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KAIST Develops Virtual Staining Technology for 3D Histopathology
Moving beyond traditional methods of observing thinly sliced and stained cancer tissues, a collaborative international research team led by KAIST has successfully developed a groundbreaking technology. This innovation uses advanced optical techniques combined with an artificial intelligence-based deep learning algorithm to create realistic, virtually stained 3D images of cancer tissue without the need for serial sectioning nor staining. This breakthrough is anticipated to pave the way for next-generation non-invasive pathological diagnosis.
< Photo 1. (From left) Juyeon Park (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Physics), Professor YongKeun Park (Department of Physics) (Top left) Professor Su-Jin Shin (Gangnam Severance Hospital), Professor Tae Hyun Hwang (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine) >
KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 26th that a research team led by Professor YongKeun Park of the Department of Physics, in collaboration with Professor Su-Jin Shin's team at Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital, Professor Tae Hyun Hwang's team at Mayo Clinic, and Tomocube's AI research team, has developed an innovative technology capable of vividly displaying the 3D structure of cancer tissues without separate staining.
For over 200 years, conventional pathology has relied on observing cancer tissues under a microscope, a method that only shows specific cross-sections of the 3D cancer tissue. This has limited the ability to understand the three-dimensional connections and spatial arrangements between cells.
To overcome this, the research team utilized holotomography (HT), an advanced optical technology, to measure the 3D refractive index information of tissues. They then integrated an AI-based deep learning algorithm to successfully generate virtual H&E* images.* H&E (Hematoxylin & Eosin): The most widely used staining method for observing pathological tissues. Hematoxylin stains cell nuclei blue, and eosin stains cytoplasm pink.
The research team quantitatively demonstrated that the images generated by this technology are highly similar to actual stained tissue images. Furthermore, the technology exhibited consistent performance across various organs and tissues, proving its versatility and reliability as a next-generation pathological analysis tool.
< Figure 1. Comparison of conventional 3D tissue pathology procedure and the 3D virtual H&E staining technology proposed in this study. The traditional method requires preparing and staining dozens of tissue slides, while the proposed technology can reduce the number of slides by up to 10 times and quickly generate H&E images without the staining process. >
Moreover, by validating the feasibility of this technology through joint research with hospitals and research institutions in Korea and the United States, utilizing Tomocube's holotomography equipment, the team demonstrated its potential for full-scale adoption in real-world pathological research settings.
Professor YongKeun Park stated, "This research marks a major advancement by transitioning pathological analysis from conventional 2D methods to comprehensive 3D imaging. It will greatly enhance biomedical research and clinical diagnostics, particularly in understanding cancer tumor boundaries and the intricate spatial arrangements of cells within tumor microenvironments."
< Figure 2. Results of AI-based 3D virtual H&E staining and quantitative analysis of pathological tissue. The virtually stained images enabled 3D reconstruction of key pathological features such as cell nuclei and glandular lumens. Based on this, various quantitative indicators, including cell nuclear distribution, volume, and surface area, could be extracted. >
This research, with Juyeon Park, a student of the Integrated Master’s and Ph.D. Program at KAIST, as the first author, was published online in the prestigious journal Nature Communications on May 22.
(Paper title: Revealing 3D microanatomical structures of unlabeled thick cancer tissues using holotomography and virtual H&E staining.
[https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59820-0]
This study was supported by the Leader Researcher Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Global Industry Technology Cooperation Center Project of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.
2025.05.26 View 204 -
KAIST to Develop a Korean-style ChatGPT Platform Specifically Geared Toward Medical Diagnosis and Drug Discovery
On May 23rd, KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced that its Digital Bio-Health AI Research Center (Director: Professor JongChul Ye of KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI) has been selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's 'AI Top-Tier Young Researcher Support Program (AI Star Fellowship Project).' With a total investment of ₩11.5 billion from May 2025 to December 2030, the center will embark on the full-scale development of AI technology and a platform capable of independently inferring and determining the kinds of diseases, and discovering new drugs.
< Photo. On May 20th, a kick-off meeting for the AI Star Fellowship Project was held at KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI’s Yangjae Research Center with the KAIST research team and participating organizations of Samsung Medical Center, NAVER Cloud, and HITS. [From left to right in the front row] Professor Jaegul Joo (KAIST), Professor Yoonjae Choi (KAIST), Professor Woo Youn Kim (KAIST/HITS), Professor JongChul Ye (KAIST), Professor Sungsoo Ahn (KAIST), Dr. Haanju Yoo (NAVER Cloud), Yoonho Lee (KAIST), HyeYoon Moon (Samsung Medical Center), Dr. Su Min Kim (Samsung Medical Center) >
This project aims to foster an innovative AI research ecosystem centered on young researchers and develop an inferential AI agent that can utilize and automatically expand specialized knowledge systems in the bio and medical fields.
Professor JongChul Ye of the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI will serve as the lead researcher, with young researchers from KAIST including Professors Yoonjae Choi, Kimin Lee, Sungsoo Ahn, and Chanyoung Park, along with mid-career researchers like Professors Jaegul Joo and Woo Youn Kim, jointly undertaking the project. They will collaborate with various laboratories within KAIST to conduct comprehensive research covering the entire cycle from the theoretical foundations of AI inference to its practical application.
Specifically, the main goals include: - Building high-performance inference models that integrate diverse medical knowledge systems to enhance the precision and reliability of diagnosis and treatment. - Developing a convergence inference platform that efficiently combines symbol-based inference with neural network models. - Securing AI technology for new drug development and biomarker discovery based on 'cell ontology.'
