrast, the muscle fabric actuator developed by the institute is lightweight, quiet, and naturally adapts to complex joints, enabling active support.

Automatic loom and products for continuous mass production of muscle fabric. Provided by Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials

Ultra-Lightweight Shoulder Robot Improves Patient Movement by 57%

The research team also developed a world-class ultra-lightweight shoulder assist robot weighing just 840 grams. In clinical trials at Seoul National University Hospital with patients suffering from muscle weakness, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the robot improved shoulder movement by more than 57 percent.

Its light weight allows it to be worn comfortably in daily life, and it has great potential as a rehabilitation and assistive device to support patients’ independent activities.

Principal Researcher Park Cheolhun stated, "With the mass production equipment for muscle fabric, the core technology of clothing-type wearable robots, we will improve the quality of life for people in various fields such as healthcare, logistics, and construction. The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials will accelerate the commercialization of wearable robot technology to lead the market."

This research was supported by the institute’s basic project (ACE), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Core Technology Development Project for the Robotics Industry, and the "Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Conquest Project" of the Seoul National University Hospital Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Support Group. The results were published in the October 2025 online edition of the international journal IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering (IEEE TNSRE) in the field of rehabilitation engineering.