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Face Recognition System 'K-Eye' Presented by KAIST
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the key emerging technologies. Global IT companies are competitively launching the newest technologies and competition is heating up more than ever. However, most AI technologies focus on software and their operating speeds are low, making them a poor fit for mobile devices. Therefore, many big companies are investing to develop semiconductor chips for running AI programs with low power requirements but at high speeds.
A research team led by Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo of the Department of Electrical Engineering has developed a semiconductor chip, CNNP (CNN Processor), that runs AI algorithms with ultra-low power, and K-Eye, a face recognition system using CNNP. The system was made in collaboration with a start-up company, UX Factory Co.
The K-Eye series consists of two types: a wearable type and a dongle type. The wearable type device can be used with a smartphone via Bluetooth, and it can operate for more than 24 hours with its internal battery. Users hanging K-Eye around their necks can conveniently check information about people by using their smartphone or smart watch, which connects K-Eye and allows users to access a database via their smart devices. A smartphone with K-EyeQ, the dongle type device, can recognize and share information about users at any time.
When recognizing that an authorized user is looking at its screen, the smartphone automatically turns on without a passcode, fingerprint, or iris authentication. Since it can distinguish whether an input face is coming from a saved photograph versus a real person, the smartphone cannot be tricked by the user’s photograph.
The K-Eye series carries other distinct features. It can detect a face at first and then recognize it, and it is possible to maintain “Always-on” status with low power consumption of less than 1mW. To accomplish this, the research team proposed two key technologies: an image sensor with “Always-on” face detection and the CNNP face recognition chip.
The first key technology, the “Always-on” image sensor, can determine if there is a face in its camera range. Then, it can capture frames and set the device to operate only when a face exists, reducing the standby power significantly. The face detection sensor combines analog and digital processing to reduce power consumption. With this approach, the analog processor, combined with the CMOS Image Sensor array, distinguishes the background area from the area likely to include a face, and the digital processor then detects the face only in the selected area. Hence, it becomes effective in terms of frame capture, face detection processing, and memory usage.
The second key technology, CNNP, achieved incredibly low power consumption by optimizing a convolutional neural network (CNN) in the areas of circuitry, architecture, and algorithms. First, the on-chip memory integrated in CNNP is specially designed to enable data to be read in a vertical direction as well as in a horizontal direction. Second, it has immense computational power with 1024 multipliers and accumulators operating in parallel and is capable of directly transferring the temporal results to each other without accessing to the external memory or on-chip communication network. Third, convolution calculations with a two-dimensional filter in the CNN algorithm are approximated into two sequential calculations of one-dimensional filters to achieve higher speeds and lower power consumption.
With these new technologies, CNNP achieved 97% high accuracy but consumed only 1/5000 power of the GPU. Face recognition can be performed with only 0.62mW of power consumption, and the chip can show higher performance than the GPU by using more power.
These chips were developed by Kyeongryeol Bong, a Ph. D. student under Professor Yoo and presented at the International Solid-State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) held in San Francisco in February. CNNP, which has the lowest reported power consumption in the world, has achieved a great deal of attention and has led to the development of the present K-Eye series for face recognition.
Professor Yoo said “AI - processors will lead the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. With the development of this AI chip, we expect Korea to take the lead in global AI technology.”
The research team and UX Factory Co. are preparing to commercialize the K-Eye series by the end of this year. According to a market researcher IDC, the market scale of the AI industry will grow from $127 billion last year to $165 billion in this year.
(Photo caption: Schematic diagram of K-Eye system)
2017.06.14 View 18116 -
KAIST Alumni Take a Strong Hold on Tech-Based Startups
Average sales for KAIST alumni startups in 2015 doubled from the previous year to 20.7 billion KRW. They reportedly recorded approximately 37-times higher sales than non-KAIST alumni startups, demonstrating that KAIST is emerging as strong tech-based venture startup incubator.
According to a white paper on the Profile and Performance of KAIST Startups released recently, the number of KAIST startups stood 1,112, of which 877 were founded by alumni (78.9%), 36 by faculty and staff (3.2%), and 199 by those funded by the KAIST Technology Business Incubation Center (17.9%) at the end of 2015.
The total sales of KAIST startups stood at 13.6 trillion KRW in 2015, a 25% increase compared to the previous year. KAIST alumni startups created about 32,400 jobs in that year.
Most KAIST founders majored in engineering (649 people, 71.1%), followed by business (121 people, 13.3%), natural sciences (86, 9.4%), life science and bio engineering (32 people, 3.5%), and liberal arts and convergence science (24 people, 2.6%), making a total of 913 founders, excluding the 199 startups funded by KAIST Technology Business Incubation Center.
