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Sangeun Oh Recognized as a 2017 Google Fellow
Sangeun Oh, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Computing was selected as a Google PhD Fellow in 2017. He is one of 47 awardees of the Google PhD Fellowship in the world.
The Google PhD Fellowship awards students showing outstanding performance in the field of computer science and related research. Since being established in 2009, the program has provided various benefits, including scholarships worth $10,000 USD and one-to-one research discussion with mentors from Google.
His research work on a mobile system that allows interactions among various kinds of smart devices was recognized in the field of mobile computing. He developed a mobile platform that allows smart devices to share diverse functions, including logins, payments, and sensors. This technology provides numerous user experiences that existing mobile platforms could not offer. Through cross-device functionality sharing, users can utilize multiple smart devices in a more convenient manner. The research was presented at The Annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services (MobiSys) of the Association for Computing Machinery in July, 2017.
Oh said, “I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, the professors in the School of Computing, and my lab colleagues. I will devote myself to carrying out more research in order to contribute to society.”
His advisor, Insik Shin, a professor in the School of Computing said, “Being recognized as a Google PhD Fellow is an honor to both the student as well as KAIST. I strongly anticipate and believe that Oh will make the next step by carrying out good quality research.”
2017.09.27 View 12201 -
Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Cancer Therapy Using BR Nanoparticles
(Professor Sangyong Jon and PhD Candidate Dong Yun Lee)
Sangyong Jon, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at KAIST, and his team developed combined photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy for cancer by using Bilirubin (BR) nanoparticles.
The research team applied the properties of a bile pigment called BR, which exerts potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, to this research.
The team expects this research, which shows high biocompatibility as well as outstanding photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy, to be an appropriate system in the field of treatment for cancer.
In the past, the research team developed a PEGylated bilirubin-based nanoparticle system by combining water-insoluble BR with water-soluble Polyethylene Glycol (PEG).
This technology facilitated BR exerting antioxidants yet prevented them from being accumulated in the body. Its efficiency and safety was identified in an animal disease model, for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, islet cell transportation, and asthma.
Differing from previous research methods, this research applied the different physicochemical properties of BR to cancer treatment.
When the causative agent of jaundice, yellow BR, is exposed to a certain wavelength of blue light, the agent becomes a photonic nanomaterial as it responses to the light. This light-responsive nanomaterial can be used to cure jaundice because it allows for active excretion in infants.
Secondly, the team identified that BR is a major component of black pigment gallstones which can be often found in gall bladders or bile ducts under certain pathological conditions. The findings show that BR forms black pigment gallstones without the role of an intermediate or cation, such as calcium and copper. The research team combined cisplatin, a platinum metal-based anticancer drug, with BR so that BR nanoparticles changed the solution color from yellow to purple.
The team also examined the possibility of cisplatin-chelated BR nanoparticles as a probe for photoacoustic images. They found that considerable photoacoustic activity was shown when it was exposed to near infrared light. In fact, the photoacoustic signal was increased significantly in tumors of animals with colorectal cancer when the nanoparticles were administered to it intravenously. The team expects a more accurate diagnosis of tumors through this technology.
Moreover, the team assessed the photothermal effects of cisplatin-chelated BR nanoparticles. The research showed that the temperature of tumors increased by 25 degrees Celsius within five minutes when they were exposed to near infrared light, due to the photothermal effect. After two weeks, their size was reduced compared to that of other groups, and sometimes the tumors were even necrotized.
Professor Jon said, “Existing substances have a low biocompatibility and limitation for clinical therapy because they are artificially oriented; therefore, they might have toxicity. I am hoping that these cisplatin-chelated BR-based nanoparticles will provide a new platform for preclinical, translational research and clinical adaptation of the photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy.”
The paper (Dong Yun Lee as a first author) was published online in the renowned journal in the field of applied chemistry, Angewandte Chemi International Edition, on September 4. This research was sponsored by the National Research Foundation of Korea.
