17.09.2020 Press release

Several Hyundai products win IDEA competition

The Hyundai Vest Exoskeleton (VEX) has been named a Gold Award winner in the Commercial & Industrial Products category. In the Automotive & Transportation category, the Hyundai 45 concept has been named a Bronze Award winner and the Hyundai Prophecy concept as a Finalist. They were selected for their bold and artful design innovations and how they improve quality of life and push conceptual and engineering boundaries.

Press material

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has awarded several Hyundai products in the 2020 International Design Excellence Awards® (IDEA) competition.

IDEA 2020 Ceremony

Hyundai showcases IONIQ EV design vision, which have become recognized globally by winning the IDEA Awards. Not only that, winning Gold with a non-automotive design, shows the expansion of our design capabilities.

SangYup Lee Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center

VEX


The VEX enhances productivity and reduces fatigue of industrial workers by imitating the movement of human joints to boost load support and mobility. The wearable vest features a polycentric axis – combining multiple pivot points with multi-link muscular assistance – to function, eliminating the need for a battery.


At 2.5kg, VEX weighs 22-42% less than competing products and is worn like a backpack. The user places their arms through the shoulder straps of the vest, then fastens the chest and waist buckles. The back section can adjust in length by up to 18 cm to fit a variety of body sizes, while the degree of force assistance can be adjusted over six levels – up to as much as 5.5 kgf.


The newly-developed VEX is targeted at production-line workers whose job is primarily overhead, such as those bolting the underside of vehicles, fitting brake tubes, and attaching exhausts. The development of the VEX included a pilot program in two Hyundai Motor Group plants in the US. The trial was widely successful in assisting workers and boosting productivity and both plants incorporated VEX systems in their production lines.

45 Concept


The 45 concept foreshadows a new era of Hyundai's automotive design focused on electrification, autonomous technologies and intelligent design. The progressive 45 puts a twist on a 45-year-old icon, the Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept, to introduce an entirely new in-car experience for self-driving vehicles of tomorrow.


The dramatic exterior styling of 45 excites the imagination and draws inspiration from the vehicle that first established Hyundai's design DNA, the 1974 Pony Coupe Concept. The iconic character of 45 is defined by its monocoque-style body, aerodynamic and light-weight design inspired by aircrafts from the 1920s. The car's name also owes itself in part to the 45-degree angles at the front and rear, forming a diamond-shaped silhouette that further foreshadows the design direction of future EV models.


The new concept strips away complexity, celebrating the clean lines and minimalistic structure of the original coupe concept. Combining heritage with vision, 45 incorporates the evolution of Hyundai's 'Sensuous Sportiness' design language. 'Sensuous' stands for enhanced emotional values that customers can experience through design, and 'Sportiness' is determined to implement those values through innovative mobility solutions.

Prophecy Concept


The visionary concept clearly expresses Hyundai's latest design philosophy, Sensuous Sportiness, expanding on the era-defining example set by "45" concept EV that stripped away complexity in favor of clean lines and minimalistic structures.


"Prophecy" follows suit with an iconic silhouette of perfect proportions that have been inspired by an aerodynamic design. Leveraging the extended wheelbase and shorter overhang, Hyundai's designers have achieved the Ultimate Automotive Form, thanks to a new EV architecture defined by pristine surfaces and pure volume in combination with aesthetic harmony and functionality.

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