Kaist

Professor Jae-woong Jeong Wins September＇s Scienti..

<Professor Jae-Woong Jeong from Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering> The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea have announced that Professor Jae-Woong Jeong from KAIST Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has been selected as the September recipient of the "Scientist of the Month" award. The "Scientist of the Month" award recognizes researchers who have made a significant contribution to the development of science and technology by creating unique R&D achievements over the past three years. The award is given to one person each month and includes a commendation from the Minister of Science and ICT and a 10 million KRW prize, funded by the Science and Technology Promotion Fund/Lottery Fund of the Ministry of Science and ICT. In the lead-up to "World Patient Safety Day (September 17)," the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation selected Professor Jeong Jae-Woong as the award recipient for his contribution to healthcare innovation through convergence research on wearable and implantable electronic devices and medical instruments, including the development of an intravenous (IV) needle that softens in response to body temperature to enhance patient safety. Intravenous injection is a treatment method that involves directly injecting medication into a blood vessel. It is widely used in the medical field due to its ability to provide rapid and continuous drug effects. However, conventional IV needles, made of rigid metal or plastic, can damage blood vessel walls or cause complications like phlebitis. Furthermore, there is a risk of needle-stick injuries and subsequent disease transmission for medical professionals during the disposal process. Professor Jae-Woong Jeong developed a variable-stiffness＊ needle that is rigid at room temperature but softens like biological tissue when inserted into the body. This innovation utilizes the unique property of the liquid metal gallium, which changes from a solid to a liquid phase in response to body temperature. ＊ Variable-stiffness: The characteristic of being able to adjust the level of rigidity (stiffness) according to a situation or condition. The variable-stiffness needle not only ensures a patient's free movement but also maintains a soft state at room temperature after use, preventing needle-stick accidents for medical professionals and fundamentally eliminating the issue of unethical needle reuse. < An intravenous needle that softens with body temperature. Intravenous injection is a treatment method that involves directly injecting medication into a blood vessel, which allows for a rapid and continuous supply of drugs, making it a globally accepted form of patient care. This research utilized the property of liquid metal gallium, which changes from a solid to a liquid state in response to body temperature, to develop a variable-stiffness intravenous needle that is rigid but softens like tissue upon insertion into the body. This needle allows for stable drug delivery without damaging blood vessels, even when the patient moves. Furthermore, the irreversible softening due to the supercooling phenomenon of gallium can fundamentally prevent post-use needle-stick injuries or unethical reuse, contributing to the safety of both patients and medical staff. This variable-stiffness technology is expected to be widely utilized in the implementation of various wearable and implantable devices that can change their properties according to different situations and purposes. > Furthermore, Professor Jae-woong Jung focused on the phenomenon in which the temperature of surrounding tissue decreases when a drug leaks during intravenous (IV) injection. He developed a function that enables real-time monitoring of local body temperature by integrating a nanofilm temperature sensor into an IV needle, thereby allowing real-time detection of IV drug leakage. This research achievement, which presents a new vision for promoting patient health and ensuring medical staff safety as required by the World Health Organization (WHO), was published as the cover article of the international journal Nature Biomedical Engineering in August 2024. Professor Jae-Woong Jeong stated, “This research is highly significant as it proposes a way to overcome the problems caused by conventional rigid medical needles and solves the infection risks from needle-stick injuries or reuse.” He added, “I will continue to dedicate my efforts to R&D so that variable-stiffness needle technology can evolve into a core technology in the medical field, enhancing the safety of both patients and medical professionals. To provide more robust support to researchers who lead such outstanding achievements, the Ministry of Science and ICT has prepared a record-high R&D budget of 11.8 trillion KRW (government proposal), including the Life Sciences (Bio) Medical Technology Development Project (361.1 billion KRW in '25 → 434.3 billion KRW in '26, proposed). The Ministry plans to strengthen investment in future industries, such as advanced life sciences, and will further reinforce rewards and recognition for researchers who produce excellent results to foster a researcher-centric R&D ecosystem.

KAIST Takes the Lead in Developing Core Technologi..

