projects
-
KAIST Holds 2025 Commencement Ceremony
KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) held its 2025 Commencement Ceremony at the Lyu Keun-Chul Sports Complex on the Daejeon Main Campus at 2 p.m. on the 14th of February.
< A scene from KAIST Commencement 2025 - Guests of Honor and Administrative Professors Entering the Stage headed by the color guards of the ELKA (Encouraging Leaders of KAIST) >
At this ceremony, a total of 3,144 degrees were conferred, including 785 doctorates, 1,643 masters, and 716 bachelors. With this, KAIST has produced a total of 81,156 advanced science and technology personnel, including 17,313 doctorates, 41,566 masters, and 22,277 bachelors since its establishment in 1971.
Changyu Lee from the School of Computing received the Minister of Science and ICT Award, and the Chairman of the KAIST Board of Trustees Award went to Lance Khizner Dabu Gragasin, an international student from the Philippines of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. The President’s Award was given to Seoyeong Yang of the Department of Biological Sciences, and the Alumni Association President’s Award and the Development Foundation Chairman’s Award was given to Gahyeon Bae of the Department of Industrial Design and Buyeon Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, respectively.
Minister of Science and ICT Sang-Im Yoo joined the ceremony to deliver a congratulatory speech and to present the awards to outstanding graduates.
< Minister Sang-Im Yoo of the Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT giving his congratulatory message at KAIST Commencement 2025 >
The valedictorian speeches were given by Minjae Kim of the School of Computing, who has practiced the value of sharing that learning is not competition but cooperation, and Mohammed Haruna Hamza of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, a Nigerian international student. Mr. Hamza is the first foreign student to represent the graduating class as valedictorian since the founding of KAIST.
Hamza lost his home and school in his home country due to a terrorist group’s bombing and moved south, but despite the adversity, he continued his studies while pursuing his dream of becoming an aerospace engineer. As a result of his efforts, Hamza was invited by the Korean government to study at KAIST. He expressed his determination to pursue his dream by saying, “I am grateful for the people and experiences that helped me overcome my adversity. The future is the result of the decisions we make today.”
A Pakistani international student was chosen as one of this year's "Most Talked about Graduates of the Year". It is Ali Syed Sheraz who wore his doctoral cap at this year’s commencement ceremony. Ali, a single father who left his one-year-old son behind in his home country, working as a university lecturer. He joined the Ph.D. program in mechanical engineering in 2019 with a passion for mechanical energy.
Ali’s academic journey was full of challenges and growth. Due to COVID-19, his research was suspended for six months, and he had difficulty continuing his studies undergoing three surgeries after a bicycle accident, including a surgery for a fractured elbow, a nose surgery, and removal of kidney stones.
However, he accepted these failure and hardship as a process of growth and participated in the ‘Failed Project Showcase’ and ‘Failure Essay Contest’ held by the KAIST Failure Society, sharing his experiences and growing into a more solid researcher.
< Most Talked about Graduate Graduate of the Year - Syed Sheraz Ali >
Despite experiencing various hardships, he found lessons to learn from them and changed his perspective, which made him unafraid of taking on new challenges. He showed through his own example that failure is not just stumbling blocks but can be a stepping stone to success by looking at his studies and personal life positively.
Furthermore, after becoming the president of the Muslim Student Association, Ali introduced halal menus to the cafeteria on campus so that more Muslim students could eat comfortably. Thanks to this change, his time at KAIST has become an opportunity to understand and experience various cultures more.
Ali is researching artificial muscles (soft actuators) with the world's highest bending strain using MXene, an artificial muscle nanomaterial that can move smoothly, in Professor Il-kwon Oh's lab.
Ali said, "After completing my Ph.D., I plan to develop soft robots, healthcare electronics, and next-generation tactile technology based on MXene, a next-generation 2D material. It is important for my juniors not to be afraid of failure and to have a challenging attitude."
Another 'Most Talked about Graduate of the Year', Mr. Sung-Hyun Jung, who graduated with a master's degree from the Graduate School of Bio Innvation Management, is the CEO of Promedius, a medical AI startup, and has commercialized an osteoporosis diagnosis software based on chest X-rays using AI, and grown it into a leading company in the bone health field.