(Schematic diagram of the research)
(From left: Bilirubin nanoparticles, cisplatin-chelated Bilirubin nanoparticles)
2017.09.26 View 9025 -
Unlocking the Keys to Parkinson's Disease
A KAIST research team has identified a new mechanism that causes the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, namely tremors, rigidity, and loss of voluntary movement.
The discovery, made in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, presents a new perspective to three decades of conventional wisdom in Parkinson’s disease research. It also opens up new avenues that can help alleviate the motor problems suffered by patients of the disease, which reportedly number more than 10 million worldwide. The research was published in Neuron on August 30.
The research team was led by Professor Daesoo Kim from the Department of Biological Sciences at KAIST and Professor George Augustine from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at NTU. Dr. Jeongjin Kim, a former postdoctoral fellow at KAIST who now works at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is the lead author.
It is known that Parkinson’s disease is caused by a lack of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that transmits neural signals. However, it remains unknown how the disease causes the motor
Smooth, voluntary movements, such as reaching for a cup of coffee, are controlled by the basal ganglia, which issue instructions via neurons (nerve cells that process and transmit information in the brain) in the thalamus to the cortex. These instructions come in two types: one that triggers a response (excitatory signals) and the other that suppresses a response (inhibitory signals). Proper balance between the two controls movement.
A low level of dopamine causes the basal ganglia to severely inhibit target neurons in the thalamus, called an inhibition. Scientists have long assumed that this stronger inhibition causes the motor problems of Parkinson’s disease patients.
To test this assumption, the research team used optogenetic technology in an animal model to study the effects of this increased inhibition of the thalamus and ultimately movement. Optogenetics is the use of light to control the activity of specific types of neurons within the brain.
They found that when signals from the basal ganglia are more strongly activated by light, the target neurons in the thalamus paradoxically became hyperactive. Called rebound excitation, this hyperactivity produced abnormal muscular stiffness and tremor. Such motor problems are very similar to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease patients. When this hyperactivity of thalamic neurons is suppressed by light, mice show normal movments without Parkinson’s disease symptoms. Reducing the levels of activity back to normal caused the motor symptoms to stop, proving that the hyperactivity caused the motor problems experienced by Parkinson’s disease patients.
Professor Kim at KAIST said, “This study overturns three decades of consensus on the provenance of Parkinsonian symptoms.” The lead author, Dr Jeongjin Kim said, “The therapeutic implications of this study for the treatment of Parkinsonian symptoms are profound. It may soon become possible to remedy movement disorders without using L-DOPA, a pre-cursor to dopamine.”
Professor Augustine at NTU added, “Our findings are a breakthrough, both for understanding how the brain normally controls the movement of our body and how this control goes awry during Parkinson’s disease and related dopamine-deficiency disorders.”
The study took five years to complete, and includes researchers from the Department of Bio & Brain Engineering at KAIST.
The research team will move forward by investigating how hyperactivity in neurons in the thalamus leads to abnormal movement, as well as developing therapeutic strategies for the disease by targeting this neural mechanism.
Figure abstract: Inhibitory inputs from the basal ganglia inhibit thalamic neurons (upper). In low-dopamine states, like PD, rebound firing follows inhibition and causes movement disorders (middle). The inhibition of rebound firing alleviates PD-like symptoms in a mouse model of PD.
2017.09.22 View 10621 -
Semiconductor Patterning of Seven Nanometers Technology Using a Camera Flash
A research team led by Professor Sang Ouk Kim in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST has developed semiconductor manufacturing technology using a camera flash.
This technology can manufacture ultra-fine patterns over a large area by irradiating a single flash with a seven-nanometer patterning technique for semiconductors. It can facilitate the manufacturing of highly efficient, integrated semiconductor devices in the future.
Technology for the Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoTs), and big data, which are the major keys for the fourth Industrial Revolution, require high-capacity, high-performance semiconductor devices. It is necessary to develop lithography technology to produce such next-generation, highly integrated semiconductor devices.
Although related industries have been using conventional photolithography for small patterns, this technique has limitations for forming a pattern of sub-10 nm patterns.