< Professor Sanghoo Park from Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering > KAIST announced on the 15th of August that Professor Sanghoo Park of the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering has won two consecutive awards for early-career researchers at two of the world's most prestigious plasma academic conferences. Professor Park was selected as a recipient of the Early Career Award (ECA) at the Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC), hosted by the American Physical Society, on August 4. He was also honored with the Young Investigator Award, presented by the International Plasma Chemistry Society (IPCS), on June 19. The American Physical Society's GEC Early Career Award is given to only one person worldwide every two years, based on a comprehensive evaluation of research excellence, academic influence, and contributions to the field of plasma. The award will be presented at GEC 2025, which will be held at COEX in Seoul from October 13 to 17. Established in 1948, the GEC is a leading academic conference in the plasma field with a 77-year history of showcasing key research achievements in all areas of plasma, including physics, chemistry, diagnostics, and application technologies. Recently, advanced application research such as eco-friendly chemical processes, next-generation semiconductors, and atomic layer and ultra-low-temperature etching technology for HBM processes have been gaining attention. To commemorate the award, Professor Park will give an invited lecture at GEC 2025 on the topic of "Deep-Learning-Based Spectroscopic Data Analysis for Advancing Plasma Spectroscopy." In his lecture, he will use case studies to demonstrate a method that allows even non-specialists to easily and quickly perform spectroscopic data analysis—which is essential for spectroscopy, a key analytical method in modern science including plasma diagnostics—by using deep learning technology. < Award ceremony at IPCS (professor sang hoo Park on the far left) > Professor Park also won the Young Investigator Award from the IPCS at the 26th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry (ISPC 26), which was held in Minneapolis, USA, from June 15 to 20. First held in 1973, the ISPC (International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry) is a representative international conference in the field of plasma chemistry, held biennially. It covers a wide range of topics, from basic plasma chemical reaction principles to applications in semiconductor processes, green energy, environmental science, and biotechnology. Researchers from industry, academia, and research institutions worldwide share their latest findings at each event. The Young Investigator Award is given to a scientist who has obtained their doctorate within the last 10 years and has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field. Professor Park was recognized for his leading research achievements in using plasma-liquid interactions and real-time optical diagnostic technology to environmentally fix nitrogen from the air and precisely control the quantity and types of reactive chemical species that are beneficial to the human body and the environment. < Photo of a certificate > Professor Sanghoo Park stated, "It is very meaningful to receive the Young Investigator Award representing Korea at the GEC event, which is being held in Korea for the first time in its history." He added, "I am happy that my consistent interest in and achievements in fundamental plasma science have been recognized, and it is even more significant that the efforts of the KAIST research team have been acknowledged by the world's top conferences."

＇Team Atlanta＇, in which KAIST Professor Insu Yun ..

<Photo1. Group Photo of Team Atlanta> Team Atlanta, led by Professor Insu Yun of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at KAIST and Tae-soo Kim, an executive from Samsung Research, along with researchers from POSTECH and Georgia Tech, won the final championship at the AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The final was held at the world's largest hacking conference, DEF CON 33, in Las Vegas on August 8 (local time). With this achievement, the team won a prize of ＄4 million (approximately 5.5 billion KRW), demonstrating the excellence of their AI-based autonomous cyber defense technology on the global stage. <Photo2.Championship Commemorative:On the left and right are tournament officials. From the second person, Professor Tae-soo Kim(Samsung Research / Georgia Tech), Researcher Hyeong-seok Han (Samsung Research America), and Professor Insu Yun (KAIST)> The AI Cyber Challenge is a two-year global competition co-hosted by DARPA and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). It challenges contestants to automatically analyze, detect, and fix software vulnerabilities using AI-based Cyber Reasoning Systems (CRS). The total prize money for the competition is ＄29.5 million, with the winning team receiving ＄4 million. In the final, Team Atlanta scored a total of 392.76 points, a difference of over 170 points from the second-place team, Trail of Bits, securing a dominant victory. The CRS developed by Team Atlanta successfully and automatically detected various types of vulnerabilities and patched a significant number of them in real time. Among the 7 finalist teams, an average of 77％ of the 70 intentionally injected vulnerabilities were found, and 61％ of them were patched. The teams also found 18 additional unknown vulnerabilities in real software, proving the potential of AI security technology. All CRS technologies, including those of the winning team, will be provided as open-source and are expected to be used to strengthen the security of core infrastructure such as hospitals, water, and power systems. <Photo3. Final Scoreboard: An overwhelming victory with over 170 points> Professor Insu Yun of KAIST, a member of Team Atlanta, stated, "I am very happy to have achieved such a great result. This is a remarkable achievement that shows Korea's cyber security research has reached the highest level in the world, and it was meaningful to show the capabilities of Korean researchers on the world stage. I will continue to conduct research to protect the digital safety of the nation and global society through the fusion of AI and security technology." KAIST President Kwang-hyung Lee stated, "This victory is another example that proves KAIST is a world-leading institution in the field of future cyber security and AI convergence. We will continue to provide full support to our researchers so they can compete and produce results on the world stage." <Photo4. Results Announcement>