CEO Jung's challenge shows that KAIST's management education is not just theoretical but practical enough to be applied immediately in the field. CEO Jung, who is also the father of three daughters, experienced business failure in China during the period when the conflict between Korea and China was intensifying.
He moved to Silicon Valley in the United States to revive his business and tried to acquire even small businesses, but the reality was not easy. He worked hard, standing 14 hours a day in a kimchi factory and a restaurant kitchen to make a living. After finishing his life in the United States, CEO Jung returned to Korea and had the opportunity to join Lunit, a global medical AI leader founded by KAIST graduates. CEO Jung experienced the growth of the global medical AI market firsthand with unit Chairman Seungwook Paek.
When he entered the Master's Program at the Graduate School of Bio Innvation Management in 2023 to acquire more specialized knowledge, CEO Jung had just transferred to Promedius and was in a crisis situation with only about 6 months left before the company's funds were exhausted.
While considering a change in business direction because he judged that it would be difficult to survive with existing business items, he learned keywords and investment review perspectives that venture capital (VC) pays attention to in Professor Hoonje Cho’s ‘Bio-innovation Business Startup Strategy and Practice’ class. He attracted 11.4 billion won in investment by applying the investment proposal he wrote based on what he learned from the class to actual practice.
< Most Talked about Graduate of the Year - Sung-Hyun Jung >
In addition, he applied the innovation strategy in the medical field he learned in Professor Kihwan Park’s ‘Innovation and Marketing in Bio and Pharmaceutics’ to the field of osteoporosis, and achieved the result of being selected as the first Asian company to be a corporate advisory committee member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). Through this, he established the company as a representative global entity in the osteoporosis field in just one year.
CEO Jung, who applied what he learned from KAIST to actual management and achieved results in the global market in a short period of time, said, “I want to prove that KAIST education is not limited to theory, but is very practical.” He said, “I want to let people know that my life, once full of hardship, got on the track toward success after encountering KAIST,” and expressed his ambition, saying, “My long-term goal is to create a world-class company that is recognized globally.”
In addition, an honorary doctorate was awarded to Chairman Joong Keun Lee of Booyoung Group at the commencement ceremony.
Chairman Joong Keun Lee, who is an entrepreneur that led Booyoung Group, a leading general construction company, received the honorary doctorate in business administration, for leading the development of domestic housing welfare, education, and culture.
KAIST Provost Gyunmin Lee said, “Chairman Joong Keun Lee spared no effort in providing dedicated support for the development of domestic science and technology and the cultivation of future talents. He is awarded the honorary doctorate in recognition of his social responsibility in various fields, including scholarships and support for educational facilities, as well as domestic and international education, culture, veterans affairs, and overseas support.”
Since founding Booyoung Group in 1983, Chairman Lee has boldly entered the rental housing business, a field that large construction companies had avoided, and has played a significant role in improving the quality of life of ordinary citizens by supplying 230,000 households out of 383 complexes and approximately 300,000 households nationwide as rental housing, thereby contributing greatly to the stability of national housing.
< Chairman Joong Keun Lee giving his acceptance speech for his honorary Doctorate >
Chairman Joong Keun Lee, who has been offering hope for a sustainable future, said, “I am honored to receive an honorary doctorate from KAIST, and I hope that KAIST students will nurture their dreams and talents and grow into global talents who will contribute to national development.”
President Kwang-Hyung Lee said, “Chairman Joong Keun Lee has been carrying out various social contribution activities, and in particular, through supporting academic infrastructure, which is the core of national competitiveness, we can see his deep interest in and sense of responsibility for the development of science and technology in our country.” He added, “I am truly delighted to have him as a member of the KAIST family, and I congratulate him on behalf of all members, including our students.”