By department, most founders come from electrical engineering (148 people, 16.2%), followed by mechanical engineering (135 people, 14.8%), and computer science (114 people, 12.5%).
KAIST startups produced 63 listed companies (1 KOSPI, 51 KOSDAQ, and 11 KONEX), which accounted for 5.7% of the total 1112 startups. This is significantly higher than the average for venture companies (1.1%). It should be noted that the rate is only around 10% for Korean conglomerate-affiliated companies.
At the point of startup establishment, KAIST alumni startup founders were mostly in their 40s (430 people, 40%), followed by their 30s (415 people, 38.6%), 20s (110 people, 10.2%) and 50s (110 people, 10.2%). Around half of the founders were in their 20s and 30s. In particular, the number of founders in their 20s and 30s was around 3.5 times higher in KAIST startups compared to general startups and 1.2 times higher than venture startups.
The average lifespan of KAIST startups is 10.3 years; 276 companies (25%) were established over 16 years ago, 282 companies (25.4%) between 6 and 10 years, 246 companies (22.1%) between 11 and 15 years, and 308 companies (27.7%) less than five years ago. By type of business, startups based on technology accounted for 88.1%; 510 manufacturing companies accounted for 46.2%, followed by 321 information service companies with 29.1%, and 147 science and technology service companies with 13.3%.
By region, 617 companies (55.5%) were located in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan area, followed by 350 companies (31.5%) located in Daejeon.
2017.05.30 View 7347 -
Policy Debate Series for Industry 4.0
(Photo caption: President Shin takes the podium as the first speaker of a year-long monthly policy dabate series on Industry 4.0 on May 11.)
KAIST will kick off a monthly policy debate series on Industry 4.0 every Thursday from May 11 at the Startup KAIST building. The year-long series, featuring professors from key technology fields associated with Industry 4.0, is designed to help policy makers from government, industry, and research institutes respond better to the ramifications that Industry 4.0 brings about in each sector.
The series will help them establish the vision and strategy that will work for the new industrial environment to take the lead in the new industrial era.
Twelve professors, including President Sung-Chul Shin, from departments that are researching emerging technologies will speak on the megatrend of new technology, while facilitating debates and Q& A sessions with participants.
The participants will include officials from the government complexes in Sejong and Daejeon cities, government-funded research institutes in Daejeon, and businessmen, among others. For registration, please go to https://startup.kaist.ac.kr/register.
Schedule
Speaker
Theme
May 11
President Sung-Chul Shin
Challenges and Innovations of KAIST in the Era of Industry 4.0
June 8
Professor Jonghwan Kim
Machine Intelligence and Deep Learning
July 6
Professor Jun Ho Oh
Robot Technology and the Future
Aug. 3
Professor Hyunchul Shim
Unmanned Vehicle Technology and Industry 4.0
Sept. 7
Professor Hawoong Jeong
Complex Systems and Data Science
Oct. 12
Professor Yongdae Kim
Technology, Policy, and the Fostering of Talents: Industry 4.0 and Information Protection
Nov. 9
Professor Sang Yup Lee
The Role of Biotechnology in Industry 4.0
Dec. 7
Professor Meeyoung Cha
AI-Based Research for Fake News Detection
2018 Jan. 4
Professor Joungho Kim
Innovation for the Korean Semiconductor Industry: Kim’s Law
Feb. 8
Professor Jaekyun Moon
Education for Industry 4.0
March 8
Professor Sang Kil Cha
Artificial Intelligence Cyber Warfare: Its Present and Future
April 5
Professor Jaeseung Jeong
The Future of Brain Engineering and Artificial Intelligence
2017.05.08 View 12756 -
Seeking a New Economic and Industrial Paradigm
The School of Humanities & Social Science will offer the open lecture course titled ‘Seeking a New Economic and Industrial Paradigm’ from May11 to June 7. This is part of a quarterly lecture series run by the school and open to the public.
The open lecture is designed to provide opportunities for the public to identify future challenges and opportunities for Korea’s economy and industry. Experts in macroeconomics, finance, and global collaboration will provide glimpses of new directions for each sector as well as megatrends of emerging technologies on the heels of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Jin Hyuk Yoo from the Bank of Korea will speak on the ‘Outlook and Challenges of the Korean Economy.’ He will identify the current economic situation and explain how to build on sustainable long-term economic growth in the opening course.
Won-Bin Lee of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade will present on the ‘New Industrial Policy in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.’ His lecture will focus on fostering the local industry and creating its own ecosystem for furthering regional industries.
Dong-Hoon Lee of Donga ST will speak on the implications that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring about in the medical industry. Won-Suk Choi of FnPricing will introduce the FN business model, presenting the risks and benefits of fintech in his lecture ‘Finance: Human and Technology.’