Molecular assembly patterning technology using polymers has been in the spotlight as the next generation technology to replace photolithography because it is inexpensive to produce and can easily form sub-10 nm patterns. However, since it generally takes a long time for heat treatment at high-temperature or toxic solvent vapor treatment, mass production is difficult and thus its commercialization has been limited.
The research team introduced a camera flash that instantly emits strong light to solve the issues of polymer molecular assembly patterning. Using a flash can possibly achieve a semiconductor patterning of seven nanometers within 15 milliseconds (1 millisecond = 1/1,000 second), which can generate a temperature of several hundred degrees Celsius in several tens of milliseconds.
The team has demonstrated that applying this technology to polymer molecular assembly allows a single flash of light to form molecular assembly patterns.
The team also identified its compatibility with polymer flexible substrates, which are impossible to process at high temperatures. Through these findings, the technology can be applied to the fabrication of next-generation, flexible semiconductors.
The researchers said the camera flash photo-thermal process will be introduced into molecular assembly technology and this highly-efficiency technology can accelerate the realization of molecular assembly semiconductor technology.
Professor Kim, who led the research, said, “Despite its potential, molecular assembly semiconductor technology has remained a big challenge in improving process efficiency.” “This technology will be a breakthrough for the practical use of molecular assembly-based semiconductors.”
The paper was published in the international journal, Advanced Materials on August 21 with first authors, researcher Hyeong Min Jin and PhD candidate Dae Yong Park.
The research, sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT, was co-led Professor by Keon Jae Lee in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST, and Professor Kwang Ho Kim in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Pusan National University.
(1. Formation of semiconductor patterns using a camera flash)
(Schematic diagram of molecular assembly pattern using a camera flash)
(Self-assembled patterns)
2017.09.18 View 11439 -
Humicotta Wins the Silver Prize at the 2017 IDEA
The 3D-printed ceramic humidifier made by the research team led by Professor Sang-Min Bae won the silver prize at the 2017 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). Professor Bae’s ID+IM team was also listed as winners of three more appropriate technology designs at the IDEA. The awards, sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America, are one of the three prestigious design awards including the Red Dot Design Award and the iF Design Award in Germany.
The silver prize winner in the category of home and bath, Humicotta is an energy-efficient, bacteria free, and easy to clean humidifier. It includes a base module and filter. The base is a cylindrical pedestal with a built-in fan on which the filter is placed. The filter is a 3D-printed honeycomb structure made of diatomite. When water is added, the honeycomb structure and porous terracotta maximize natural humidification. It also offers an open platform service that customizes the filters or provides files that users can use their own 3D printer.
Professor Bae’s team has worked on philanthropy design using appropriate technology as their main topic for years. Their designs have been recognized at prestigious global design awards events, winning more than 50 prizes with innovative designs made for addressing various global and social problems.
The Light Funnel is a novel type of lighting device designed for off-grid areas of Africa. It helps to maximize the natural light effect in the daytime without any drastic home renovations. It consists of a transparent acrylic sphere and a reflective pathway. After filling the acrylic sphere with water and placing it on a rooftop, sunlight passes into the house through the water inside the sphere. It provides a lighted environment nine times brighter than without it. Also, once installed, it can be used almost permanently.
The Maasai Smart Cane is made using wood sticks purchased through fair trade with the Maasai tribe. GPS is installed into the grip of the birch-tree cane, so that cane users can send a signal when in an emergency situation. All of the proceeds of this product go to the tribe.
S.Cone is a first aid kit made in collaboration with Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance. The traffic cone-shaped kit is designed to help users handle an emergency situation intact and safe. The S.Cone has unique versions for fires, car accidents, and marine accidents. For example, the S.Cone for fires is equipped with a small fire extinguisher, smoke mask, and fire blanket. The cap of the S.Cone also functions as an IoT station connecting the fire and gas detector with smart phones.
