[자막뉴스] '중력도 거스르는 느낌'...로봇 입은 고령자에 열린 신세계 / YTN

Choi Seong-cheol, 65, had been putting off strenuous exercise due to poor leg strength, but recently decided to try hiking again. Wearing a muscle-assisted robot, he climbed a mountain and successfully completed the 604-meter, 5km round-trip course in just four hours. [Choi Seong-cheol / Wolgok-dong, Seoul: I feel like I used about 60-70% of my strength to climb. It lifts my legs, so I don't drag on rocks or feel my legs dragging. It's incredibly comfortable and relaxing.] This wearable robot, weighing around 2kg, simply wraps around the body and assists muscle movement, as if alleviating gravity. Sensors measure the rotation angle and speed of the hip joint, posture, and foot pressure. Then, artificial intelligence determines whether the user is walking on a slope, stairs, or a rocky path. The robot then automatically adjusts its intensity in real time based on the terrain, providing additional muscle support. In fact, wearing this robot has been shown to reduce leg strength by up to 30% when walking. [Lee Jong-won / Senior Researcher, KIST Intelligent Robotics Research Group: Wearable robots can assist with up to 30% of the muscle strength required for walking. This figure is equivalent to making you look 10 to 20 years younger than your normal aging years.] Unlike existing wearable robots used for rehabilitation or therapeutic purposes, this robot helps seniors effectively and safely engage in everyday activities. Furthermore, by adjusting the intensity, it can be used for exercises that increase muscle strength without overexertion, contributing to the health and quality of life of seniors. The research team plans to reduce the robot's weight by half while maintaining its performance, making it easier to wear. This is Lee Dong-eun from YTN Science. Video Reporting | Hwang Yu-min Subtitle News | Lee Sun #YTNSubtitle News [Copyright (c) YTN. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data prohibited]