Furthermore, through close collaboration with industry and medical institutions such as Samsung Medical Center, NAVER Cloud, and HITS Co., Ltd., the project aims to achieve: - Clinical diagnostic AI utilizing medical knowledge systems. - AI-based molecular target exploration for new drug development. - Commercialization of an extendible AI inference platform.
Professor JongChul Ye, Director of KAIST's Digital Bio-Health AI Research Center, stated, "At a time when competition in AI inference model development is intensifying, it is a great honor for KAIST to lead the development of AI technology specialized in the bio and medical fields with world-class young researchers." He added, "We will do our best to ensure that the participating young researchers reach a world-leading level in terms of research achievements after the completion of this seven-year project starting in 2025."
The AI Star Fellowship is a newly established program where post-doctoral researchers and faculty members within seven years of appointment participate as project leaders (PLs) to independently lead research. Multiple laboratories within a university and demand-side companies form a consortium to operate the program.
Through this initiative, KAIST plans to nurture bio-medical convergence AI talent and simultaneously promote the commercialization of core technologies in collaboration with Samsung Medical Center, NAVER Cloud, and HITS.
2025.05.26 View 192 -
KAIST and Mainz Researchers Unveil 3D Magnon Control, Charting a New Course for Neuromorphic and Quantum Technologies
< Professor Se Kwon Kim of the Department of Physics (left), Dr. Zarzuela of the University of Mainz, Germany (right) >
What if the magnon Hall effect, which processes information using magnons (spin waves) capable of current-free information transfer with magnets, could overcome its current limitation of being possible only on a 2D plane? If magnons could be utilized in 3D space, they would enable flexible design, including 3D circuits, and be applicable in various fields such as next-generation neuromorphic (brain-mimicking) computing structures, similar to human brain information processing. KAIST and an international joint research team have, for the first time in the world, predicted a 3D magnon Hall effect, demonstrating that magnons can move freely and complexly in 3D space, transcending the conventional concept of magnons.
KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on May 22nd that Professor Se Kwon Kim of the Department of Physics, in collaboration with Dr. Ricardo Zarzuela of the University of Mainz, Germany, has revealed that the interaction between magnons (spin waves) and solitons (spin vortices) within complex magnetic structures (topologically textured frustrated magnets) is not simple, but complex in a way that enables novel functionalities.
Magnons (spin waves), which can transmit information like electron movement, are garnering attention as a next-generation information processing technology that transmits information without using current, thus generating no heat. Until now, magnon research has focused on simple magnets where spins are neatly aligned in one direction, and the mathematics describing this was a relatively simple 'Abelian gauge theory.'
The research team demonstrated, for the first time in the world, that in complex spin structures like frustrated magnets, magnons interact and become entangled in complex ways from various directions. They applied an advanced mathematical framework, 'non-Abelian gauge theory,' to describe this movement, which is a groundbreaking achievement.
This research presents the possibility of future applications in low-power logic devices using magnons and topology-based quantum information processing technologies, indicating a potential paradigm shift in future information technology.
In conventional linear magnetic materials, the value representing the magnetic state (order parameter) is given as a vector. In magnonics research based on this, it has been interpreted that a U(1) Abelian gauge field is induced when magnons move in soliton structures like skyrmions. This means that the interaction between solitons and magnons has a structure similar to quantum electrodynamics (QED), which has successfully explained various experimental results such as the magnon Hall effect in 2D magnets.
< Figure. Schematic diagram of non-Abelian magnon quantum chromodynamics describing the dynamics of three types of magnons discovered for the first time in this study.>
However, through this research, the team theoretically revealed that in frustrated magnets, the order parameter must be expressed not as a simple vector but as a quaternion. As a result, the gauge field experienced by magnons resembles an SU(3) non-Abelian gauge field, rather than a simple U(1) Abelian gauge field.
This implies that within frustrated magnets, there are not one or two types of magnons seen in conventional magnets, but three distinct types of magnons, each interacting and intricately entangled with solitons. This structure is highly significant as it resembles quantum chromodynamics (QCD) that describes the strong interaction between quarks mediated by gluons rather than quantum electrodynamics (QED) that describes electromagnetic forces.
Professor Se Kwon Kim stated, "This research presents a powerful theoretical framework to explain the dynamics of magnons occurring within the complex order of frustrated magnets," adding, "By pioneering non-Abelian magnonics, it will be a conceptual turning point that can influence quantum magnetism research as a whole."
The research results, with Dr. Ricardo Zarzuela of the University of Mainz, Germany, as the first author, were published in the world-renowned physics journal Physical Review Letters on May 6th.※ Paper title: "Non-Abelian Gauge Theory for Magnons in Topologically Textured Frustrated Magnets," Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 186701 (2025)DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.186701
This research was supported by the Brain Pool Plus program of the National Research Foundation of Korea.
2025.05.22 View 521 -
Life Springs at KAIST: A Tale of Two Special Campus Families
A Gift of Life on Teachers' Day: Baby Geese Born at KAIST Pond
On Teachers' Day, a meaningful miracle of life arrived at the KAIST campus. A pair of geese gave birth to two goslings by the duck pond.
< On Teachers' Day, a pair of geese and their goslings leisurely swim in the pond. >
The baby goslings, covered in yellow down, began exploring the pond's edge, scurrying about, while their aunt geese steadfastly stood by. Their curious glances, watchful gazes, playful hops on waterside rocks, and the procession of babies swimming behind their parents in the water melted the hearts of onlookers.