Jae-Hong Choi of the Institute of International Development Cooperation at Korea University will give a talk titled ‘Toward the World through Global Cooperation.’ He will present on the history of Korea’s global cooperation initiatives and the role of KOICA, introducing its emerging economic and industrial cooperation model.
Professor Jeounghoon Kim, who is responsible for the public lecture program, said, “Korea now faces very diverse social economic and industrial challenges and we seem to be lost while searching for a solution. The public will have an opportunity to understand the current economic situation and its industrial implications.”
For registration and more info, please visit http://hss.kaist.ac.kr.
2017.04.26 View 10303 -
Furniture That Learns to Move by Itself
A novel strategy for displacing large objects by attaching relatively small vibration sources. After learning how several random bursts of vibration affect an object's pose, an optimization algorithm discovers the optimal sequence of vibration patterns required to (slowly but surely) move the object to a specified position. Displacements of large objects induced by vibration are a common occurrence, but generally result in unpredictable motion. Think, for instance, of an unbalanced front-loading washing machine. For controlled movement, wheels or legs are usually preferred.
Professor Daniel Saakes of the Department of Industrial Design and his team explored a strategy for moving everyday objects by harvesting external vibration rather than using a mechanical system with wheels. This principle may be useful for displacing large objects in situations where attaching wheels or complete lifting is impossible – assuming the speed of the process is not a concern.
His team designed vibration modules that can be easily attached to furniture and objects, and this could be a welcomed creation for people with limited mobility, including the elderly. Embedding these vibration modules as part of mass-produced objects may provide a low-cost way to make almost any object mobile.
Vibration as a principle for directed locomotion has been previously applied in micro-robots. For instance, the three-legged Kilobots move thanks to centrifugal forces alternatively generated by a pair of vibrations on two of its legs. The unbalanced weight transforms the robot into a ratchet and the resulting motion is deterministic with respect to the input vibration. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to add vibratory actuators to deterministically steer large objects regardless of their structural properties.
The perturbation resulting from a particular pattern of vibration depends on a myriad of parameters, including but not limited to the microscopic properties of the contact surfaces. The key challenge is to empirically discover and select the sequence of vibration patterns to bring the object to the target pose.
Their approach is as follows. In the first step we systematically explore the object’s response by manipulating the amplitudes of the motors. This generates a pool of available moves (translations and rotations). We then calculate from this pool the most efficient way (either in terms of length or number of moves) to go from pose A to pose B using optimization strategies, such as genetic algorithms. The learning process may be repeated from time to time to account for changes in the mechanical response, at least for the patterns of vibration that contribute more to the change.
Prototype modules are made with eccentric rotating motors (type 345-002 Precision Microdrive) with a nominal force of 115g, which proved sufficient to shake (and eventually locomote) four-legged IKEA chairs and small furniture such as tables and stools. The motors are powered by NiMH batteries and communicate wirelessly with a low-cost ESP8266 WiFi module. The team designed modules that are externally attached using straps as well as motors embedded in furniture.
To study the general method, the team employed an overhead camera to track the chair and generate the pool of available moves. The team demonstrated that the system discovered pivot-like gaits and others. However, as one can imagine, using a pre-computed sequence to move to a target pose does not end up providing perfect matches. This is because the contact properties vary with location. Although this can be considered a secondary disturbance, it may in certain cases be mandatory to recompute the matrix of moves every now and then. The chair could, for instance, move into a wet area, over plastic carpet, etc.
The principle and application in furniture is called “ratchair” as a portmanteau combining “Ratchet” and “Chair”. Ratchair was demonstrated at the 2016 ACM Siggraph Emerging Technologies and won the DC-EXPO award jointly organized by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Digital Content Association of Japan (DCAJ). At the DCEXPO Exhibition, Fall 2016, the work was one of 20 Innovative Technologies and the only non-Japanese contribution.
*This article is from the KAIST Breakthroughs, research newsletter from the College of Engineering.
For more stories of the KAIST Breakthroughs, please visit http://breakthroughs.kaist.ac.kr
http://mid.kaist.ac.kr/projects/ratchair/
http://s2016.siggraph.org/content/emerging-technologies
https://www.dcexpo.jp/ko/15184
Figure 1. The vibration modules embedded and attached to furniture.
Figure 2. A close-up of the vibration module.
Figure 3. A close-up of the embedded modules.
Figure 4. A close-up of the vibration motor.
2017.03.23 View 10344 -
Global Workshop on the Risks of Emerging Technologies
The Center for Science, Policy and Society (CSPS) at the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy of KAIST will host the 2017 Global Expert Workshop on the Risks of Emerging Technologies Driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution March 17-18 at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul.