President Kwang-Hyung Lee also delivered a message of encouragement at the ceremony to charge the graduates to, “Find and keep a dream of your own, be on the lookout for opportunities, don’t be afraid of making mistakes, and do not shy away from taking on challenging tasks.” He added, “Even if you fail, don’t give up. Keep on trying so that you will get to that stage of radiate your own light on the stages where anything is possible.” (End)
2025.02.14 View 2437 -
KAIST ISSS Research Session Captivates 150↑ International Scholars, Achieve Major Success
< Photo. Scholars gatheres for NRF Information Session at Chung Keun Mo Hall >
KAIST’s International Office, headed by Vice President Soyoung Kim, successfully organized the ‘NRF Information Session for International Scholars’ on September 11, 2024, in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).
The event was held at KAIST’s main campus to enourage the international scholar’s active participation in research projects and support their establishment of stable research environment and integration into Korea’s academic community by introducing NRF’s key research programs.
Divided into two main segments – science and engineering, and humanities and social sciences – the session attracted approximately 150 international faculty and researchers from 23 universities across the nation.
The event commenced with a keynote address by Vice President Soyoung Kim, followed by a presentation from Dr. Seol Min of the National Research Foundation, who highlighted basic research initiatives in the science and technology sector. Subsequently, Professor Daniel Martin from the Digital Humanities and Social Sciences Department and Professor Thomas Steinberger from the Department of Business and Technology Management presented practical research project support case studies, sharing invaluable insights gained from their domestic research experiences.
Following the information session, participants engaged in a networking event, where researchers involved in major R&D projects exchanged insights and discussed their ongoing research initiatives.
An international professor remarked, “My understanding of NRF’s research programs for international researchers has broadened considerably. I am now more inclined to actively participate in projects organized by NRF in the future.”
Vice President Kim expressed her aspiration that the event would address the challenges faced by researchers and offer essential support to those engaged in research projects. “We will stay attuned to the needs of the research community and work towards creating a more supportive research environment,” said the VP.
Meanwhile, KAIST hosts a distinguished faculty comprising 134 professors from 22 countries and 71 researchers representing 23 nations, all contributing to groundbreaking academic achievements. Additionally, KAIST is home to over 1,000 international students from more than 100 countries, actively pursuing their studies. This diverse composition of global talent reinforces KAIST's position as a leading international hub for research and education.
2024.09.13 View 2940 -
'Flying Drones for Rescue'
(Video Credit: ⓒNASA JPL)
< Team USRG and Professor Shim (second from the right) >
Having recently won the AI R&D Grand Challenge Competition in Korea, Team USRG (Unmanned System Research Group) led by Professor Hyunchul Shim from the School of Electrical Engineering is all geared up to take on their next challenges: the ‘Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Subterranean Challenge (DARPA SubT Challenge)’ and ‘Lockheed Martin’s AlphaPilot Challenge’ next month.
Team USRG won the obstacle course race in the ‘2019 AI R&D Grand Challenge Competition’ on July 12. They managed to successfully dominate the challenging category of ‘control intelligence.’ Having to complete the obstacle course race solely using AI systems without any connection to the internet made it difficult for most of the eight participating teams to pass the third section of the race, and only Team USRG passed the long pipeline course during their attempt in the main event. They also demonstrated, after the main event, that their drone can navigate all of the checkpoints including landing on the “H” mark using deep learning.
Their drone flew through polls and pipes, and escaped from windows and mazes against strong winds, amid cheers and groans from the crowd gathered at the Korea Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Goyang, Korea. The team was awarded three million KRW in prize money, and received a research grant worth six hundred million KRW from the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).
“Being ranked first in the race for which we were never given a chance for a test flight means a lot to our team. Considering that we had no information on the exact size of the course in advance, this is a startling result,” said Professor Shim. “We will carry out further research with this funding, and compete once again with the improved AI and drone technology in the 2020 competition,” he added.
The AI R&D Grand Challenge Competition, which was first started in 2017, has been designed to promote AI research and development and expand its application to addressing high-risk technical challenges with significant socio-economic impact.
This year’s competition presented participants with a task where they had to develop AI software technology for drones to navigate themselves autonomously during complex disaster relief operations such as aid delivery.
Each team participated in one of the four tracks of the competition, and their drones were evaluated based on the criteria for each track. The divisions were broken up into intelligent context-awareness, intelligent character recognition, auditory intelligence, and control intelligence.
