Hyundai has developed something which it says will assist industrial workers who spend much of the workday in overhead environments. Dubbed the ‘Vest EXoskeleton’, the product is worn like a backpack, but it won’t turn you into something akin to Iron Man.

The exoskeleton has been designed to imitate the movement of human joints to boost load support and mobility and weighs just 2.5 kg, making it a claimed 22-42 per cent lighter than competing products. Users simply place their arms through the shoulder straps of the vest and fasten both the chest and waist buckles to start using the exoskeleton.

“VEX gives workers greater load support, mobility, and adaptability when operating in overhead environments,” head of the robotics team of Hyundai Motor Group DongJin Hyun said. “Workers will also appreciate how light VEX is to wear and work with.”

The South Korean automaker designed the exoskeleton for those industrial workers who engage in overhead work, such as bolting down the underside of vehicles, fitting brake tubes, and attaching exhausts. A short pilot program was carried out in two Hyundai factories in the U.S. to determine the effectiveness of the VEX.

One interesting aspect of the exoskeleton is the available leg attachment that allows users to effectively sit down, reducing the user’s back and lower body muscle activity by 40 per cent to drastically reduce fatigue and improve efficiency.

Hyundai has yet to announce pricing for the Vest EXoskeleton, but says it will cost about 30 per cent less than rival products that usually set customers back around $5,000.