A team of researchers from South Korea and the U.S. has introduced a robotic clothing technology that allows people to wear garments without using their hands or receiving help from others.
The innovation could support future applications in chip manufacturing cleanrooms and emergency services.
The technology, developed by researchers at South Korea’s KAIST and Stanford University, uses soft and flexible air-powered “vines” embedded inside clothing. When air pressure is applied, the vines move the fabric close to the wearer’s body, similar to how an ivy plant climbs a surface. The system can dress a person even while they are moving instead of standing still.
“When I was riding a bicycle, it started to rain … and I thought it would be helpful if a raincoat could be put on automatically (as I ride),” said KAIST postdoctoral researcher Kim Nam Gyun, the lead author of the research paper.
“The vine robot stays close to the person and dresses them by turning the clothing inside out as it moves, allowing it to climb stably along the shape of the body,” Kim said, adding that it takes about 10 seconds to put on a full suit.
According to the researchers, one of the technology’s biggest advantages is that it does not require the wearer to remain motionless. It also works without relying on a complex control algorithm, making it a practical solution for real-world use.
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