Team USRG’s technological prowess has been already well acclaimed among international peer groups. Teamed up with NASA JPL, Caltech, and MIT, they will compete in the subterranean mission during the ‘DARPA SubT Challenge’.
Team CoSTAR, as its name stands for, is working together to build ‘Collaborative SubTerranean Autonomous Resilient Robots.’ Professor Shim emphasized the role KAIST plays in Team CoSTAR as a leader in drone technology.
“I think when our drone technology will be added to our peers’ AI and robotics, Team CoSTAR will bring out unsurpassable synergy in completing the subterrestrial and planetary applications. I would like to follow the footprint of Hubo, the winning champion of the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge and even extend it to subterranean exploration,” he said.
These next generation autonomous subsurface explorers are now all optimizing the physical AI robot systems developed by Team CoSTAR. They will test their systems in more realistic field environments August 15 through 22 in Pittsburgh, USA. They have already received funding from DARPA for participating.
Team CoSTAR will compete in three consecutive yearly events starting this year, and the last event, planned for 2021, will put the team to the final test with courses that incorporate diverse challenges from all three events. Two million USD will be awarded to the winner after the final event, with additional prizes of up to 200,000 USD for self-funded teams.
Team USRG also ranked third in the recent Hyundai Motor Company’s ‘Autonomous Vehicle Competition’ and another challenge is on the horizon: Lockheed Martin’s ‘AlphaPilot Challenge’. In this event, the teams will be flying their drones through a series of racing gates, trying to beat the best human pilot. The challenge is hosted by Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military contractor and the maker of the famed F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, with the goal of stimulating the development of autonomous drones. Team USRG was selected from out of more than 400 teams from around the world and is preparing for a series of races this fall, beginning from the end of August.
Professor Shim said, “It is not easy to perform in a series of competitions in just a few months, but my students are smart, hardworking, and highly motivated. These events indeed demand a lot, but they really challenge the researchers to come up with technologies that work in the real world. This is the way robotics really should be.”
(END)
2019.07.26 View 12061 -
CLKIP Bearing Fruit in China
The Chongqing Liangjiang KAIST International Program (CLKIP) is rapidly gaining steam in China. CLKIP, an educational program operated in Chongqing internationally by KAIST since 2015, offers two majors, Electronic Information Engineering and Computer Science and Technology, applying the same curriculum as at KAIST.
To operate the program, KAIST assigns professors from the School of Electrical Engineering and the School of Computing to the program every year. They are in charge of one-third of the major courses, and transfer KAIST’s educational curriculum and know-how.
A total of 13 professors from Chongqing University of Technology (CQUT) have received or are receiving training on advanced education methodologies and technical know-how, including an on and offline integrated learning program, called Education 4.0 and large-scale internet open learning.As CLKIP is gaining in popularity, the number of students for its undergraduate courses keeps increasing, from 66 in 2015 to 172 in 2016 and 200 students in 2017, achieving the student volume for enrollment annually.
CLKIP selected seven exchange undergraduate students and five dual-degree students this fall, and they are currently studying in KAIST for either one semester or one full year.
CLKIP is located in Chongqing, one of the major direct-controlled municipalities and a focal point for notable government projects. The Korea-China industrial zone is also located in this area.
Considering its location, CLKIP is more than just an international programs for educational cooperation. The program will provide opportunities to cooperate with Korean enterprises including Hyundai, SK Hynix, LG Chem and Hankook Tire. While cooperating in research and development as well as technical assistance, KAIST hopes that these enterprises will play a bridging role for KAIST alumni entering the Chinese market.
President Sung-Chul Shin said, “The success of CLKIP shows that KAIST programs for fostering future manpower and developing cutting-edge technologies do work in other countries. Based on this case, KAST will put more effort into transferring our innovative education systems abroad. We are also pushing ahead to establish a joint institute between KAIST and CQUT by 2018, which will become a foundation for facilitating the entry of KAIST’s cutting-edge technologies into the Chinese market.”
“KAIST aims to become an entrepreneurial university that creates value through technology commercialization. In this sense, KAIST plans to transfer advanced technologies to domestic and international companies located in the Liangjiang district,” he added.