At the workshop, experts from public and private sectors at home and abroad will address the socio-economic impacts and implications of the emergence of new technologies that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring about. The workshop will be hosted in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council (GFC) on Technology, Values and Policy. The World Economic Forum’s network of GFCs is the world’s foremost interdisciplinary knowledge network dedicated to promoting innovative thinking about the future.
Four keynote speakers, including Professor Wendell Wallach of the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics at Yale University and Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University Lan Xue, will deliver speeches. Professor Wallach is the leader of an AI/Robotics Global Governance Project sponsored by the World Economic Forum and will make a speech entitled “Build the Global Infrastructure to Make Sure that AI and Robotics Will Be Beneficial.” Dean Xue, a member of the World Economic Forum’s GFC on Tech, Values, and Policy, is well known for his analysis of the social implications of the risks brought about by emerging technologies. He will speak on “Global Risk Governance of Disruptive 4IR Technologies.”
More than thirty experts will participate in the workshop. Speakers include the KAIST Vice President for Planning and Budget Soohyun Kim, Dean of KAIST Institute San Yup Lee, Professor Jaeseung Jeong of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST, Dr. Sung Chul Kang of the KIST Healthcare Robotics Research Group, and Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology Program Director Kyong Hoon Kim.
The CSPS of KAIST will continue to make collaborative research efforts with the GFC for developing new insights and perspectives on key global systems as well as study the impact and governance of key emerging technologies.
2017.03.16 View 12412 -
The 2016 Research Highlights
KAIST has selected the ten most outstanding projects of 2016 conducted by its faculty and researchers. This selection embodies the KAIST research portfolios that translate their discoveries into meaningful and measurable impact toward a better world. All of them demonstrate exceptional creativity, which open new research paths for each field in its novelty, innovation, and impact.
The following list has been reviewed by a committee of faculty peers headed by Associate Vice President for Research. Following are the 2016 KAIST research highlights:
□ Commercialization of 3D Holographic Microscopy
By YongKeun Park of the Department of Physics
Professor YongKeun Park and his colleagues develop a powerful technique to measure 3D images of live cells without labeling agents. This technique, called 3D holographic microscopy or holotomography, will open a new avenue for the study of cell biology and its applications in medical diagnosis. This research also led to the founding of a start-up company Tomocube Inc. and the successful commercialization of the technique.
Professor Park and his research team developed a solution based on digital holography technology used to visualize 3D refractive index tomograms of live cells without staining. This allowed the real-time observation of biological cells in 2D, 3D, and 4D without the use of labeling agents. Conventional techniques for 3D cell imaging requires the use of labeling agents such as fluorescence dyes and proteins, which prevent from investigating the physiology of intact untreated cells. In particular, label-free imaging capability becomes more important in several emerging fields such as stem cell research and immunotherapy.
The team employs the concept of 3D digital holography to achieve the optical measurements of 3D refractive index tomograms of live cells and tissues. Also, a digital micromirror device (DMD), which has been used for DLPTM projectors, was utilized to steer a laser beam for 3D measurements.
Tomocube, founded from seed money funded by the EndRun Project of the Institute for Startup KAIST, succeeded in the commercialization of the 3D holographic microscopy and established an international distribution network in more than ten countries. It now has started exporting the product to several countries. The microscopes are being used in several leading research institutes including MIT, German Cancer Center, Pittsburg Medical Center, and Seoul National University Hospital Selected as one of the top ten mechanical technologies of 2016 by the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers, the team raised four billion KRW investment from industry leaders including Soft Bank Venture Korea, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, and InterVest investment.
(Figure: Images of cells measured by 3D microscopy)
□ Designer Proteins with Chemical Modifications
By Hee-Sung Park and Hee Yoon Lee of the Department of Chemistry
Professor Hee-Sung Park developed a new strategy for installing authentic post-translational modifications (PTM) into recombinant proteins. Most essential biological processes are controlled by PTM, which plays a critical role in metabolic changes. However, abnormal protein modification aroused by environmental or genetic factors induce diverse diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and many other chronic diseases.
Professor Park has conceived a novel chemical biology route to achieve authentic and selective chemical modifications in proteins.He first used the established O-phosphoserine (Sep) orthogonal translational system to create a Sep-containing protein. The Sep residue is then dephosphorylated to dehydroalanine (Dha). Finally, Zn-Cu is conjugated to Dha of alkyl iodides, which enables it to form chemo-selective carbon-carbon bonds.
This approach offers a powerful tool to engineer designer proteins with diverse chemical modifications, providing a novel platform for investigating numerous diseases and drug development including for cancer and Alzheimer's. Furthermore, this research will allow mass production of abnormally modified proteins that could induce diseases, opening up new prospects in disease treatment research. It will help to enable investigation and discovery of new drug inhibitors that directly target abnormally modified proteins.
