DroneUA has initiated a project to test Hypershell exoskeletons at Ukrposhta’s "Kyiv-Left" logistics terminal, one of the operator’s most modern facilities, opened in 2024. The pilot aims to demonstrate how wearable robotics impact team productivity and endurance under high-intensity shipment processing conditions.
The official distributor of Hypershell is Robotics Distribution, one of the top 10 IT distributors in Ukraine, part of the DroneUA group of companies. The company ensures local availability of the technology, expertise in integrating solutions for specific scenarios, and support for large-scale implementations in Ukraine. A key market development area is the creation of a clear local service and support network, which is critical for the successful implementation of wearable robotics in processes with high physical labor intensity.
The "Kyiv-Left" terminal is a class A facility with an area of about 14,000 m², equipped with automated sorting lines. The sorting line capacity for small shipments reaches up to 8,000 parcels per hour. The terminal's infrastructure also includes 45 ramps for freight transport and supports hundreds of delivery routes across Ukraine.
While automation handles a significant portion of operations, physical involvement of workers remains important in the receiving, unloading, and supporting processes. In hub-level logistics, a key factor is the stability of work pace during peak hours and at the end of shifts when fatigue accumulates.
It is in these scenarios that exoskeletons are seen as tools for enhancing and supporting workers, with the ability to provide up to 39% compensation for physical effort and reduce heart rate by up to 42% during physical exertion. The actual values for specific operational scenarios will be determined during pilot testing at the site.
During the pilot, two models of exoskeletons are being tested: Hypershell X PRO and Hypershell X Carbon. The technology is focused on supporting human resources in repetitive scenarios, where process productivity depends on endurance and stability of pace—moving, lifting, turning, and numerous short cycles during the shift. In hub logistics, the key risk is a slowdown in pace during peak periods and at the end of shifts, when fatigue sets in; this is where wearable robotics are viewed as a tool to stabilize the process.
During testing, the Ukrposhta team will evaluate the impact of exoskeletons on two practical metrics, directly related to the economic aspects of the process: the speed of cargo processing (productivity per shift) and workers' well-being after the shift (fatigue as a factor in pace slowdown and overload risks). If the results are positive, Ukrposhta plans to scale this practice to other sorting nodes.
"Based on previous tests in logistics centers and feedback from workers, we estimate the potential of Hypershell exoskeletons to increase operational efficiency by about 30% in physically intensive scenarios. This figure is based on practical comments from teams at other logistics centers that have already worked with exoskeletons. Our task in the pilot with Ukrposhta is to correctly integrate the solution into the process and confirm the effect through real-time measurements," says Sergey Silin, head of brand development at DroneUA.
The pilot at "Kyiv-Left" demonstrates the shift towards the practical use of wearable robotics in processes involving high physical labor intensity, through real-world testing and measurement of impact on productivity and worker well-being.
Through its distribution channel, Robotics Distribution, DroneUA is developing the wearable robotics category in Ukraine as a productivity tool—a technology that works on human resources in processes with intense physical load. The exoskeleton market is expected to expand beyond logistics in the near future and scale to industries such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and rehabilitation—anywhere human pace stability and risks to quality, safety, and outcomes are crucial.