2017.12.12 View 10792 -
IDKAIST Graduation Show, Interative and Innovative Works
Undergraduate students from the Department of Industrial Design at KAIST opened up their graduation show in the Industrial Design Building for eight days in KAIST from November 10 and another four days in Coex, Seoul from December 7.
The students showcased their creative and novel works in the exhibition. Some designs successfully showed change concepts such as for mixing straws. There were also several projects designed to meet individual demand, such as a customized shoe-making application and personal makeup colorings.
Since the establishment of its undergraduate program in 1983, the department has held a graduation show to demonstrate four years of the students’ academic work and research performance to KAIST members, externals specialists, and the public.
Professor Daniel Saakes, who is in charge of the show, said, “Please come by the show and support the 28 students for their hard work. This year, students’ projects are more socially-oriented through applications and social media, making them easily approachable for consumers.”
2017.11.13 View 6540 -
Professor Lee's Research Selected as Top 100 National R&D Projects
A research project, led by Research Professor Ju Yong Lee from the KAIST Institute for IT Convergence, was selected as one of the Top 100 National Research and Development Projects 2017.
This research project, titled LTE-A-based Single RF Small Base Station supporting Multiple Streams, developed 300Mbps low power, low complexity and broadband small base station technology that supports 4x4 MIMO (Multiple Input and Multiple Output) by proposing a new antenna structure and a new RF (Radio Frequency) structure based on LTE-A. Professors from the School of Electrical Engineering at KAIST, Dong Ho Cho, Songcheol Hong, and Yong Hoon Lee also collaborated on the project.
The existing heterodyne method of communication systems generates the problems of increasing unit price and system complexity.
In this project, however, Professor Lee directly modulated the baseband signal from the RF stage through an impedance loading-based RF chip. This method was designed to facilitate low power as well as low complexity while supporting broadband service. Based on this, his team developed source technology for RF that can be applied to fourth and even fifth generation networks.
Furthermore, this base station is smallest among the small-cell stations so far, providing an eco-friendly installation environment. It contributes to the market for fifth generation mobile communications by reducing power consumption significantly yet providing high-capacity services.
Professor Lee said, “This technology will contribute to creating a new market and additional jobs because business based on the fifth mobile generation can provide multi-functional services, including multiband. Requiring low power and providing high-capacity services anywhere at any time will enhance national competence and reduce costs for establishing a next generation mobile communication system. It is expected that this technology will help with disseminating mobile communication infrastructure through expanding information and communication system as well as the infrastructure of island areas.”
2017.11.08 View 8855 -
Professor Dae-Sik Im to Head the Science, Technology and Innovation Office at the Ministry of Science & ICT
(Professor Dae-Sik Im of the Department of Biological Sciences)
Professor Dae-Sik Im of the Department of Biological Sciences, a renowned molecular cell biologist, was named to head the Science, Technology and Innovation Office in the Ministry of Science and ICT on August 31. He will be responsible for the oversight of national R&D projects as well as budget deliberation. Joining the KAIST faculty in 2002, he led the Creative Research Center of Cell Division and Differentiation at KAIST.
Announcing the nomination of Professor Im, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-Hyun said, “Professor Im will be the best person to lead the innovation of the research infrastructure system for basic research studies. We believe that his expertise and leadership will make a significant impact in enhancing the nation’s science and technology competitiveness. This vice minister position in the Ministry of Science and ICT was newly created in an effort to enhance national science and technology initiatives by President Moon Jae-In.
Professor Im said at the news conference, “I would like to make a sustainable, as well as credible, system ensuring the ingenuity of scientists in Korean labs. To this end, I will make every effort to enhance Korea’s innovative research environment in a way to maximize research achievements.”
2017.09.03 View 9022 -
Reform of Universities Key in the Wake of the 4th Industrial Revolution
(President Shin makes a keynote speech at the Times Higher Education Research Excellence Summit held in Taiwan on July 4.)
KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin stressed that innovations in education, research, and technology commercialization of universities are critical for responding to the transformations that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring about.