(Figure: Application of Customized Protein Modification Technology)
□ Lanthanum-Catalyzed Synthesis of Microporous 3D Graphene-Like Carbons in a Zeolite Template
By Ryong Ryoo, of the Department of Chemistry
Professor Ryong Ryoo’s team presented a scaled-up carbon synthesis viable for practical applications such as Li-ion batteries and catalyst supports.
Zeolite-templated carbon has an extremely large surface area and a regular microporous structure. As a result, it was expected to show excellent performance in various applications, such as for electrode materials or catalyst supports. However, until recently difficulties in synthesis have hindered research on application and properties of zeolited-templated carbon compared to other porous carbon materials.
Professor Ryoo’s team demonstrated that lanthanum ions embedded in zeolite pores lowered the temperature for carbonization of ethylene or acetylene. In this contribution, a graphene-like carbon structure was selectively formed inside zeolite template without the non-selective carbon deposition. Single crystal X-ray diffraction data revealed that carbon formed along the micropore surface. After removal of zeolite template, the carbon framework showed high electrical conductivity.
His synthesis method not only allowed selectivity in ethylene carbonization inside zeolite pore but permitted the diffusion of carbon material even when a large amount of zeolites was synthesized at once, allowing mass production of carbon. Thus, this method is expected to accelerate research on the application and properties of zeolite-templated carbon.
(Figure: Electron density distribution of zeolite that underwent selective pore carbonization. The structure of carbon determined by electron density distributions of carbon atoms, shown in yellow and red, within the framework of zeolite, shown in blue, can be observed.)
□ Complete Prevention of Blood Loss by Self-Sealing Hemostatic Needles
By Haeshin Lee of the Department of Chemistry
Professor Haeshin Lee’s team invented a hemostatic hypodermic needle, which prevented bleeding of punctured tissue during and after injections.
Bleeding unavoidably accompanies injections when a conventional needle penetrates tissue. Though the scale of bleeding from controlled injections does not cause harm to healthy individuals, uncontrolled bleeding may bring serious complications for those who suffer from hemophilia, coagulopathy, or who have been exposed to infectious diseases.
Professor Lee’s hemostatic hypodermic needle is coated with partially cross-linked catechol-functionalized chitosan that undergoes a solid-to-gel phase transition in situ to seal-seal punctured tissues. The team reported a complete prevention of blood loss following intravenous and intramuscular injections in animal models. They observed a 100% survival rate in hemophiliac mice following a syringe injection into a jugular vein.
The self-sealing hemostatic needles may help to prevent complications associated with bleeding in clinical settings such as for diabetic patients who experience delayed hemostasis and in the procedure of biopsy thereby preventing profuse bleeding.
□ An Immunological Mechanism for the Contribution of Commensal Microbiota Against Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in Genital Mucosa
By Heung Kyu Lee of the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering
Professor Heung Kyu Lee identified an immunological mechanism of commensal microbiota against herpes virus infections. The protective mechanisms of commensal bacteria against viral infections was limited to how immune inductive signals are provided by commensal bacteria for enhancing innate and adaptive immunity. Until Professor Lee’s research discovery, whether, or how, commensal bacteria might influence the effector arm of immune responses such as effector T cells to eliminate infected virus remained unknown.
Professor Lee’s team demonstrated that dysbiosis within the vaginal microbiota resulted in severe impairment of antiviral protection against HSV-2 infection. IL-33 released into the vaginal tract after antibiotic treatment blocked the ability of effector T cells to migrate into vaginal tissues and secrete the antiviral cytokine, IFN-γ. Thus, the findings suggested a previously unstudied role of commensal bacteria in the effector phase of the antiviral immune response against genital herpes. These findings provided insight into the mechanisms by which the secretion of proteases from opportunistic pathogens in susceptibility to various sexually transmitted pathogens might induce type 2 immunity within the female genital tract.
Promoting awareness of overuse of antibiotics, the research is expected to contribute to the development of viral vaccines with enhanced defense capacity by regulating commensal bacteria to promote health.
□ Development of a Pulse-Echo Laser Ultrasonic Propagation Imaging System
By Jung-Ryul Lee of the Department of Aerospace Engineering
Professor Jung-Ryul Lee’s team for the first time developed a mobile laser ultrasonic propagation imaging system that is capable of 2500-point inspection per second and visualization of pulse-echo ultrasonic wave through the thickness of a solid medium. This novel ultrasonic propagation visualization system has been successfully prototyped for the application of in-situ and in-process nondestructive evaluation of aerospace structures.