Professor Bae said of his team’s winning design products, “By making the data public, any person can design their own humidifier if they have access to a 3D-printer. We want it to be a very accessible product for the public. The Light Funnel and Maasai Smart Cane are designed for economically-marginalized populations and the elderly. We will continue to make the best designed products serving the marginalized 90% of the population around the world.”
2017.09.14 View 26477 -
KAIST AI Academy for LG CNS Employees
The Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering (Graduate School of Knowledge Service Engineering) at KAIST has collaborated with LG CNS to start a full-fledged KAIST AI Academy course after the two-week pilot course for employees of LG CNS, a Korean company specializing in IT services.
Approximately 100 employees participated in the first KAIST AI Academy course held over two weeks from August 24 to September 1. LG CNS is planning to enroll a total of 500 employees in this course by the end of the year.
Artificial intelligence is widely recognized as essential technology in various industries. In that sense, the KAIST AI Academy course was established to reinforce both the AI technology and the business ability of the company. In addition, it aims at leading employees to develop new business using novel technologies. The main contents of this course are as follows: i) discussing AI technology development and its influence on industries; ii) understanding AI technologies and acquiring the major technologies applicable to business; and iii) introducing cases of AI applications and deep learning.
During the course, seven professors with expertise in AI deep learning from the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering (Graduate School of Knowledge Service Engineering), including Jae-Gil Lee and Jinkyoo Park will be leading the class, including practical on-site educational programs.
Based on the accumulated business experience integrated with the latest AI technology, LG CNS has been making an effort to find new business opportunities to support companies that are hoping to make digital innovations.
The company aims to reinforce the AI capabilities of its employees and is planning to upgrade the course in a sustainable manner. It will also foster outside manpower by expanding the AI education to its clients who pursue manufacturing reinforcement and innovation in digital marketing.
Seong Wook Lee, the Director of the AI and Big Data Business Unit said, “As AI plays an important role in business services, LG CNS decided to open the KAIST AI Academy course to deliver better value to our clients by incorporating our AI-based business cases and KAIST’s up-to-date knowledge.”
2017.09.06 View 7546 -
Discovery of an Optimal Drug Combination: Overcoming Resistance to Targeted Drugs for Liver Cancer
A KAIST research team presented a novel method for improving medication treatment for liver cancer using Systems Biology, combining research from information technology and the life sciences. Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST conducted the research in collaboration with Professor Jung-Hwan Yoon in the Department of Internal Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital. This research was published in Hepatology in September 2017 (available online from August 24, 2017).
Liver cancer is the fifth and seventh most common cancer found in men and women throughout the world, which places it second in the cause of cancer deaths. In particular, Korea has 28.4 deaths from liver cancer per 100,000 persons, the highest death rate among OECD countries and twice that of Japan.
Each year in Korea, 16,000 people get liver cancer on average, yet the five-year survival rate stands below 12%. According to the National Cancer Information Center, lung cancer (17,399) took the highest portion of cancer-related deaths, followed by liver cancer (11,311) based on last year data.
Liver cancer is known to carry the highest social cost in comparison to other cancers and it causes the highest fatality in earlier age groups (40s-50s). In that sense, it is necessary to develop a new treatment that mitigates side effects yet elevates the survival rate.
There are ways in which liver cancer can be cured, such as surgery, embolization, and medication treatments; however, the options become limited for curing progressive cancer, a stage in which surgical methods cannot be executed.
Among anticancer medications, Sorafenib, a drug known for enhancing the survival rate of cancer patients, is a unique drug allowed for use as a targeted anticancer medication for progressive liver cancer patients. Its sales reached more than ten billion KRW annually in Korea, but its efficacy works on only about 20% of the treated patients. Also, acquired resistance to Sorafenib is emerging. Additionally, the action mechanism and resistance mechanism of Sorafenib is only vaguely identified.Although Sorafenib only extends the survival rate of terminal cancer patients less than three months on average, it is widely being used because drugs developed by global pharmaceutical companies failed to outperform its effectiveness.
Professor Cho’s research team analyzed the expression changes of genes in cell lines in response to Sorafenib in order to identify the effect and the resistance mechanism of Sorafenib.