KAIST’s Wearable Robot Design Wins ‘2025 Red Dot A..

< Professor Hyunjoon Park, M.S candidate Eun-ju Kang, Prospective M.S candidate Jae-seong Kim, undergraduate student Min-su Kim > A team led by Professor Hyunjoon Park from the Department of Industrial Design won the ‘Best of the Best’ award at the 2025 Red Dot Design Awards, one of the world's top three design awards, for their 'Angel Robotics WSF1 VISION Concept.' The design for the next-generation wearable robot for people with paraplegia successfully implements functionality, aesthetics, and social inclusion. This latest achievement follows the team's iF Design Award win for the WalkON Suit F1 prototype, which also won a gold medal at the Cybathlon last year. This marks consecutive wins at top-tier international design awards. KAIST (President Kwang-hyung Lee) announced on the 8th of August that Move Lab, a research team led by Professor Hyunjoon Park from the Department of Industrial Design, won the 'Best of the Best' award in the Design Concept-Professional category at the prestigious '2025 Red Dot Design Awards' for their next-generation wearable robot design, the ‘Angel Robotics WSF1 VISION Concept.’ The German 'Red Dot Design Awards' is one of the world's most well-known design competitions. It is considered one of the world's top three design awards along with Germany’s iF Design Awards and America’s IDEA. The ‘Best of the Best’ award is given to the best design in a category and is awarded only to a very select few of the top designs (within the top 1％) among all Red Dot Award winners. Professor Hyunjoon Park’s team was honored with the ‘Best of the Best’ award for a user-friendly follow-up development of the ‘WalkON Suit F1 prototype,’ which won a gold medal at the 2024 Cybathlon and an iF Design Award in 2025. <Figure 1. WSF1 Vision Concept Main Image> This award-winning design is the result of industry-academic cooperation with Angel Robotics Inc., founded by Professor Kyoungchul Kong from the KAIST Department of Mechanical Engineering. It is a concept design that proposes a next-generation wearable robot (an ultra-personal mobility device) that can be used by people with paraplegia in their daily lives. The research team focused on transforming Angel Robotics Inc.'s advanced engineering platform into an intuitive and emotional, user-centric experience, implementing a design solution that simultaneously possesses functionality, aesthetics, and social inclusion. <Figure 2. WSF1 Vision Concept Full Exterior (Front View)> The WSF1 VISION Concept includes innovative features implemented in Professor Kyoungchul Kong’s Exo Lab, such as: An autonomous access function where the robot finds the user on its own. A front-loading mechanism designed for the user to put it on alone while seated. Multi-directional walking functionality realized through 12 powerful torque actuators and the latest control algorithms. AI vision technology, along with a multi-visual display system that provides navigation and omnidirectional vision. This provides users with a safer and more convenient mobility experience. The strong yet elegant silhouette was achieved through a design process that pursued perfection in proportion, surfaces, and details not seen in existing wearable robots. In particular, the fabric cover that wraps around the entire thigh from the robot's hip joint is a stylish element that respects the wearer's self-esteem and individuality, like fashionable athletic wear. It also acts as a device for the wearer to psychologically feel safe in interacting with the robot and blending in with the general public. This presents a new aesthetic for wearable robots where function and form are harmonized. <Figure 3. WSF1 Vision Concept's Operating Principle. It walks autonomously and is worn from the front while the user is seated.> KAIST Professor Hyunjoon Park said of the award, "We are focusing on using technology, aesthetics, and human-centered innovation to present advanced technical solutions as easy, enjoyable, and cool experiences for users. Based on Angel Robotics Inc.'s vision of 'recreating human ability with technology,' the WSF1 VISION Concept aimed to break away from the traditional framework of wearable robots and deliver a design experience that adds dignity, independence, and new style to the user's life." <Figure 4. WSF1 Vision Concept Detail Image> A physical model of the WSF1 VISION Concept is scheduled to be unveiled in the Future Hall of the 2025 Gwangju Design Biennale from August 30 to November 2. The theme is 'Po-yong-ji-deok' (the virtue of inclusion), and it will showcase the role of design language in creating an inclusive future society. <Figure 5. WSF1 Vision Concept: Image of a Person Wearing and Walking>