The real world proof-of-concept was achieved by testing the new system in the inspection of a space launcher fuselage (KSLV-II), control surfaces of military transport (CN-235), and the brake disk of F-16, guided weapon fuselage. In addition, the system has passed F-16 standard specimen test done by Korea Air Force and got a US patent. The prototype which was developed over a period of two years has been successfully delivered to Korea Air Force last December.
Furthermore, Boeing has expressed interest in prototype development project and KAIST OESL has been selected as the Boeing-KAIST technical contact lab and received a two-year grant from Boeing. The second prototype is under construction for Boeing and the third prototype will be delivered to an optional research institute and used as a standard inspection instrument.
□ Birefractive Stereo Imaging for Single-Shot Depth Acquisition
By Min H. Kim of the School of Computing
Professor Min H. Kim’s team proposed a novel 3D imaging method that allows the capture of not only color pictures but also corresponding depth images while traditional cameras capture just color pictures.
Depending on the polarization state of light, the incident light on a birefringent material such as calcite can be refracted into two different angles. This physical phenomenon is called double refraction. Whereas traditional stereo imaging requires at least two stereo cameras, 3D imaging method can capture depth from a single picture of double refraction. This proposed 3D imaging technique can be applied to many graphics and computer vision applications such as AR/VR applications that require color and depth information simultaneously.
This technology, which could measure depth images, is currently needed for various industrial applications. The suggested method in this research to measure depth information from one photo using double refraction media accurately can be used in areas where system size and cost are important, such as mobile cameras, VR/ARs, driverless cars, and 3D microscopes.
(Figure: Measuring high-resolution depth of single image via bi-refringent medium)
□Development of Environment Friendly Geotechnical Construction Material Using Biopolymer
By Gye-Chun Cho of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor Gye-Chun Cho has succeeded in making a 100% bio-based KABS (KAIST Bio-Soil) binder using biopolymer, an eco-friendly geotechnical construction material. A biopolymer is an organic polymer produced in the course of microbial activities and thus is an eco-friendly material manufactured without generating carbon dioxide. Biopolymers have been used in food, agriculture, cosmetics, and medicine as hardener and gelling agents, but have never been applied in construction. His team verified the microscopic interaction, feasibility, and strengthening mechanism of microbial biopolymers for soils for the first time in the world, suggesting that biopolymers be an eco-friendly soil binder.
In addition to soil binders, biopolymers can also be applied to various fields of ground construction (e.g., ground improvement, grouting, erosion control, vegetation, anti-desertification, etc.). The team expects more biopolymer applications in construction since increasing demands for replacing cement-based or chemical ground materials have surged.
With KABS binder, the team has performed several field tests along with industrial technology transfer underway. In collaboration with the Korea Expressway Corporation and LH Corporation, Professor Cho’s team is working on additional commercial applications.
(Figure: Strength enhancement effect of soil grain processed by biopolymer )
□ Protein Delivery Via Engineered Exosomes
By Chulhee Choi of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering
Professor Chulhee Choi’s team unveiled a new tool for intracellular delivery of target proteins, named “exosomes for protein loading via optically reversible protein-protein interactions” or “EXPLORs”.
Nanoparticle-mediated delivery of functional macromolecules is a promising method for treating a variety of human diseases. Among nanoparticles, cell-derived exosomes have recently gained attention as a new therapeutic strategy for the in vivo delivery of nucleotides and chemical drugs.
By integrating a reversible protein-protein interaction module controlled by blue light with the endogenous process of exosome biogenesis, the team successfully loaded cargo proteins into newly generated exosomes. Treatment with protein-loaded EXPLORs is shown to significantly increase intracellular levels of cargo proteins and their function in recipient cells in vitro and in vivo.
These results clearly indicate the potential of EXPLORs as a mechanism for the efficient intracellular transfer of protein-based therapeutics into recipient cells and tissues. This technology has been transferred to KAIST bio-venture Cellex Life Science, Incorporated for commercialization.
□ Hot Electron Detection under Catalytic Reactions
By Jeong Young Park of the Graduate School of EEWS
Professor Jeong Young Park’s team developed a novel catalytic nanodiode consisting of a thin metal catalyst deposited onto a semiconductor support. The team succeeded in observing in real-time hot electrons created in the course of catalytic reaction occurring at atmospheric pressure or at liquid-solid interfaces.
Use of a noble catalytic nanodiode is a new measurement system that detects hot electrons produced on catalyst surface through atmospheric pressure and liquid chemical reaction in real time that allows direct identification of the catalytic activity of catalytic reactions. In particular, the system allows macro-observation of hot-electron movements that change with the type of nano-catalyst without high-priced equipment in atmospheric pressure and liquidation, and thus is not limited to experimental conditions such as in ultrahigh vacuums.