As a result, the team discovered the resistance mechanism of Sorafenib using Systems Biology analysis. By combining computer simulations and biological experiments, it was revealed that protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) plays a crucial role in the resistance mechanism of Sorafenib and that its efficacy can be improved significantly by blocking PDI.
The research team used mice in the experiment and discovered the synergic effect of PDI inhibition with Sorafenib for reducing liver cancer cells, known as hepatocellular carcinoma. Also, more PDIs are shown in tissue from patients who possess a resistance to Sorafenib. From these findings, the team could identify the possibility of its clinical applications. The team also confirmed these findings from clinical data through a retrospective cohort study.
“Molecules that play an important role in cell lines are mostly put under complex regulation. For this reason, the existing biological research has a fundamental limitations for discovering its underlying principles,” Professor Cho said. “This research is a representative case of overcoming this limitation of traditional life science research by using a Systems Biology approach, combining IT and life science. It suggests the possibility of developing a new method that overcomes drug resistance with a network analysis of the targeted drug action mechanism of cancer.”
The research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
(Figure 1. Simulation results from cellular experiments using hepatocellular carcinoma)
(Figure 2. Network analysis and computer simulation by using the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress network)
(Figure 3. ER stress network model)
2017.08.30 View 11989 -
2017 KAIST Tech Fair to Showcase Ten Cutting-Edge Technologies
KAIST will showcase the ten most cutting-edge technologies developed by KAIST faculty and researchers at the 2017 KAIST Tech Fair. The fair will be held on September 12 at the COEX in Seoul. The fair will bring companies, venture capitalists, and tech consultants from around the country to learn about the most commercially potential technology from KAIST.
The ten technologies, all already patented, will be highly relevant for the new industrial trends summed up by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. They include the fields of ICT, unmanned transportation, AI, robotics, IoT, nano, and big data.
The Technology Evaluation Committee, comprised of the heads of the departments at KAIST, patent lawyers, and venture capitalists, selected the ten technologies based on their applicability, innovativeness, and marketability. The selectees will be provided with various commercialization support and services including the manufacturing of prototypes, marketing consultation at home and abroad, as well as handling IPR issues, among others.
KAIST will hold an information session as well as consultations for successful technology commercialization as one of the innovative plans proposed by the KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin. This session will invite 200 entrepreneurs who are interested in the selected technologies.
Associate Vice President of University-Industry Cooperation Kyung Cheol Choi said, “Starting with the selection of 2017 top ten crucial technologies, KAIST will continue supporting technology marketing as well as its successful transfer. KAIST will make effort to carry out university-industry cooperation and find core patent technologies and project ideas in order to stimulate technology commercialization.”
The list of the ten critical patent technologies selected by KAIST is as follows:
▶ Catalyst-Decorated Nanofiber Sensor for Health Monitoring
By Professor Il-Doo Kim (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
Human breath carries diverse components of diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and halitosis. Thus, it is possible to analyze exhaled breath very rapidly with a simple analyzing process and it can detect trace changes in exhaled breath components, which trigger diseases.
The research team developed highly sensitive and selective chemical gas sensors that can detect specific disease, using protein-encapsulated nanocatalysts. They can diagnose certain diseases by analyzing human exhaled breath. This technology enables the early monitoring of various diseases through pattern recognition of biomarker gases associated with the diseases in human exhalation.
The established sensing libraries can detect biomarker species with high sensitivity and selectivity. The team hopes that the new and innovative breath gas analysis platform will be very helpful for reducing medical expenditures and the continuous monitoring of physical conditions.
# Detection of environmental toxic gases, monitoring of body health condition
Figure (a) Mobile device integrated with nanofiber based MEMS sensorsFigure (b) Exhaled breath pattern recognition: principle component analysis for the accurate detection of acetone, hydrogen sulfide, and toluene gases
▶ Technology for a Cancer Cure Using Big Data and Simulating Biological Network By Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho (Department of Bio and Brain Engineering)
The complex and heterogeneous nature of cancer, which results in highly variable drug responses, is a major obstacle in curing cancer. Previous methods to predict drug responses mostly focus on the static analysis of genome-wide alternations, resulting in a limitation for the understanding of cancer heterogeneity and its variable responses.