Prof. Seungbum Koo’s Team Receives Clinical Biomec..

< (From Left) Ph.D candidate Jeongseok Oh from KAIST, Dr. Seungwoo Yoon from KAIST, Prof.Joon-Ho Wang from Samsung Medical Center, Prof.Seungbum Koo from KAIST > Professor Seungbum Koo’s research team received the Clinical Biomechanics Award at the 30th International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) Conference, held in July 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Plenary Lecture was delivered by first author and Ph.D. candidate Jeongseok Oh. This research was conducted in collaboration with Professor Joon-Ho Wang’s team at Samsung Medical Center. Residual Translational and Rotational Kinematics After Combined ACL and Anterolateral Ligament Reconstruction During Walking Jeongseok Oh, Seungwoo Yoon, Joon-Ho Wang, Seungbum Koo The study analyzed gait-related knee joint motion using high-speed biplane X-ray imaging and three-dimensional kinematic reconstruction in 10 healthy individuals and 10 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with ALL augmentation. The patient group showed excessive anterior translation and internal rotation, suggesting incomplete restoration of normal joint kinematics post-surgery. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the early onset of knee osteoarthritis often reported in this population.' The ISB conference, held biennially for over 60 years, is the largest international biomechanics meeting. This year, it hosted 1,600 researchers from 46 countries and featured over 1,400 presentations. The Clinical Biomechanics Award is given to one outstanding study selected from five top-rated abstracts invited for full manuscript review. The winning paper is published in Clinical Biomechanics, and the award includes a monetary prize and a Plenary Lecture opportunity. From 2019 to 2023, Koo and Wang’s teams developed a system with support from the Samsung Future Technology Development Program to track knee motion in real time during treadmill walking, using high-speed biplane X-rays and custom three-dimensional reconstruction software. This system, along with proprietary software that precisely reconstructs the three-dimensional motion of joints, was approved for clinical trials by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and installed at Samsung Medical Center. It is being used to quantitatively analyze abnormal joint motion patterns in patients with knee ligament injuries and those who have undergone knee surgery. Additionally, Jeongseok Oh was named one of five finalists for the David Winter Young Investigator Award, presenting his work during the award session. This award recognizes promising young researchers in biomechanics worldwide.

KAIST GESS Team Awarded Honorable Mention at 2025 ..

< Photo: eaureco team at the final pitch > The KAIST Global Entrepreneurship Summer School (GESS) winning team, eaureco, earned an Honorable Mention at the 2025 Entrepreneurship Olympiad, held July 21–23 at Stanford Faculty Club and hosted by Techdev Academy. Competing in the college track, the team showcased their innovative solution among participants from top institutions including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego. Team eaureco—comprising KAIST undergraduate and graduate students Jiwon Park(Semiconductor Systems Engineering), Si Li Sara (Julia) Aow, Lunar Sebastian Widjaja (both Civil & Environmental Engineering), Seoyeon Jang (Impact MBA), and Isabel Alexandra Cornejo Lima (BTM/Global Digital Innovation)—presented a B2B solution that upcycles discarded seaweed into biodegradable ice packs for cold-chain companies. Their business model was recognized for its alignment with sustainability, resource circulation, and social impact goals. < Photo: eaureco team preparing for the final pitch > The team’s ability to rapidly adapt their pitch based on mentor feedback and clearly communicate the value of their idea to judges contributed to their recognition. This accomplishment further highlights the impact of KAIST's GESS program, which supports students in building real-world entrepreneurial skills through immersive learning experiences in Silicon Valley. “The GESS program helped us refine every aspect of our business idea—from identifying the problem to developing a go-to-market strategy,” said Si Li Sara (Julia) Aow, a member of the eaureco team. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to showcase our work on a global stage and hope to continue developing innovations that drive meaningful change.” “This award reaffirms the creative potential and practical capabilities of KAIST students in global innovation ecosystems,” said Dr. Soyoung Kim, Vice President of International Office. “We will continue to invest in programs like GESS to empower our students as future leaders in entrepreneurship.” The Entrepreneurship Olympiad is a global event designed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration among young change-makers. This year’s program featured keynote talks, panels, and workshops led by industry pioneers including Marc Tarpenning (Co-founder, Tesla Motors), Pat Brown (Founder, Impossible Foods), and other influential entrepreneurs from the biotech, fintech, and deeptech sectors. The Honorable Mention recognition underscores KAIST’s commitment to global entrepreneurship education and the growing international visibility of the GESS program.