< As night falls on the duck pond, the goose family gathers among the reeds. >
This special new life, born on Teachers' Day, seems to symbolize the day's meaning of "care" and "growth." This wondrous scene of life brought warm comfort and joy to KAIST members, adding the inspiration of nature to a campus that is a space for research and learning.
< Under the protection of the adult geese, the goslings take their first steps, exploring the pond's grassy areas and rocks. >
This adorable family is already roaming the area leisurely, like the pond's owners. With the joy of life added to the spring-filled pond, warm smiles are spreading across the KAIST campus.
< The geese look around, surveying their surroundings, while caring for their goslings. >
The pond has now become a small but special haven for students and staff. This goose family, arriving on Teachers' Day, quietly reminds us of the meaning of care and learning conveyed by nature.
< The goose family shows care and growth, and warm moments together are anticipated. >
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On Children's Day 2025, a Duck Becomes a Mother
In July 2024, a special guest arrived at the KAIST campus. With soft yellow down, waddling gait, and a flat beak, it was undeniably a baby duck. However, for some reason, its mother was nowhere to be seen. Given that it wasn't afraid of people and followed them well, it was clear that someone had abandoned the duck.
Fortunately, the baby duck was safely rescued thanks to prompt reporting by students.
< Two ducks found on a corner of campus, immediately after their rescue in summer 2024. >
The ducks, newly integrated into KAIST, seemed to adapt relatively peacefully to campus life. As new additions, they couldn't blend in with the existing goose flock that had settled on campus, but the geese didn't ostracize them either. Perhaps because they were awkward neighbors, there was hope that the ducks would soon join the existing goose flock.
< Following their rescue based on a student's report in summer 2024, the ducks adapted to campus life under the protection of the campus facility team and Professor Won Do Heo. >
Professor Won Do Heo of the Department of Biological Sciences, widely known as "Goose Dad," stepped forward to protect them along with the KAIST facility team. Professor Heo is well-known for consistently observing and protecting the campus geese and ducks, which are practically symbols of KAIST. Thanks to the care of the staff and Professor Heo, the two ducks were safely released back onto campus approximately one month after their rescue.
< A moment on campus: Before winter, the ducks lived separately from the goose flock, maintaining a certain distance. While there were no conflicts, they rarely socialized. >
However, as winter passed, sad news arrived. One duck went missing, and the remaining one was found injured by the pond. While the policy of the facility team and Professor Heo was to minimize intervention to allow campus animals to maintain their natural state, saving the injured duck was the top priority. After being isolated again for a month of recovery, the duck fully recovered and was able to greet spring under the sun.
< The mother duck left alone in winter: One went missing, and the remaining one was found injured. After indoor isolation and recovery, she was released back onto campus in the spring. >
As spring, the ducks' breeding season, began, Professor Heo decided to offer a little more help. When signs of egg-laying appeared, he consistently provided "special meals for pregnant mothers" throughout March. On the morning of May 5th, Children's Day, 28 days after the mother duck began incubating her eggs with the care and attention of KAIST members, new life finally hatched. It was a precious outcome achieved solely by the duck that had survived abandonment and injury, with no special protection other than food.
The duck, having overcome hardship and injury to stand alone, has now formed a new family. Although there is still some distance from the existing goose flock, it is expected that they will naturally find their place in the campus ecosystem, as KAIST's geese are not aggressive or exclusive. The KAIST goose flock already has experience protecting and raising five ducklings.
< A new beginning by the pond on Children's Day: On the morning of May 5th, the 28th day of incubation, four ducklings hatched by the pond. This was a natural hatching, achieved without protective equipment. >
A single duck brought a special spring to the KAIST campus on Children's Day. The outcome achieved by that small life, leading to the birth of a new family, also symbolizes the harmonious coexistence of people and animals on the KAIST campus. The careful intervention of KAIST members, providing only the necessary assistance from rescue to hatching, makes us reconsider what "desirable coexistence between animals and people" truly means.
2025.05.21 View 190 -
“For the First Time, We Shared a Meaningful Exchange”: KAIST Develops an AI App for Parents and Minimally Verbal Autistic Children Connect
• KAIST team up with NAVER AI Lab and Dodakim Child Development Center Develop ‘AAcessTalk’, an AI-driven Communication Tool bridging the gap Between Children with Autism and their Parents
• The project earned the prestigious Best Paper Award at the ACM CHI 2025, the Premier International Conference in Human-Computer Interaction
• Families share heartwarming stories of breakthrough communication and newfound understanding.
< Photo 1. (From left) Professor Hwajung Hong and Doctoral candidate Dasom Choi of the Department of Industrial Design with SoHyun Park and Young-Ho Kim of Naver Cloud AI Lab >
For many families of minimally verbal autistic (MVA) children, communication often feels like an uphill battle. But now, thanks to a new AI-powered app developed by researchers at KAIST in collaboration with NAVER AI Lab and Dodakim Child Development Center, parents are finally experiencing moments of genuine connection with their children.
On the 16th, the KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) research team, led by Professor Hwajung Hong of the Department of Industrial Design, announced the development of ‘AAcessTalk,’ an artificial intelligence (AI)-based communication tool that enables genuine communication between children with autism and their parents.
This research was recognized for its human-centered AI approach and received international attention, earning the Best Paper Award at the ACM CHI 2025*, an international conference held in Yokohama, Japan.*ACM CHI (ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems) 2025: One of the world's most prestigious academic conference in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
This year, approximately 1,200 papers were selected out of about 5,000 submissions, with the Best Paper Award given to only the top 1%. The conference, which drew over 5,000 researchers, was the largest in its history, reflecting the growing interest in ‘Human-AI Interaction.’