The research team used a method to integrate cancer genomics data with the dynamics of biological networks for drug response prediction and to design of effective drug combination. It provides a computational framework for evaluating drug efficacies and synergistic effects by combining the attractor landscape analysis of a biological network with the genomic alteration profiles of cancer cells.
This technology can reduce the cost of drug development by predicting drug responses and help selecting more effective new drug targets in consideration of the overall cellular response landscape. It can also provide comprehensive insight into the mechanistic origin of variable drug responses. The patent technology can be applicable to designing more effective and cancer-specific combination therapies.
# Development of targeted anticancer drugs, genetic testing
Figure (a) The computational prediction of drug responses using attractor landscape analysis of network dynamics
▶ Highly Stretchable, Wearable Strain SensorBy Professor O Ok Park (Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Conventional materials for strain sensor are metals or semiconductors, but these materials show a limited range of strain. To improve the stretchability of conventional materials, several projects have been done using novel materials with a high aspect ratio; nevertheless, these projects encountered problems, including complex and expensive processes, poor scalable features, and low controllability of the sensitivity in the manufacturing step.
The research team used a layer-by-layer assembly technique to control the sensitivity of the sensor in a facile and inexpensive method. By using stretchable yarn as a substrate, the graphene strain sensor gained more stretchability.
Through the newly-patented technology, the graphene strain sensor can be fabricated using an all-solution process; therefore, the sensitivity of the sensor can be easily controlled with a repetitive cycle of the coating process. The size of this sensor can be controlled as well, because it depends only on the size of coated substrate.
# Wearable strain sensor, planar strain sensor
Figure (a) Nylon-covered rubber yarn showing linear relationship between the applied strain load and its resistance change
Figure (b) Wool yarn showing an inverse relation of resistance with the applied strain load
▶ Chip & Flash Memory Data Security DeviceBy Professor Yang-Kyu Choi (School of Electrical Engineering)
Using software-based security methods can lead to having problems related to the backtracking of a security function through reverse engineering, the replication of an input value, and the forgery and modification of software. These problems should not be neglected, especially as people are increasingly recognizing the importance of personal information.
To meet the growing demands for new security methods for constructing a more perfect security system, the research team developed a hardware-based security device as well as methods for a higher level of security in the era of IoTs. The principles of the technologies are based on nanotechnology, such as mechanical deformation in a nanowire, electrical degradation in a field-effect transistor (FET), and thermal data erasing stored in the charge trap layer in flash memory. Hence, the security states are extremely safe, compared with software-based security methods and cannot be reverse-engineered by unauthorized users.
This patented technology can be used to improve the security level of logic circuits and flash memory against unauthorized users.
# Financial businesses, the defense industry, private electronics including smartphones, tablets and PCs, electronics for missions in extreme environments
Figure (a) Application for a high level of security in a logic circuit
▶ A Bio-Healthcare Device for Neuroimaging
By Professor Hyeonmin Bae (School of Electrical Engineering)There are no portable brain imaging devices and, as a result, brain diseases are often diagnosed after irreversible symptoms appeared. This can also be linked to an increase in social expenditures as a society ages.
A near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging device for functional brain imaging, NIRSIT, utilizes light to detect hemodynamic changes in cerebral blood flow and visualizes brain activation regions in the prefrontal area of the brain in real time.
Unlike any other existing brain imaging devices (i.e. fMRI and conventional fNIRS), NIRSIT has improved its spatial resolution while maintaining complete portability.
Furthermore, NIRSIT is probably the one and only portable and wireless NIRS device, designed to be used for brain research and clinical purposes. A software application allows the raw data extracted from the hemodynamic changes in the brain to be shown in real time on a tablet wirelessly connected to NIRSIT.