Professor Jung-woo＇ Choi ‘s Team Comes in First at..

< Photo1. (From left) Ph.D candidate Yong-hoo Kwon, M.S candidate Do-hwan Kim, Professor Jung-woo Choi, Dr. Dong-heon Lee > 'Acoustic separation and classification technology' is a next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) core technology that enables the early detection of abnormal sounds in areas such as drones, fault detection of factory pipelines, and border surveillance systems, or allows for the separation and editing of spatial audio by sound source when producing AR/VR content. On the 11th of July, a research team led by Professor Jung-woo Choi of KAIST's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering won first place in the 'Spatial Semantic Segmentation of Sound Scenes' task of the 'DCASE2025 Challenge,' the world's most prestigious acoustic detection and analysis competition. This year’s challenge featured 86 teams competing across six tasks. In this competition, the KAIST research team achieved the best performance in their first-ever participation to Task 4. Professor Jung-woo Choi’s research team consisted of Dr. Dong-heon, Lee, Ph.D. candidate Young-hoo Kwon, and M.S. candidate Do-hwan Kim. Task 4 titled 'Spatial Semantic Segmentation of Sound Scenes' is a highly demanding task requiring the analysis of spatial information in multi-channel audio signals with overlapping sound sources. The goal was to separate individual sounds and classify them into 18 predefined categories. The research team plans to present their technology at the DCASE workshop in Barcelona this October. < external_image > <Figure 1. Example of an acoustic scene with multiple mixed sounds> Early this year, Dr. Dong-heon Lee developed a state-of-the-art sound source separation AI that combines Transformer and Mamba architectures. During the competition, centered around researcher Young-hoo Kwon, they completed a ‘chain-of-inference architecture' AI model that performs sound source separation and classification again, using the waveforms and types of the initially separated sound sources as clues. This AI model is inspired by human’s auditory scene analysis mechanism that isolates individual sounds by focusing on incomplete clues such as sound type, rhythm, or direction, when listening to complex sounds. Through this, the team was the only participant to achieve double-digit performance (11 dB) in 'Class-Aware Signal-to-Distortion Ratio Improvement (CA-SDRi)＊,' which is the measure for ranking how well the AI separated and classified sounds, proving their technical excellence. Class-Aware Signal-to-Distortion Ratio Improvement (CA-SDRi): Measures how much clearer (less distorted) the desired sound is separated and classified compared to the original audio, in dB (decibels). A higher number indicates more accurate and cleaner sound separation. Prof. Jung-woo Choi remarked, "The research team has showcased world-leading acoustic separation AI models for the past three years, and I am delighted that these results have been officially recognized." He added, "I am proud of every member of the research team for winning first place through focused research, despite the significant increase in difficulty and having only a few weeks for development." < external_image > <Figure 2. Time-frequency patterns of sound sources separated from a mixed source> The IEEE DCASE Challenge 2025 was held online, with submissions accepted from April 1 to June 15 and results announced on June 30. Since its launch in 2013, the DCASE Challenge has served as a premier global platform of IEEE Signal Processing Society for showcasing cutting-edge AI models in acoustic signal processing. This research was supported by the Mid-Career Researcher Support Project and STEAM Research Project of the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, as well as support from the Future Defense Research Center, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Agency for Defense Development.

Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee Wins 2025 Glo..

< Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee (Senior Vice President for Research) from the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering > KAIST announced on the 20th that Professor Sang Yup Lee, who serves as the Vice President for Research and a Distinguished Professor at our university, has been awarded the '2025 Gregory N. Stephanopoulos Award for Metabolic Engineering' by the International Metabolic Engineering Society (IMES). Professor Lee delivered his award lecture at the 16th Metabolic Engineering Conference (ME16), held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from June 15th to 19th. This award was established through contributions from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Foundation, as well as fellow colleagues and acquaintances, to honor the achievements of Dr. Gregory Stephanopoulos, widely recognized as one of the pioneers of metabolic engineering. Presented biennially, the award recognizes scientists who have successfully commercialized fundamental research in metabolic engineering or have made outstanding contributions to the quantitative analysis, design, and modeling of metabolic pathways. Professor Sang Yup Lee boasts an impressive record of over 770 journal papers and more than 860 patents. His groundbreaking research in metabolic engineering and biochemical engineering is highly acclaimed globally. Throughout his 31 years as a professor at KAIST, Professor Lee has developed various metabolic engineering-based technologies and strategies. These advancements have been transferred to industries, facilitating the production of bulk chemicals, polymers, natural products, pharmaceuticals, and health functional foods. He has also founded companies and actively engages in advisory roles with various enterprises. The International Metabolic Engineering Society (IMES) defines metabolic engineering as the manipulation of metabolic pathways in microorganisms or cells to produce useful substances (such as pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and chemical products). It utilizes tools like systems biology, synthetic biology, and computational modeling with the aim of enhancing the economic viability and sustainability of bio-based processes. Furthermore, Professor Lee previously received the Merck Metabolic Engineering Award, a prominent international award in the field, in 2008. In 2018, he was honored with the Eni Award, often referred to as the Nobel Prize in energy, presented by the President of Italy. Professor Sang Yup Lee remarked, "Metabolic engineering is a discipline that leads the current and future of biotechnology. It is a tremendous honor to receive this meaningful award at a time when the transition to a bio-based economy is accelerating. Together with my students and fellow researchers, we have generated numerous patents and transferred technologies to industry, and also established startups in the fields of biofuels, wound healing, and cosmetics. I will continue to pursue research that encompasses both fundamental research and technological commercialization." The 'International Metabolic Engineering Society (IMES)' is a specialized society under the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Its mission is to enable the production of various bio-based products, including pharmaceuticals, food additives, chemicals, and fuels, through metabolic engineering. The society hosts the Metabolic Engineering Conference biennially, offering researchers opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

KAIST Professor Jee-Hwan Ryu Receives Global IEEE ..

- Professor Jee-Hwan Ryu of Civil and Environmental Engineering receives the Best Paper Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Robotics Journal, officially presented at ICRA, a world-renowned robotics conference. - This is the highest level of international recognition, awarded to only the top 5 papers out of approximately 1,500 published in 2024. - Securing a new working channel technology for soft growing robots expands the practicality and application possibilities in the field of soft robotics. < Professor Jee-Hwan Ryu (left), Nam Gyun Kim, Ph.D. Candidate (right) from the KAIST Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and KAIST Robotics Program > KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on the 6th that Professor Jee-Hwan Ryu from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering received the 2024 Best Paper Award from the Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), a premier journal under the IEEE, at the '2025 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)' held in Atlanta, USA, on May 22nd. This Best Paper Award is a prestigious honor presented to only the top 5 papers out of approximately 1,500 published in 2024, boasting high international competition and authority. The award-winning paper by Professor Ryu proposes a novel working channel securing mechanism that significantly expands the practicality and application possibilities of 'Soft Growing Robots,' which are based on soft materials that move or perform tasks through a growing motion similar to plant roots. < IEEE Robotics Journal Award Ceremony > Existing soft growing robots move by inflating or contracting their bodies through increasing or decreasing internal pressure, which can lead to blockages in their internal passages. In contrast, the newly developed soft growing robot achieves a growing function while maintaining the internal passage pressure equal to the external atmospheric pressure, thereby successfully securing an internal passage while retaining the robot's flexible and soft characteristics. This structure allows various materials or tools to be freely delivered through the internal passage (working channel) within the robot and offers the advantage of performing multi-purpose tasks by flexibly replacing equipment according to the working environment. The research team fabricated a prototype to prove the effectiveness of this technology and verified its performance through various experiments. Specifically, in the slide plate experiment, they confirmed whether materials or equipment could pass through the robot's internal channel without obstruction, and in the pipe pulling experiment, they verified if a long pipe-shaped tool could be pulled through the internal channel. < Figure 1. Overall hardware structure of the proposed soft growing robot (left) and a cross-sectional view composing the inflatable structure (right) > Experimental results demonstrated that the internal channel remained stable even while the robot was growing, serving as a key basis for supporting the technology's practicality and scalability. Professor Jee-Hwan Ryu stated, "This award is very meaningful as it signifies the global recognition of Korea's robotics technology and academic achievements. Especially, it holds great significance in achieving technical progress that can greatly expand the practicality and application fields of soft growing robots. This achievement was possible thanks to the dedication and collaboration of the research team, and I will continue to contribute to the development of robotics technology through innovative research." < Figure 2. Material supplying mechanism of the Soft Growing Robot > This research was co-authored by Dongoh Seo, Ph.D. Candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Nam Gyun Kim, Ph.D. Candidate in Robotics. It was published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters on September 1, 2024. (Paper Title: Inflatable-Structure-Based Working-Channel Securing Mechanism for Soft Growing Robots, DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2024.3426322) This project was supported simultaneously by the National Research Foundation of Korea's Future Promising Convergence Technology Pioneer Research Project and Mid-career Researcher Project.