Called AACessTalk, the app offers personalized vocabulary cards tailored to each child’s interests and context, while guiding parents through conversations with customized prompts. This creates a space where children’s voices can finally be heard—and where parents and children can connect on a deeper level.
Traditional augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools have relied heavily on fixed card systems that often fail to capture the subtle emotions and shifting interests of children with autism. AACessTalk breaks new ground by integrating AI technology that adapts in real time to the child’s mood and environment.
< Figure. Schematics of AACessTalk system. It provides personalized vocabulary cards for children with autism and context-based conversation guides for parents to focus on practical communication. Large ‘Turn Pass Button’ is placed at the child’s side to allow the child to lead the conversation. >
Among its standout features is a large ‘Turn Pass Button’ that gives children control over when to start or end conversations—allowing them to lead with agency. Another feature, the “What about Mom/Dad?” button, encourages children to ask about their parents’ thoughts, fostering mutual engagement in dialogue, something many children had never done before.
One parent shared, “For the first time, we shared a meaningful exchange.” Such stories were common among the 11 families who participated in a two-week pilot study, where children used the app to take more initiative in conversations and parents discovered new layers of their children’s language abilities.
Parents also reported moments of surprise and joy when their children used unexpected words or took the lead in conversations, breaking free from repetitive patterns. “I was amazed when my child used a word I hadn’t heard before. It helped me understand them in a whole new way,” recalled one caregiver.
Professor Hwajung Hong, who led the research at KAIST’s Department of Industrial Design, emphasized the importance of empowering children to express their own voices. “This study shows that AI can be more than a communication aid—it can be a bridge to genuine connection and understanding within families,” she said.
Looking ahead, the team plans to refine and expand human-centered AI technologies that honor neurodiversity, with a focus on bringing practical solutions to socially vulnerable groups and enriching user experiences.
This research is the result of KAIST Department of Industrial Design doctoral student Dasom Choi's internship at NAVER AI Lab.* Thesis Title: AACessTalk: Fostering Communication between Minimally Verbal Autistic Children and Parents with Contextual Guidance and Card Recommendation* DOI: 10.1145/3706598.3713792* Main Author Information: Dasom Choi (KAIST, NAVER AI Lab, First Author), SoHyun Park (NAVER AI Lab) , Kyungah Lee (Dodakim Child Development Center), Hwajung Hong (KAIST), and Young-Ho Kim (NAVER AI Lab, Corresponding Author)
This research was supported by the NAVER AI Lab internship program and grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea: the Doctoral Student Research Encouragement Grant (NRF-2024S1A5B5A19043580) and the Mid-Career Researcher Support Program for the Development of a Generative AI-Based Augmentative and Alternative Communication System for Autism Spectrum Disorder (RS-2024-00458557).
2025.05.19 View 849 -
KAIST Discovers Protein Switch that Turns Anti-Viral Immune Response On and Off
Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, various new infectious diseases continue to emerge, posing ongoing viral threats that demand robust and sustained immune defenses. However, excessive immune reactions can also harm body tissues, causing significant health issues. KAIST and an international research team have discovered a critical protein that acts as a 'switch' regulating immune responses to viruses. This breakthrough is expected to lay the groundwork for future infectious disease responses and autoimmune disease treatment strategies.
KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on May 14 that a joint research team led by Professor Yoosik Kim from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST and Professor Seunghee Cha from University of Florida has discovered the mechanism by which double-stranded RNA derived from mitochondria amplifies immune responses. They identified the protein SLIRP as an 'immune switch' that regulates this process, playing a crucial role in both viral infections and autoimmune diseases.
< (From left) Master's candidate Yewon Yang, Professor Yoosik Kim and Ph.D. candidate Doyeong Ku of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering >
Autoimmune diseases arise when the immune system fails to differentiate between external pathogens and the body's own molecules, leading to self-directed attacks. Despite extensive research, the precise causes of excessive inflammatory conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus remain unclear, and effective treatments are still limited.
To uncover the molecular mechanisms driving immune hyperactivation and to identify potential regulatory factors, the research team led by Professor Yoosik Kim focused on mitochondrial double-stranded RNA (mt-dsRNA), a genetic immunogenic material produced within cellular organelles. Since mt-dsRNA structurally resembles viral RNA, it can mistakenly trigger immune responses even in the absence of an actual viral infection.
The team discovered that SLIRP, a key regulator of mt-dsRNA, amplifies immune responses by stabilizing the RNA. They confirmed that SLIRP expression increases in experimental models simulating the tissues of autoimmune disease patients and viral infections. Conversely, suppressing SLIRP significantly reduced the immune response, underscoring its role as a critical factor in immune amplification.
This study also demonstrated the dual function of SLIRP in different contexts. In cells infected with human beta coronavirus OC43 and encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), SLIRP suppression led to reduced antiviral responses and increased viral replication. Meanwhile, in the blood and salivary gland cells of Sjögren’s syndrome patients, where both SLIRP and mt-dsRNA levels were elevated, suppressing SLIRP alleviated the abnormal immune response.
These findings highlight SLIRP as a key molecular switch that regulates immune responses in both infections and autoimmune diseases.