Thanks to its easy-to-use features and user-friendly design, both in hardware and in software, NIRSIT will surely set a new paradigm in the brain research and healthcare fields.
# Concussion analysis, wearable stroke monitoring, CPR monitoring, Alzheimer’s disease, neuro rehabilitation, determination of brain death
Figure (a) Image of NIRSIT, Figure (b) Neuroimaging using NIRSIT
▶ Technology for Virtual Creatures with Digitally-Emotional DNA of UsersBy Professor Jong-Hwan Kim (School of Electrical Engineering)
Currently, a large number of IT companies around the world are trying to develop a system that can offer active and emotional services and the interface method is one of the most important issues.
Although most of the existing software agents are equipped with virtual faces and voices, they do not possess a personality similar to humans. Having various personalities, like human beings, can be a charming point for users, which then leads them to have higher satisfaction with the product.
Dr. Kim’s research team developed Darwin C (Digital Agent Reconstruction with Intelligence and Natural Character), a digital agent software that provides an optimized emotional service based on personal big data, such as the user’s conversations, locations, photos, music, etc., collected from smart devices.
With this technology, the digital DNAs of a user (i.e. appearance, voice, and personality DNA) is extracted from personal data stored on various smart devices. Based on the extracted digital DNA, a 3-D software agent can be formed in a smartphone, which characterizes an individual that the user hopes to meet, such as parents, spouse, grandchild, or a celebrity.
The software agents will be expanded from Android devices to home appliances. The team expected that this technology can help customers who want to understand more about a friend or form and maintain interpersonal relations.
# Entertainment, hardware robots for education, healthcare curing depression and loneliness
Figure (a) Overview of the DarwinC technology, Figure (b) Structure of digital DNA
▶ Laser-Integrated Precision Metrological System Technology for Smart Factories By Professor Seung-woo Kim (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
In optical distance metrology, the time-of-flight method of using light pulses permits measuring distances over extensive ranges. However, the measurement precision reaches just a few tens of millimeters at most, mainly because the responsivity of the photodetectors available today is limited to the picosecond range. In addition, one device can measure only one target. For these reasons, a novel technology was devised to overcome the traditional limits of time-of-flight measurement.
This patented technology uses a highly precise, laser-integrated distance measurement system for diagnosing large machines and smart factories. This technology was devised to handle the status (e.g. position, 3-D coordinate, and thermal deformation) of multiple targets simultaneously. It is called the multi-target distance meter (MDM) and was constructed by combining a nonlinear optical crystal with a pair of femtosecond lasers.
This technology is able to measure the distances to multiple targets with a single piece of equipment, and it can easily extend the number of targets by just adding beam-splitting devices. Not only does the technology help by reducing cost and complexity, it also enables real-time quality control in the manufacturing industry.
# Real-time on-axis position inspection of a multiple-lens assembly, long-term thermal displacement monitoring of a large, precise machine, 3-D motion control of a mobile vehicle
Figure (a) Conceptual image of smart factory monitoring using laser-integrated precision metrological system technology
▶ SLAM Technology for Autonomous Robot Navigation in a Dynamic Indoor/Outdoor EnvironmentBy Professor Hyun Myung (Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering)
Dr. Myung’s research team developed SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology for autonomous robot navigation in dynamic indoor/outdoor environments. Two methods were applied to this technology: a hierarchical graph structure-based 3-D high resolution map building method using a low-cost 2D laser scanner and a magnetic field-based localization method for feature-poor environments.
Existing technology required expensive sensors for outdoor environment. The localization and mapping technique were also not very accurate, especially in dynamic environments. The team wanted to provide robust SLAM in low and high dynamic object environments using the fusion of low-cost sensors, such as magnetics, 2-D LiDAR, and camera sensors.
Through this technology, the accuracy of localization and mapping could be increased to within 10cm, using low-cost sensors. Also, it facilitates localization and mapping even in feature-poor environments.