Therefore, it could be applied in the future to analyze complex chemical reaction mechanisms of catalysts used in high temperature and various pressure conditions, and to develop high efficiency next-generation catalyst materials. This finding may lead not only to the fundamental understanding in the mechanism of the catalytic reactions but also to the development of next-generation catalysts with enhanced catalytic performance.
(Figure: Schematic diagrams of nano-catalyst hot electron element and graphene hot electron detector)
2017.02.20 View 14349 -
KAIST's Doctoral Student Receives a Hoffman Scholarship Award
Hyo-Sun Lee, a doctoral student at the Graduate School of EEWS (Environment, Energy, Water and Sustainability), KAIST, is a recipient of the 2016 Dorothy M. and Earl S. Hoffman Scholarships presented by the American Vacuum Society (AVS). The award ceremony took place during the Society’s 63rd International Symposium and Exhibition on November 6-11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Lee is the first Korean and foreign student to receive this scholarship.
The Hoffman Scholarships were established in 2002 to recognize and encourage excellence in graduate studies in the sciences and technologies of interest to AVS. The scholarships are funded by a bequest from Dorothy M. Hoffman, who was a pioneering member of the Society of Women Engineers and served as the president of AVS in 1974.
Lee received the scholarship for her research that detects hot electrons from chemical reactions on catalytic surface using nanodevices. Nano Letters, an academic journal published by the American Chemical Society, described her work in its February 2016 issue as a technology that allows quantitative analysis of hot electrons by employing a new nanodevice and therefore helps researchers understand better the mechanism of chemical reactions on nanocatalytic surface. She also published her work to detect the flow of hot electrons that occur on metal nanocatalytic surface during hydrogen oxidation reactions in Angewandte Chemie.
Lee said, “I am pleased to receive this honor from such a world-renowned academic society. Certainly, this will be a great support for my future study and research.”
Founded in 1953, AVS is an interdisciplinary, professional society composed of approximately 4,500 members worldwide. It supports networking among academic, industrial, government, and consulting professionals involved in a range of established and emerging science and technology areas such as chemistry, physics, engineering, business, and technology development.
2016.11.17 View 12065 -
Professor Shin's Team Receives the Best Software Defined Network Solution Showcase Award
Professor Seungwon Shin of the Electrical Engineering School at KAIST and his research team won the Best Software Defined Networking (SDN) Solution Showcase Award hosted by the SDN World Congress, one of the biggest network summits held in Europe with over 2,000 participants. This year the conference took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, October 10-14, 2016.
SDN is an approach to computer networking that allows network administrators to respond quickly to changing business requirements via a centralized control console and to support the dynamic, scalable computing and storage needs of more modern computing environments such as data centers.
Collaborating with researchers from Queen’s University in the United Kingdom and Huawei, a global information and communications technology solutions provider in China, Professor Shin’s team, which is led by doctoral students Seungsoo Lee, Changhoon Yoon, and Jaehyun Nam, implemented a SDN security project called “DELTA.” ATTORESEARCH, a Korean SDN architecture and applications provider, conducted testing and verification for the project.
DELTA is a new SDN security evaluation framework with two main functions. It can automatically recognize attack cases against SDN elements across diverse environments and can assist in identifying unknown security problems within a SDN deployment.
The DELTA project consists of a control plane, the part of a network that carries signaling traffic and is responsible for routing; a data plane, the part of a network that carries user traffic; and a control channel that connects the two aforementioned planes. These three components have their own agents installed, which are all controlled by an agent manger. The agent manger can automatically detect any spots where the network security is weak.
Specifically, the project aimes to defense attacks against OpenFlow protocol, one of the first SDN standards; SDN controllers, a network operating system that is based on protocols; and network switch devices that use OpenFlow protocol.
The DELTA project was registered with the Open Networking Foundation, a user-driven organization dedicated to the promotion and adoption of SDN through open standards development, as an open source SDN security evaluation tool. This project is the only open source SDN which has been led by Korean researchers.
The SDN World Congress 2016 recognized the need for and importance of the DELTA project by conferring upon it the Best Solution Showcase Award. The Open Networking Foundation also widely publicized this award news.
Professor Shin said:
“In recent years, SDN has been attracting a large amount of interest as an emerging technology, but there still have not many SDN projects in Korea. This award acknowledges the advancement of Korean SDN technology, showing the potential for Korea to become a leader in SDN research.”