Professor Hyun Myung＇s Team Wins First Place in a ..

< Photo 1. (From left) Daebeom Kim (Team Leader, Ph.D. student), Seungjae Lee (Ph.D. student), Seoyeon Jang (Ph.D. student), Jei Kong (Master's student), Professor Hyun Myung > A team of the Urban Robotics Lab, led by Professor Hyun Myung from the KAIST School of Electrical Engineering, achieved a remarkable first-place overall victory in the Nothing Stands Still Challenge (NSS Challenge) 2025, held at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), the world's most prestigious robotics conference, from May 19 to 23 in Atlanta, USA. The NSS Challenge was co-hosted by HILTI, a global construction company based in Liechtenstein, and Stanford University's Gradient Spaces Group. It is an expanded version of the HILTI SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)＊ Challenge, which has been held since 2021, and is considered one of the most prominent challenges at 2025 IEEE ICRA. ＊SLAM: Refers to Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, a technology where robots, drones, autonomous vehicles, etc., determine their own position and simultaneously create a map of their surroundings. < Photo 2. A scene from the oral presentation on the winning team's technology (Speakers: Seungjae Lee and Seoyeon Jang, Ph.D. candidates of KAIST School of Electrical Engineering) > This challenge primarily evaluates how accurately and robustly LiDAR scan data, collected at various times, can be registered in situations with frequent structural changes, such as construction and industrial environments. In particular, it is regarded as a highly technical competition because it deals with multi-session localization and mapping (Multi-session SLAM) technology that responds to structural changes occurring over multiple timeframes, rather than just single-point registration accuracy. The Urban Robotics Lab team secured first place overall, surpassing National Taiwan University (3rd place) and Northwestern Polytechnical University of China (2nd place) by a significant margin, with their unique localization and mapping technology that solves the problem of registering LiDAR data collected across multiple times and spaces. The winning team will be awarded a prize of ＄4,000. < Figure 1. Example of Multiway-Registration for Registering Multiple Scans > The Urban Robotics Lab team independently developed a multiway-registration framework that can robustly register multiple scans even without prior connection information. This framework consists of an algorithm for summarizing feature points within scans and finding correspondences (CubicFeat), an algorithm for performing global registration based on the found correspondences (Quatro), and an algorithm for refining results based on change detection (Chamelion). This combination of technologies ensures stable registration performance based on fixed structures, even in highly dynamic industrial environments. < Figure 2. Example of Change Detection Using the Chamelion Algorithm> LiDAR scan registration technology is a core component of SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) in various autonomous systems such as autonomous vehicles, autonomous robots, autonomous walking systems, and autonomous flying vehicles. Professor Hyun Myung of the School of Electrical Engineering stated, "This award-winning technology is evaluated as a case that simultaneously proves both academic value and industrial applicability by maximizing the performance of precisely estimating the relative positions between different scans even in complex environments. I am grateful to the students who challenged themselves and never gave up, even when many teams abandoned due to the high difficulty." < Figure 3. Competition Result Board, Lower RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error) Indicates Higher Score (Unit: meters)> The Urban Robotics Lab team first participated in the SLAM Challenge in 2022, winning second place among academic teams, and in 2023, they secured first place overall in the LiDAR category and first place among academic teams in the vision category.