< Figure 1. Schematic diagram of antiviral signal amplification by SLIRP: SLIRP-based mt-dsRNA induction, cytoplasmic accumulation, and strong interferon response induction by positive feedback of immune response activation. Confirmation of the immune regulatory function of SLIRP in defense against autoimmune diseases Sjögren's syndrome, coronavirus, and encephalomyocarditis virus infection. >
Professor Yoosik Kim remarked, "Through this study, we have identified SLIRP as a crucial protein that drives immune amplification via mt-dsRNAs. Given its dual role in autoimmune diseases and viral infections, SLIRP presents a promising target for immune regulation therapies across various inflammatory disease contexts."
The study, with Ph.D. student Do-Young Ku (first author) and M.S. student Ye-Won Yang (second author) from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST as primary contributors, was published online in the journal Cell Reports on April 19, 2025.
※ Paper title: SLIRP amplifies antiviral signaling via positive feedback regulation and contributes to autoimmune diseases※ Main authors: Do-Young Ku (KAIST, first author), Ye-Won Yang (KAIST, second author), Seunghee Cha (University of Florida, corresponding author), Yoosik Kim (KAIST, corresponding author)
This study was supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Public Health Technology Research Program and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through Research Project (R01) funding.
2025.05.14 View 686 -
KAIST's Pioneering VR Precision Technology & Choreography Tool Receive Spotlights at CHI 2025
Accurate pointing in virtual spaces is essential for seamless interaction. If pointing is not precise, selecting the desired object becomes challenging, breaking user immersion and reducing overall experience quality. KAIST researchers have developed a technology that offers a vivid, lifelike experience in virtual space, alongside a new tool that assists choreographers throughout the creative process.
KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on May 13th that a research team led by Professor Sang Ho Yoon of the Graduate School of Culture Technology, in collaboration with Professor Yang Zhang of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has developed the ‘T2IRay’ technology and the ‘ChoreoCraft’ platform, which enables choreographers to work more freely and creatively in virtual reality. These technologies received two Honorable Mention awards, recognizing the top 5% of papers, at CHI 2025*, the best international conference in the field of human-computer interaction, hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) from April 25 to May 1.
< (From left) PhD candidates Jina Kim and Kyungeun Jung along with Master's candidate, Hyunyoung Han and Professor Sang Ho Yoon of KAIST Graduate School of Culture Technology and Professor Yang Zhang (top) of UCLA >
T2IRay: Enabling Virtual Input with Precision
T2IRay introduces a novel input method that allows for precise object pointing in virtual environments by expanding traditional thumb-to-index gestures. This approach overcomes previous limitations, such as interruptions or reduced accuracy due to changes in hand position or orientation.
The technology uses a local coordinate system based on finger relationships, ensuring continuous input even as hand positions shift. It accurately captures subtle thumb movements within this coordinate system, integrating natural head movements to allow fluid, intuitive control across a wide range.
< Figure 1. T2IRay framework utilizing the delicate movements of the thumb and index fingers for AR/VR pointing >
Professor Sang Ho Yoon explained, “T2IRay can significantly enhance the user experience in AR/VR by enabling smooth, stable control even when the user’s hands are in motion.”
This study, led by first author Jina Kim, was supported by the Excellent New Researcher Support Project of the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT, as well as the University ICT Research Center (ITRC) Support Project of the Institute of Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP).
▴ Paper title: T2IRay: Design of Thumb-to-Index Based Indirect Pointing for Continuous and Robust AR/VR Input▴ Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713442
▴ T2IRay demo video: https://youtu.be/ElJlcJbkJPY
ChoreoCraft: Creativity Support through VR for Choreographers
In addition, Professor Yoon’s team developed ‘ChoreoCraft,’ a virtual reality tool designed to support choreographers by addressing the unique challenges they face, such as memorizing complex movements, overcoming creative blocks, and managing subjective feedback.
ChoreoCraft reduces reliance on memory by allowing choreographers to save and refine movements directly within a VR space, using a motion-capture avatar for real-time interaction. It also enhances creativity by suggesting movements that naturally fit with prior choreography and musical elements. Furthermore, the system provides quantitative feedback by analyzing kinematic factors like motion stability and engagement, helping choreographers make data-driven creative decisions.
< Figure 2. ChoreoCraft's approaches to encourage creative process >
Professor Yoon noted, “ChoreoCraft is a tool designed to address the core challenges faced by choreographers, enhancing both creativity and efficiency. In user tests with professional choreographers, it received high marks for its ability to spark creative ideas and provide valuable quantitative feedback.”
This research was conducted in collaboration with doctoral candidate Kyungeun Jung and master’s candidate Hyunyoung Han, alongside the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and One Million Co., Ltd. (CEO Hye-rang Kim), with support from the Cultural and Arts Immersive Service Development Project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
▴ Paper title: ChoreoCraft: In-situ Crafting of Choreography in Virtual Reality through Creativity Support Tools▴ Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3714220
▴ ChoreoCraft demo video: https://youtu.be/Ms1fwiSBjjw
*CHI (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems): The premier international conference on human-computer interaction, organized by the ACM, was held this year from April 25 to May 1, 2025.
2025.05.13 View 856 -
KAIST & CMU Unveils Amuse, a Songwriting AI-Collaborator to Help Create Music
Wouldn't it be great if music creators had someone to brainstorm with, help them when they're stuck, and explore different musical directions together? Researchers of KAIST and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have developed AI technology similar to a fellow songwriter who helps create music.
KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) has developed an AI-based music creation support system, Amuse, by a research team led by Professor Sung-Ju Lee of the School of Electrical Engineering in collaboration with CMU. The research was presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), one of the world’s top conferences in human-computer interaction, held in Yokohama, Japan from April 26 to May 1. It received the Best Paper Award, given to only the top 1% of all submissions.
