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Hyundai is working on a real-life 'Aliens' exoskeleton

Lots of companies are working on exoskeleton suits, but most are designed to slightly increase your lifting capacity, prevent injuries or help you empathize. Not Hyundai, though – the South Korean automaker is aiming for something more extreme with a " wearable robot" that it likens to an Iron Man suit. Workers piloting the device can lift objects weighing "hundreds of kilograms," according to the company. Soldiers can also use it to pack up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) over long distances. The suit is a juiced up version of the H-LEX "wearable walking assistant" that Hyundai introduced last year. Unlike that lightweight version, which is worn like a suit, the fully mechanized exoskeleton "wears" you. However, Hyundai also has another version (below) that's much more lightweight with just a mechanical spine and legs strapped to the user. That model is designed to help "paraplegics, the handicapped and the elderly," according to the company. Hyundai says the project is part of its "Next Mobility" system "that will lead to the free movement of people and things." In other words, the car manufacturer is angling the suits as transportation, where other companies, like Panasonic and Daewoo, see them strictly them strictly as worker aids. Like Hyundai, DARPA is building an exosuit for soldiers for its "Warrior Web" program. As companies like Ekso Bionics have shown, however, such robotic suits may have the highest potential as rehabilitation aids. Related Video: This article by Steve Dent originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life. Auto News Hyundai Technology Smartphone Future Vehicles Military

Apple's digital car keys may work with Hyundai and Genesis models this summer

Apple's digital car key feature might soon be useful for unlocking more than a handful of BMW models. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed Hyundai and its upscale Genesis badge will support Apple CarKey "by the summer." It's not certain which models would provide the option, but it's notable that some trim levels of the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai cars include NFC for a (currently proprietary) digital key. While remote lock controls have been available through smartphones for a while, CarKey (and its Android equivalent) treats the phone more like a physical key. You just have to bring your phone or Apple Watch to the door handle to unlock it, and you can even place your phone in a given area to start the car. People with ultra-wideband iPhones (such as the iPhone 11 and newer) can even leave their phone in their pocket when opening and starting the vehicle. If the leak is accurate, Apple's move could significantly expand the audience for digital car keys — you wouldn't need to shop from one high-end marque to even consider it. A deal would also suggest the tussle over a possible EV collaboration wasn't enough to deter Apple and Hyundai from exploring a CarKey team-up. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Genesis Hyundai Technology Smartphone Apple

Hyundai Ioniq EV coming with 110-mile range in US

We've known for a while that the new Hyundai Ioniq line of vehicles will come in three variants: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric. As we get ready for more information on the trio at the New York Auto Show this week, we've learned that t he EV, which is slated to go on sale in South Korea in June and in the US towards the end of the year, will have a 28-kilowatt-hour battery pack that's similar to the Kia Soul EV. The Sould EV has a single-charge range of 93 miles, but the Ioniq EV will be able to go as far as 110 miles on one charge, In discussion with Hyundai's Kim Choong, Automotive News learned that despite earlier talk of a 155-mile range for the EV, the 110-mile figure is what the Ioniq will get on the US EPA test cycle, Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor confirmed in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen on Monday. The longer range figure is what the Ioniq EV will be rated at on the more lenient European cycle. Hyundai revealed its "three-pronged" plan for the Ioniq at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. We now know that the EV model will have paddle shifters so the driver can control the level of friction in the car's regenerative brake. Additionally, the EV, as with the hybrid and plug-in hybrid, will have an "eco-routing" navigation system that to make best use of either the range on the EV or the fuel economy on the hybrids. The Ioniq Hybrid debuted in South Korea in January. That variant has already received some attention because Hyundai's Lee Ki-Sang told Automotive News that the hybrid itself will have "standard" and "eco" variants, and that the "eco" version will have a combined fuel-economy rating of 56 miles per gallon, putting it well ahead of the Toyota Prius's fuel economy. That is, if these numbers are all on the same test cycle. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric: Geneva 2016 View 14 Photos News Source: Automotive News-sub.req. via Green Car ReportsImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green Hyundai Electric Hybrid ioniq