KAIST Alumni Association to Honor Alumni of the Ye..

Photo 1. Photo of the KAIST Alumni of the Year Award Recipients (From left) UST President Lee-whan Kim, CEO Han Chung of iThree Systems Co., Ltd., CEO Dong Myung Kim of LG Energy Solution Co., Ltd., and Professor Hyun Myung of the School of Electrical Engineering at KAIST KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on Monday, the 13th of January that the Alumni Association (President Yun-Tae Lee) has selected its Alumni of the Year. This year’s honorees are: ▴ President Lee-whan Kim of the Korea National University of Science and Technology (UST), ▴ CEO Han Chung of i3 Systems, ▴ CEO Dong Myung Kim of LG Energy Solution, and ▴ Professor Hyun Myung of the School of Electrical Engineering at KAIST. The honorees were selected based on their achievements over the past year, and the award ceremony will be held at the 2025 KAIST Alumni Association New Year’s Gathering to be held at the L Tower in Seoul at 5 PM on Friday the 17th. The KAIST Alumni of the Year Award is an award presented by the Alumni Association to alumni who have contributed to the development of the country and the society or have brought honor to their alma mater through outstanding academic achievements and community service. Since its establishment in 1992, 126 recipients have been awarded. Lee-whan Kim (Master's graduate of Mechanical Engineering, 82), the President of the Korea National University of Science and Technology (UST), established a leading foundation for national science and technology policy and strategy, and played a leading role in innovating national science and technology capabilities through the advancement of the national research and development system and the advancement of science and technology personnel training. In particular, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of UST and the Korea Science Academy (KSA), and greatly contributed to establishing a foundation for the training and utilization of science and technology personnel. Han Chung (Master's graduate of Electrical Engineering, 91, with Ph.D. degree in 96), the CEO of i3 Systems, is a first-generation researcher in the field of domestic infrared detectors. He developed military detectors for over 30 years and founded i3 Systems, a specialized infrared detector company, in 1998. Currently, he supplies more than 80％ of the infrared detectors used by the Korean military, and has also achieved export results to over 20 countries. Dong Myung Kim (Master's graduate of Materials Science and Engineering, 94, with Ph.D. degree in 98) the CEO of LG Energy Solution Co., Ltd. has led innovation in the battery field with his ceaseless exploration and challenging spirit, and is known as an authority in the secondary battery industry. He played a leading role in establishing K-Battery as a global leader, strengthened the country's future industrial competitiveness, and greatly contributed to the development of science and technology. Hyun Myung (Bachelor's graduate of Electrical Engineering, 92, with Master's degree in 94, and Ph.D. degree in 98) a Professor of Electrical Engineering, KAIST, won first place in the world at the Quadruped Robot Challenge (QRC) hosted by the IEEE’s International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2023 with the 'DreamWaQ' system, an AI walking technology based on deep reinforcement learning that utilizes non-video sensory technologies. He contributed to enhancing the competitiveness of the domestic robot industry by developing his own fully autonomous walking technology that recognizes the environment around the robot and finds the optimal path. Yun-Tae Lee, the 27th president of the KAIST Alumni Association, said, “KAIST alumni have been the driving force behind the growth of industries in all walks of life by continuously conducting research and development in the field of advanced science and technology for a long time,” and added, “I am very proud of the KAIST alumni award recipients who are leading science and technology on the world stage beyond Korea, and I sincerely thank them for their efforts and achievements.”

Prof. Jae-Hung Han Honored with 2024 KSNVE Academ..

Prof. Jae-Hung Han received 2024 Academic Achievement Award from the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering (KSNVE) during its annual fall conference. The award is the most prestigious award that the society can bestow and is to recognize lifetime distinguished achievement in the sound and vibration area. The award ceremony took place on October 24 at the High1 Grand Hotel Convention Tower in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province. This award recognizes Prof. Han’s dedicated research efforts in aeroelastic vibration analysis, satellite micro-vibration isolation, and coupled load analysis for launch vehicles.