< (From left) Professor Chris Donahue of Carnegie Mellon University, Ph.D. Student Yewon Kim and Professor Sung-Ju Lee of the School of Electrical Engineering >
The system developed by Professor Sung-Ju Lee’s research team, Amuse, is an AI-based system that converts various forms of inspiration such as text, images, and audio into harmonic structures (chord progressions) to support composition.
For example, if a user inputs a phrase, image, or sound clip such as “memories of a warm summer beach”, Amuse automatically generates and suggests chord progressions that match the inspiration.
Unlike existing generative AI, Amuse is differentiated in that it respects the user's creative flow and naturally induces creative exploration through an interactive method that allows flexible integration and modification of AI suggestions.
The core technology of the Amuse system is a generation method that blends two approaches: a large language model creates music code based on the user's prompt and inspiration, while another AI model, trained on real music data, filters out awkward or unnatural results using rejection sampling.
< Figure 1. Amuse system configuration. After extracting music keywords from user input, a large language model-based code progression is generated and refined through rejection sampling (left). Code extraction from audio input is also possible (right). The bottom is an example visualizing the chord structure of the generated code. >
The research team conducted a user study targeting actual musicians and evaluated that Amuse has high potential as a creative companion, or a Co-Creative AI, a concept in which people and AI collaborate, rather than having a generative AI simply put together a song.
The paper, in which a Ph.D. student Yewon Kim and Professor Sung-Ju Lee of KAIST School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Carnegie Mellon University Professor Chris Donahue participated, demonstrated the potential of creative AI system design in both academia and industry. ※ Paper title: Amuse: Human-AI Collaborative Songwriting with Multimodal Inspirations DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713818
※ Research demo video: https://youtu.be/udilkRSnftI?si=FNXccC9EjxHOCrm1
※ Research homepage: https://nmsl.kaist.ac.kr/projects/amuse/
Professor Sung-Ju Lee said, “Recent generative AI technology has raised concerns in that it directly imitates copyrighted content, thereby violating the copyright of the creator, or generating results one-way regardless of the creator’s intention. Accordingly, the research team was aware of this trend, paid attention to what the creator actually needs, and focused on designing an AI system centered on the creator.”
He continued, “Amuse is an attempt to explore the possibility of collaboration with AI while maintaining the initiative of the creator, and is expected to be a starting point for suggesting a more creator-friendly direction in the development of music creation tools and generative AI systems in the future.”
This research was conducted with the support of the National Research Foundation of Korea with funding from the government (Ministry of Science and ICT). (RS-2024-00337007)
2025.05.07 View 1767 -
KAIST, Galaxy Corporation Hold Signboard Ceremony for ‘AI Entertech Research Center’
KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on the 9th that it will hold a signboard ceremony for the establishment of the ‘AI Entertech Research Center’ with the artificial intelligence entertech company, Galaxy Corporation (CEO Yong-ho Choi) at the main campus of KAIST.
< (Galaxy Corporation, from center to the left) CEO Yongho Choi, Director Hyunjung Kim and related persons / (KAIST, from center to the right) Professor SeungSeob Lee of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Provost and Executive Vice President Gyun Min Lee, Dean Jung Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Yong Jin Yoon of the same department >
This collaboration is a part of KAIST’s art convergence research strategy and is an extension of its efforts to lead future K-Culture through the development of creative cultural content based on science and technology. Beyond simple technological development, KAIST has been continuously implementing the convergence model of ‘Tech-Art’ that expands the horizon of the content industry through the fusion of emotional technology and cultural imagination.
Previously, KAIST established the ‘Sumi Jo Performing Arts Research Center’ in collaboration with world-renowned soprano Sumi Jo, a visiting professor, and has been leading the convergence research of art and engineering, such as AI-based interactive performance technology and immersive content. The establishment of the ‘AI Entertech Research Center’ this time is being evaluated as a new challenge for the technological expansion of the K-content industry.
In addition, the role of singer G-Dragon (real name Kwon Ji-yong), an artist affiliated with Galaxy Corporation and a visiting professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, was also a major factor. Since being appointed to KAIST last year, Professor Kwon has been actively promoting the establishment of a research center and soliciting KAIST research projects through his agency to develop the ‘AI Entertech’ field, which fuses entertainment and cutting-edge technology.
< (Galaxy Corporation, from center to the left) CEO Yongho Choi, Director Hyunjung Kim and related persons / (KAIST, from center to the right) Professor SeungSeob Lee of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Provost and Executive Vice President Gyun Min Lee, Dean Jung Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Yong Jin Yoon of the same department >
The AI Entertech Research Center is scheduled to officially launch in the third quarter of this year, and this inauguration ceremony was held in line with Professor Kwon Ji-yong’s schedule to visit KAIST. Galaxy Corporation recently had a private meeting with Microsoft (MS) CEO Nadella as the only entertech company, and is actively promoting the globalization of AI entertech. In addition, since last year, it has established a cooperative relationship with KAIST and plans to actively seek the convergence of entertech and technology that transcends time and space through the establishment of a research center.
Professor Kwon Ji-yong will attend the ‘Innovate Korea 2025’ event co-hosted by KAIST, Herald Media Group, and the National Research Council of Science and Technology, held at the KAIST Lyu Keun-Chul Sports Complex in the afternoon of the same day, and will give a special talk on the topic of ‘The Future of AI Entertech.’ In addition to Professor Kwon, Professor SeungSeob Lee of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, Professor Sang-gyun Kim of Kyunghee University, and CEO Yong-ho Choi of Galaxy Corporation will also participate in this talk show.