In his keynote speech at the Times Higher Education Research Excellence Summit held in Taiwan on July 4, he cited connectivity, superintelligence, and convergence in science and technology as three components the Fourth Industrial Revolution will pierce, saying the speed and breadth of the transformation will be beyond our imagination. He also presented megatrends in science and technology in the years to come and how KAIST is addressing the challenges and opportunities.
“It is imperative to foster creative young talents fluent in convergence, collaboration, and communication skills in the new era. To this end, we need to focus on whole brain education by enhancing basic education in science and engineering plus humanities and social studies,” he stressed. He also presented a Non-Departmental Education Track, which KAIST plans to implement from next semester. The track, designed to prepare students for the new industrial era, will focus on whole brain education including entrepreneurship and leadership education during the undergraduate period.
He also emphasized an effective new teaching methodology. “We need to develop various new teaching methods. The paradigm should shift from lecturer-centered to student-centered. KAIST is revising our curriculum to facilitate team-based, project-based learning and flipped learning,” he explained.
President Shin also pointed out that the educational goals for the next generation should be to sustain the value of people’s own thoughtfulness, wisdom, emotion, and caring against the advent of a new tribe of AI, dubbed Robo Sapiens. “Those traits add undeniable educational value that we should continue to pursue even in the era of Robo Sapiens,” he added.
As for research innovation, he emphasized inter- and multi-disciplinary collaborative research. “Especially, in addressing pressing global issues and big science, international collaboration will be very effective and crucial,” he said.
At the summit, convergence research projects currently underway at KAIST using emerging technologies such as the smart mobile healthcare project, Dr, M; the humanoid robot, HUBO; and AI drone swarms drew lots of attention from the participants, even receiving proposals to join the projects as collaborators.
In the new era, according to Shin, technology commercialization at universities will emerge as a hub of R&DB. Citing that KAIST has long been a draw for startups, he noted that KAIST has also set a high value on entrepreneurship education including social entrepreneurship and startups.
He continued, “The Korean government is making every effort to harness the challenges and opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by creating a new economic growth engine. For the success of the government initiative, universities should also respond to make innovations commensurate with the changing needs and challenges. KAIST will take the lead in this new initiative for making a new future.”
2017.07.06 View 7333 -
2017 Summer Nuclear Nonproliferation Education Program
The Nuclear Nonproliferation Education and Research Center (NEREC) at KAIST announced its 30 scholarship recipients for the 2017 Summer Nuclear Nonproliferation Education Program on April 18. The six-week program, starting from July 10, will be run in Korea, Japan, and China.
The program provides young global scholars with focused and challenging nuclear nonproliferation studies. Young scholars will be exposed to diverse science and technology policies and practices concurrently conducted in many countries and the future direction for enhancing nuclear nonproliferation. They will participate in a series of seminars, projects, international conferences, and field trips.
Since its launch in 2014, the program has educated 71 young scholars. This year, more than 150 scholars from 37 countries applied for the program, reflecting the growing reputation of the program both at home and abroad. The director of the NEREC, Professor Man-Sung Yim of the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering at KAIST said that young scholars from very prestigious foreign universities have shown strong interest in the program. According to Professor Yim, this year’s recipients are from 26 universities from 16 countries including Harvard University, Oxford University, the National Research Nuclear University of Russia, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology
2017.04.19 View 8327 -
EWB-KAIST Wraps up Five-Year Project in Nepal
‘Engineers Without Borders-KAIST (EWB-KAIST)’ led by Professor Tae-ho Song from the Department of Mechanical Engineering returned to Korea on January 10 after a two-week project in Nangi, Nepal.
EWB-KAIST was established in 2012 by KAIST students and professors. Since then, the team visited Nangi, in the Annapurna region of Nepal, to engage in Appropriate Technology (AT) development projects. The projects included building passive houses and small hydroelectric power, and teaching science education. In particular, passive houses that use straw as an insulator received great a reception from the locals.
This was their last visit to Nepal, since the five-year project has now come to an end. Future projects in Mongolia will be led by Professor Buhm Soon Park from the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy.
Professor Song commented, “I am glad that the Nepal project was successfully conducted over the last five years. To make sure the support does not end here, I will personally continue to visit the Himalayas to assist the villagers.”
