Clothing humanoid robots new mission for Hansae

Humanoid robots wearing protective suits work inside a smart farm cultivating livestock and vegetables in this artificially intelligence-generated image. The suit design was proposed by Hansae. Courtesy of Hansae

A surprising scene unfolded in front of press at the Korea Federation of Textile Industries’ office in Seoul’s Gangnam District on June 8. A humanoid robot walked from behind the curtain to the center of stage to face the audience, drawing mild wows. The robot, about a meter tall and only a thick horizontal line where a human would have eyes, was dressed in a black sleeveless jacket and baggy pants. Its very presence was enough to keep the crowd’s attention.

Soon, the hook from G-Dragon's “Power” reverberated across the stage and the robot, courtesy of Galaxy Corp., an entertainment-tech company that has a partnership with the K-pop superstar, began dancing to the upbeat tune. Its metallic feet tapped on the floor and its clothing fluttereed with every jerky motion.

The show lasted for about a minute and the robot walked off stage. The performance was part of a bold message from Hansae regarding its latest mission — developing clothes for robots as well as humans.

The group’s businesses range from fashion retail to e-commerce bookstore, concert ticketing and automobile part manufacturing, and the fashion arm of the company has 140 designers, with manufacturing plants and overseas subsidiaries in 10 countries. Clothing robots is the next step in their apparel design plans.

“If robots were to live among us in closeness like never before, I believe it is Hansae that should design their clothes. We developed 3D design technology for apparel before other fashion companies here, allowing us to avoid the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and forced lockdowns worldwide. Trying to stay ahead of others is in our DNA,” Kim Ik-whan, CEO of Hansae and vice chairman of Hansae Group, said during the “Humanoid Exhibition: Wear the Future” press conference.

Hansae CEO Kim Ik-whan poses with a robot developed by Galaxy Corp. during a press conference in Seoul, June 8. Courtesy of Hansae

Why create fashion for robots?

“We asked ourselves that question hundreds of times,” said Shon Ji-yeon, head of research at Hansae during the conference. The question of why people should bother designing apparel for robots is a provocative one that the company knew it needed to have a solid answer to.

The question is also relevant to the emerging humanoid robot market now being shaped by global tech giants like Tesla, Figure AI and Hyundai Motor Group’s Boston Dynamics. Market analysts predict the global humanoid robot market will grow in market value to hundreds of billions of dollars in the next few decades, extending its influence on the textile, fabric and accessory sectors within the fashion industry.

The first reason, according to Hansae, is that robots need them for the same reason as humans: working environments and industrial hazards.

“Think of them as not a machine but a creation that shares spaces and spends time with humans. That upends our perspective toward robots,” Shon said. “Humans get protection from clothing. So do robots. Clothes are not just a cover for the body. Like teachers, caregivers, plant workers or service sector employees, they communicate the wearers’ role and workplace environment.”

Hansae said properly designed clothes can boost robot functionality and make them more sustainable.

“Apparel for robots is not decoration. In hazardous environments like manufacturing plants, they protect the robots and increase their efficiency. Because the robots emit a great volume of heat, apparels with cooling effects like ventilation designs or mesh garments can mitigate it,” said Shon.

She said robot fashion is a new area of design, partly because of the wearers’ mechanical structure.

“While humans have sweaty skin that is sensitive to temperature, robots have sensors, batteries and motors. Compared to human joints, robot joints move more freely and need maintenance like recharging on a regular basis, so their clothes should be designed so that joints move unhindered, convenient accessibility from outside and don't interfere with sensors. Since robots cannot yet change their clothes by themselves, they should be designed to be easily put on and taken off,” Shon said.

Another reason is fashion's ability to create emotional attachments, helping humans feel empathy with robots.

“They could be a teacher for your precious children, a caregiver for your aged parents or your companion when there is no one else. They can also work with human employees at a manufacturing plant much more advanced than what we have now,” Kim said.

A caregiver humanoid robot for children wears multifunctional apparel designed by Hansae to support young users’ emotional needs in this artificial intelligence -generated image. Courtesy of Hansae

“Humanoid robots can scare humans, at first, particularly children who encounter robots for first time. For robots working in close quarters with humans, we consider it critical to provide them with a stable look and appearance that gives comfort. They shouldn’t look too cold or threatening,” Shon said.

“The design’s objective is to make spaces where humans and robots co-exist feel more natural.”

Hansae introduced a “virtual design” division for 3D-based sampling for clients for the first time in the country’s fashion industry in 2019. Not only did it contribute to the company’s environmental initiatives by reducing the number of physical samples made per year from 500,000 to 300,000, it improved efficiency and boosted market competitiveness. In 2023, the company launched an artificial intelligence (AI) division to accelerate everytyhing from planning to design and product development. The company said its 3D and AI capabilities are that base of its future fashion initiative.

“Robot fashion is not entirely new. It’s our reinterpretation of the functional apparel that we have been developing for humans to align with the impending future,” Shon said. “This exhibition is our first project to demonstrate that possibility.”