The two organizations signed an MOU last year to jointly research science and technology for the global spread of K-pop, and the establishment of this research center is the first tangible result of this. Once the research center is fully operational, various projects such as the development of an AI-based entertech platform and joint research on global content technology will be promoted.
< A photo of Professor Kwon Ji-yong (right) from at the talk show with KAIST President Kwang-Hyung Lee (left) from the previous year >
Yong-ho Choi, Galaxy Corporation CHO (Chief Happiness Officer), said, “This collaboration is the starting point for providing a completely new entertainment experience to fans around the world by grafting KAIST AI and cutting-edge technologies onto the fandom platform,” and added, “The convergence of AI and entertech is not just technological advancement; it is a driving force for innovation that enriches human life.”
Kwang-Hyung Lee, KAIST President, said, “I am confident that KAIST’s scientific and technological capabilities, combined with Professor Kwon Ji-yong’s global sensibility, will lead the technological evolution of K-culture,” and added, “I hope that KAIST’s spirit of challenge and research DNA will create a new wave in the entertech market.”
Meanwhile, Galaxy Corporation, the agency of Professor G-Dragon Kwon Ji-yong, is an AI entertainment technology company that presents a new paradigm based on IP, media, tech, and entertainment convergence technology. (End)
2025.04.09 View 1618 -
KAIST Captures Protein Reaction in Just Six Milliseconds
Understanding biomolecular processes - such as protein-protein interactions and enzyme-substrate reactions that occur on the microseconds to millisecond time scale is essential for comprehending life processes and advancing drug development. KAIST researchers have developed a method for freezing and analyzing biochemical reaction dynamics within a span of just a few milliseconds, marking a significant step forward in better understanding complex biological reactions.
< Photo. (From left) Professor Jin Young Kang and Haerang Hwang of the Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program of the Department of Chemistry, along with Professor Wonhee Lee of the Department of Physics >
KAIST (represented by President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 24th of March that a joint research team led by Professor Jin Young Kang from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Wonhee Lee from the Department of Physics has developed a parylene-based thin-film microfluidic mixing-and-spraying device for ultra-fast biochemical reaction studies.
*Parylene: A key material for microfluidic devices used to observe protein dynamics at ultra-high speeds. It can be fabricated into a few micrometer-thick films, which can be used in making a spray nozzle for microfluidic devices.
This research overcomes the limitations of the existing time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy (TRCEM) method by reducing sample consumption to one-third of the conventional amount while improving the minimum time resolution—down to just six milliseconds (6 ms).
TRCEM is a technique that rapidly freezes protein complexes during intermediate reaction stages under cryogenic conditions, which allows researchers to analyze their structures. This approach has gained significant attention recently for its ability to capture transient biochemical events.
< Figure 1. Time-resolved cryo-EM (TRCEM) technique using microfluidic channels. In order to capture the intermediate structure of biomolecules during a biochemical reaction over time, biomolecules and reaction substrates are mixed in a microfluidic channel, and then sprayed on a grid after a certain reaction time and frozen in liquid ethane to prepare a cryo-EM sample. This can then be analyzed by cryo-EM to observe the structural changes of proteins over time. >
Transient intermediate structures of protein complexes could not be captured by traditional cryo-electron microscopy due to their extremely short lifespans. Although several TRCEM techniques have been developed to address this issue, previous methods were hindered by large sample consumption and limited time resolution. To overcome these challenges, the KAIST team developed a new mixing-and-spraying device using ultra-thin parylene films. The integrated design of the device further enhanced the precision and reproducibility of experiments.
< Figure 2. TRCEM grid fabrication setup using a parylene-based thin-film microfluidic device and actual appearance of the device. You can see that a thin-film parylene channel is inserted into the injection nozzle. The integration of the reaction channel and the injection nozzle allowed the residence time in the device to be reduced to at least 0.5 ms. >
“This research makes TRCEM more practical and paves the way for diverse applications of the parylene thin-film device in structural biology, drug development, enzyme reaction studies, and biosensor research.” Professor Jin Young Kang explained, emphasizing the significance of the study.
Professor Wonhee Lee added, “The team aims to continue this research, focusing on improvement of the technique to achieve higher time resolution with minimal sample consumption.”
< Figure 3. Comparison of the spraying patterns of the parylene mixing-jet device and the conventional mixing-jet device and the filament length in the resulting RecA-ssDNA filament formation reaction. It was shown that the thin film spray nozzle structure affects the uniformity and accuracy of the final reaction time. >
The research findings, with Haerang Hwang (a graduate student in the integrated master's and Ph.D. program in the Department of Chemistry) as the first author, were published online on January 28, 2025, in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials. (Paper Title: “Integrated Parylene-Based Thin-Film Microfluidic Device for Time-Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy”, DOI: doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202418224)
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), the Samsung Future Technology Development Program, and the CELINE consortium.
2025.03.24 View 1788 -
KAIST Develops Eco-Friendly, Nylon-Like Plastic Using Microorganisms
Poly(ester amide) amide is a next-generation material that combines the advantages of PET (polyester) and nylon (polyamide), two widely used plastics. However, it could only be produced from fossil fuels, which posed environmental concerns. Using microorganisms, KAIST researchers have successfully developed a new bio-based plastic to replace conventional plastic.
KAIST (represented by President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 20th of March that a research team led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has developed microbial strains through systems metabolic engineering to produce various eco-friendly, bio-based poly(ester amide)s. The team collaborated with researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT, President Young-Kook Lee) to analyze and confirm the properties of the resulting plastic.