EWB-KAIST is a non-profit organization that conducts activities with the aim of AT development and providing support for less-developed countries in need of the benefits of technology.
( Passive house made of straws by EWB-KAIST team in Nangi, Nepal.)
2017.02.01 View 7239 -
KAIST's DRC-HUBO Wins the DARPA Robotics Challenge 2015
DRC-HUBO finished all eight assignments in less than 45 minutes, taking first place among 24 international teams and claiming the USD 2 million prize offered by a US defense research agency.
The Robotics Challenge Finals 2015 hosted by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) took place on June 5-6, 2015 at the Fairplex in Pomona, California.
Team KAIST of the Republic of Korea led by Professor Jun-Ho Oh of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Professor In-So Kweon of the Electrical Engineering Department, and researchers from Rainbow Co., the university’s spin-off company that builds the robots, won the DARPA Finals. The team received USD 2 million as a prize.
The DARPA’s Robotics Challenge (DRC) promotes a competition of robot systems and software teams which seek to develop robots capable of assisting humans in responding to natural and man-made disasters such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident in 2011. The DRC consists of three competitions: a software-based Virtual Robotics Challenge which took place in June 2013; the Robotics Challenge Trials in Homestead, Florida, in December 2013; and the Finals in June 2015.
A total of 24 teams from universities and private and public research institutes from Korea, the US, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan, and Italy participated in the Finals. The participating teams had to finish eight assignments in 60 minutes, during which their robots were untethered and operated wirelessly without communication from their engineers.
Each team was assigned a series of tasks: they included driving a vehicle, getting out of a vehicle, opening a door, turning a valve, drilling a hole in a wall, a surprise task such as pushing a button or turning on a switch, walking over rubble or debris, and climbing stairs. Robots scored a point each time they completed their missions. To win, a team had to complete all the tasks successfully in the shortest amount of time possible.
Team KAIST completed the entire course in 44 minutes and 28 seconds, followed by the Institute of Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) Robotics in Pensacola, Florida in 50:26, and Team TARTAN Rescue of the National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University in 55:15.
For details, see an article below from the New York Times:
New York Times, June 6, 2015
“Korean Robot Makers Walk Off With $2 Million Prize”
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/science/korean-robot-makers-walk-off-with-2-million-prize.html?_r=1
DRC-HUBO sticks a plug into an outlet for the surprise task at the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge on June 5-6, 2015, in Pomona, California.
DRC-HUBO turns a valve in a clockwise direction.
DRC-HUBO drills to cut a circle into the wall.
Members of Team KAIST pose together after the award ceremony on June 6, 2015.
2015.06.07 View 23816 -
Professor Yong-Tak Im of Mechanical Engineering Appointed as President of Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials
Yong-Tak Im, Professor of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, was sworn in on February 25, 2014 as
the 16th president of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials
(KIMM), a leading government-funded research institution in Korea. KIMM was
established in 1976 to contribute to the development of
Korea through the invention of source technology and technology transfer in
mechanical engineering.
President Im graduated from Seoul National
University, obtaining degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master’s in mechanical
engineering. He later studied at the University of California in Berkeley and
received a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering.
After working as an assistant professor of
the Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Ohio State University,
President Im joined KAIST as a professor of mechanical engineering in 1989.
President Im took many important posts at
KAIST, including Dean of Planning Office, Dean of External Affairs and Public
Relations Office, and Associate Vice President of Special Projects and
Institutional Relations, making a great addition to the university’s endeavors for
globalization.
Among the awards President Im received was the
William Johnson Award in 2007 presented by the Advances in Materials and
Processing Technologies, the Research Achievement Award in 2010 by the Global
Congress on Manufacturing and Management, and the Presidential Award in 2012 by
the Republic of Korea. He was also elected as the vice president of the Korean
Society of Mechanical Engineers, the largest association of professionals in
the mechanical engineering field in Korea.
President Im is currently a professor at
POSCO, an internationally known Korean steel company, and a member of the
Korean Academy of Science and Technology and the National Academy of
Engineering of Korea, respectively.
President Im will serve KIMM for three
years until February 24, 2017.
2014.02.25 View 10813