Picture: Major Components of the DELTA Project: Agents and Agent Manger
2016.10.25 View 10522 -
Top 10 Emerging Technologies by World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum’s Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies announced its annual list of breakthrough technologies, the “Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2016,” on June 23, 2016. The Meta-Council chose the top ten technologies based on the technologies’ potential to improve lives, transform industries, and safeguard the planet. The research field of systems metabolic engineering, founded by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at KAIST, was also citied. Systems metabolic engineering, which combines elements of synthetic biology, systems biology, and evolutionary engineering, offers a sustainable process for the production of useful chemicals in an environmentally friendly way from plants such as inedible biomass, reducing the need of using fossil fuels. Details about the list follow below:
https://www.weforum.org/press/2016/06/battery-powered-villages-sociable-robots-rank-among-top-10-emerging-technologies-of-2016
The picture below shows the “systems metabolic engineering of E. coli for the production of PLGA." PLGA is poly(lactate-co-glycolate), which is widely used for biomedical applications, and has been made by chemical synthesis. Now it is possible to produce PLGA eco-friendly by one-step fermentation of a gut bacterium which is developed through systems metabolic engineering.
2016.06.27 View 13070 -
KAIST to Participate in Summer Davos Forum 2016 in China
A group of KAIST researchers will share their insights on the future and challenges of the current technological innovations impacting all aspects of society, while showcasing their research excellence in artificial intelligence and robotics.
Scientific and technological breakthroughs are more important than ever as key agents to drive social, economic, and political changes and advancements in today’s world. The World Economic Forum (WEF), an international organization that provides one of the broadest engagement platforms to address issues of major concern to the global community, will discuss the effects of these breakthroughs at its 10th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, a.k.a., the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin, China, June 26-28, 2016.
Three professors from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will join the Annual Meeting and offer their expertise in the fields of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics to explore the conference theme, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Transformational Impact.” The Fourth Industrial Revolution, a term coined by WEF founder, Klaus Schwab, is characterized by a range of new technologies that fuse the physical, digital, and biological worlds, such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and automation.
Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department will speak at the Experts Reception to be held on June 25, 2016 on the topic of “The Summer Davos Forum and Science and Technology in Asia.” On June 27, 2016, he will participate in two separate discussion sessions.
In the first session entitled “What If Drugs Are Printed from the Internet?,” Professor Lee will discuss the impacts of advancements in biotechnology and 3D printing technology on the future of medicine with Nita A. Farahany, a Duke University professor. Clare Matterson, the Director of Strategy at Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom, will serve as the moderator. The discussants will note recent developments made in the way patients receive their medicine, for example, downloading drugs directly from the internet and the production of yeast strains to make opioids for pain treatment through systems metabolic engineering. They will also suggest how these emerging technologies will transform the landscape of the pharmaceutical industry in the years to come.
In the second session, “Lessons for Life,” Professor Lee will talk about how to nurture life-long learning and creativity to support personal and professional growth necessary in an era of the new industrial revolution.
During the Annual Meeting, Professors Jong-Hwan Kim of the Electrical Engineering School and David Hyunchul Shim of the Aerospace Department will host, together with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and AnthroTronix, an engineering research and development company, a technological exhibition on robotics. Professor Kim, the founder of the internally renowned Robot World Cup, will showcase his humanoid soccer-playing micro-robots and display their various cutting-edge technologies such as imaging processing, artificial intelligence, walking, and balancing. Professor Shim will present a human-like robotic piloting system, PIBOT, which autonomously operates a simulated flight program by employing control sticks and guiding an airplane from takeoff to landing.
In addition, the two professors will join Professor Lee, who is also a moderator, to host a KAIST-led session on June 26, 2016, entitled “Science in Depth: From Deep Learning to Autonomous Machines.” Professors Kim and Shim will explore new opportunities and challenges in their fields from machine learning to autonomous robotics, including unmanned vehicles and drones.
Since 2011, KAIST has participated in the World Economic Forum’s two flagship conferences, the January and June Davos Forums, to introduce outstanding talents, share their latest research achievements, and interact with global leaders.
KAIST President Steve Kang said, “It is important for KAIST to be involved in global forums that identify issues critical to humanity and seek answers to solve them, and where our skills and knowledge in science and technology can play a meaningful role. The Annual Meeting in China will become another venue to accomplish this.”
2016.06.27 View 14574 -
KAIST, NTU, and Technion Collaborate for Research in Emerging Fields
KAIST, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore, and Technion of Israel signed an agreement on April 11, 2016 in Seoul to create a five-year joint research program for some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial areas: robotics, medical technologies, satellites, materials science and engineering, and entrepreneurship. Under the agreement, the universities will also offer dual degree opportunities, exchange visits, and internships.
In the picture from the left, Bertil Andersson of NTU, Sung-Mo Kang of KAIST, and Peretz Lavie of Technion hold the signed memorandum of understanding.
2016.04.14 View 14411