Professor Sang Yup Lee’s research team designed new metabolic pathways that do not naturally exist in microorganisms, and developed a platform microbial strain capable of producing nine different types of poly(ester amide)s, including poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-ran-3-aminopropionate) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-ran-4-aminobutyrate).
Using glucose derived from abundant biomass sources such as waste wood and weeds, the team successfully produced poly(ester amide)s in an eco-friendly manner. The researchers also confirmed the potential for industrial-scale production by demonstrating high production efficiency (54.57 g/L) using fed-batch fermentation of the engineered strain.
In collaboration with researchers Haemin Jeong and Jihoon Shin from KRICT, the KAIST team analyzed the properties of the bio-based plastic and found that it exhibited characteristics similar to high-density polyethylene (HDPE). This means the new plastic is not only eco-friendly but also strong and durable enough to replace conventional plastics.
The engineered strains and strategies developed in this study are expected to be useful not only for producing various poly(ester amide)s but also for constructing metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of other types of polymers.
Professor Sang Yup Lee stated, “This study is the first to demonstrate the possibility of producing poly(ester amide)s (plastics) through a renewable bio-based chemical process rather than relying on the petroleum-based chemical industry. We plan to further enhance the production yield and efficiency through continued research.”
The study was published online on March 17 in the international journal Nature Chemical Biology.
·Title: Biosynthesis of poly(ester amide)s in engineered Escherichia coli
·DOI: 10.1038/s41589-025-01842-2
·Authors: A total of seven authors including Tong Un Chae (KAIST, first author), So Young Choi (KAIST, second author), Da-Hee Ahn (KAIST, third author), Woo Dae Jang (KAIST, fourth author), Haemin Jeong (KRICT, fifth author), Jihoon Shin (KRICT, sixth author), and Sang Yup Lee (KAIST, corresponding author).
This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) under the Eco-Friendly Chemical Technology Development Project as part of the "Next-Generation Biorefinery Technology Development to Lead the Bio-Chemical Industry" initiative (project led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee at KAIST).
2025.03.24 View 2925 -
KAIST Captures Hot Holes: A Breakthrough in Light-to-Electricity Energy Conversion
When light interacts with metallic nanostructures, it instantaneously generates plasmonic hot carriers, which serve as key intermediates for converting optical energy into high-value energy sources such as electricity and chemical energy. Among these, hot holes play a crucial role in enhancing photoelectrochemical reactions. However, they thermally dissipate within picoseconds (trillionths of a second), making practical applications challenging. Now, a Korean research team has successfully developed a method for sustaining hot holes longer and amplifying their flow, accelerating the commercialization of next-generation, high-efficiency, light-to-energy conversion technologies.
KAIST (represented by President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 12th of March that a research team led by Distinguished Professor Jeong Young Park from the Department of Chemistry, in collaboration with Professor Moonsang Lee from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Inha University, has successfully amplified the flow of hot holes and mapped local current distribution in real time, thereby elucidating the mechanism of photocurrent enhancement.
The team designed a nanodiode structure by placing a metallic nanomesh on a specialized semiconductor substrate (p-type gallium nitride) to facilitate hot hole extraction at the surface. As a result, in gallium nitride substrates aligned with the hot hole extraction direction, the flow of hot holes was amplified by approximately two times compared to substrates aligned in other directions.
To fabricate the Au nanomesh, a polystyrene nano-bead monolayer assembly was first placed on a gallium nitride (p-GaN) substrate, and then the polystyrene nano-beads were etched to form a nanomesh template (Figure 1A). Then, a 20 nm thick gold nano-film was deposited, and the etched polystyrene nano-beads were removed to realize the gold nano-mesh structure on the GaN substrate (Figure 1B). The fabricated Au nanomesh exhibited strong light absorption in the visible range due to the plasmonic resonance effect (Figure 1C). >
Furthermore, using a photoconductive atomic force microscopy (pc-AFM)-based photocurrent mapping system, the researchers analyzed the flow of hot holes in real time at the nanometer scale (one hundred-thousandth the thickness of a human hair). They observed that hot hole activation was strongest at "hot spots," where light was locally concentrated on the gold nanomesh. However, by modifying the growth direction of the gallium nitride substrate, hot hole activation extended beyond the hot spots to other areas as well.
Through this research, the team discovered an efficient method for converting light into electrical and chemical energy. This breakthrough is expected to significantly advance next-generation solar cells, photocatalysts, and hydrogen production technologies.
Professor Jeong Young Park stated, "For the first time, we have successfully controlled the flow of hot holes using a nanodiode technique. This innovation holds great potential for various optoelectronic devices and photocatalytic applications. For example, it could lead to groundbreaking advancements in solar energy conversion technologies, such as solar cells and hydrogen production. Additionally, the real-time analysis technology we developed can be applied to the development of ultra-miniaturized optoelectronic devices, including optical sensors and nanoscale semiconductor components."
The study was led by Hyunhwa Lee (PhD., KAIST Department of Chemistry) and Yujin Park (Postdoc Researcher, University of Texas at Austin Department of Chemical Engineering) as co-first authors and Professors Moonsang Lee (Inha University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering) and Jeong Young Park (KAIST, Department of Chemistry) serving as corresponding authors. The research findings were published online in Science Advances on March 7.
(Paper Title: “Reconfiguring hot-hole flux via polarity modulation of p-GaN in plasmonic Schottky architectures”, DOI: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adu0086)
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).
2025.03.17 View 2482