Hyundai Shows Off More Than Cars at CES 2017

Automakers have a big presence at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show and Hyundai is no different, but instead of emphasizing cars and autonomous tech, it is showing off a bunch of other ideas and concepts.

Perhaps the most important and helpful items at the booth are these wearable robots, or exoskeletons. The Hyundai Medical Exoskeleton gives paraplegics the ability to sit, stand, move, turn and even walk up or down stairs. There’s also the Hyundai Universal Medical Assist that operates on a different control principle, providing assisted mobility support for people with limited muscular power.

Finally there’s also the Hyundai Waist EXoskeleton, that provides upper-body and hip support which will prevent back injuries for people doing repetitive manual labor like lifting heavy objects. All these wearable robots are powered by removable and rechargeable battery packs.

Also on display is this Mobility Vision Concept, that brings your connected car into the house. The car basically docks into your home and provides some functions to the home like air conditioning or media playback capabilities.

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“Hyundai Motor recognizes the significance of connected technologies and the extent to which they could benefit our customers’ daily lives,” said Hak Su Ha, Director of Hyundai Design Center. “Our Smart House concept fully integrates the car into the home, ultimately making the user’s life more comfortable and convenient. By seamlessly blending features from the car with home and work environments, the user experience is uninterrupted whether socializing, working at home, or on the move.”

The connected car can even provide power in emergency situations, as it features an on-board fuel cell that can act like a generator.

Hyundai also explained its health conscious features that will help you feel better while driving. Using a bunch of sensors in the car that can monitor variables like your breathing rate, heart rate and posture, the car can make certain adjustments that will make you feel better and healthier. By adjusting your posture, injecting fragrances and changing the airflow in the vehicle Hyundai says it can improve your mood in the car.

The automaker also showed off a foldable electric scooter. It’s small enough to slot nicely into the front of a Ioniq electric vehicle, where it can also charge. Hyundai says this will let drivers continue their journey after parking or it can help them to travel to public transit stations.

The scooter is equipped with front and rear lights so it’s safe to operate in daylight and night time. There’s also an occupant sensor that detects when the rider is safely on, and from then driver can operate the vehicle by thumb switch that controls acceleration, while braking is achieved by pressing a pad over the scooter’s rear wheel or scrolling down thumb switch.

Of course, all these concepts and ideas are really interesting, but don’t forget that Hyundai makes cars too. The company has been showcasing an autonomous Ioniq around CES as well.

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