# Autonomous robot navigation in warehouses, autonomous navigation of self-driving cars, autonomous navigation of AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) in smart factories
Figure (a) Built outdoor 3-D mappring using a mobile robot with tilted 2-D LiDAR sensor, Figure (b) Mobile robot system for GPS-less mappring
▶ Technology for Optimizing 5G Beamforming ICBy Songcheol Hong (School of Electrical Engineering)
Dr. Hong’s team introduced a new structure for low-power, subminiature, and highly-linear beamforming IC technology. The patent used in this technology reduced the chip size and the direct current (DC) power dissipations drastically, allowing it to make mmWave beamforming antennas.
Beam-forming technology has emerged as an important area in the field of 5G communications and radar systems. It facilitates communication and signal detection with very low RF power.
The patents can be applied to 5G communication beam-forming ICs and antenna modules in mobile terminals, base stations and terminals in the automotive field. Moreover, they can be used in various mmWave radar systems for automobiles, drones, human computer interfaces, and indoor positioning.
# 5G V2X, IoTs, virtual reality
Figure (a) Active phased array system
▶ Beam Division Multiple Access TechnologyBy Professor Dong Ho Cho (School of Electrical Engineering)
Using a 5G network, a communication infrastructure for supporting high-speed, real-time services requires new technologies that enable 4x4 MIMO transmissions within beam-based wireless systems in a new frequency band and improves spectral efficiency more than ten times compared to LTE in domestic and overseas mobile communication carriers and related industries.
P2BDMA, a pattern or polarization beam division multiple access technology, is a core technology for addressing this demand for 5G networks as it enables 4x4 MIMO transmissions in mmWave frequency bands by utilizing the pattern polarization characteristic of radio waves.
The research team upgraded BDMA technology in which the same frequency resource is reused in more than two spaces by using beamforming. This technology increases the degree of freedom (DOF) of wireless communication channels, and thereby improves the achievable data transmission rate by employing multiple pattern/polarization antennas in the conventional BDMA system. The P2BDMA technique has the advantage of eliminating the frequency shortage problem and increasing the transmission speed while using the wide frequency band in a more efficient manner.
The team expects that this technology will alleviate the frequency shortage problem and CAPEX/OPEX of domestic mobile telecommunication companies, support an increase in sales for related equipment makers to make it internationally competitive, and further play a central role in providing high-speed transmission rates to a large number of IoT devices in the future IoT era.
# Autonomous vehicle, communication infrastructure, mobile access system
Figure (a) Concept of P2BDMA technology
2017.08.30 View 15967 -
Professor Dan Keun Sung Endows Scholarship in Honor of His Retirement
Professor Dan Keun Sung in the School of Electrical Engineering contributed a 100 million KRW scholarship fund this month to KAIST to mark his retirement after more than three decades of work.
“As my retirement date comes closer, I have been thinking about what I could do for the school. I wanted to leave something behind, even though it’s small, for my lifelong school and students. I am hoping that this scholarship fund will benefit the members of KAIST.”
This isn’t his first time making a donation to KAIST. In 2013, Professor Sung donated ten million KRW, which was his cash prize from the 9th Haedong Academic Award of The Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS). At that time, Professor Sung had the chance to create a scholarship fund in his name; however, he wanted to highlight that the scholarship fund was for ‘someone,’ not created by ‘someone.’ In that sense, his scholarship fund was created with no name to benefit students in the School of Electrical Engineering. His colleagues and students supported his idea. Professor Seonghwan Cho, students, and alumni also participated in fund raising efforts, which reached 55 million KRW in total.
Professor Sung emphasized, “Donations should always be remembered, no matter how small they are.” He then explained his purpose for creating the scholarship fund by saying, “Fundraising can be truly meaningful to contributors, knowing that their money is going to supporting the school and students.”
Professor Sung, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Communication Society, started his post at KAIST in 1986. For the past 30 years, he has devoted himself to fostering young scholars and studying in the area of information and communication. He also participated in developing technologies for the resource management of various future cellular components, such as satellites, switchboards, and signaling networks.
2017.08.11 View 9430 -
Material-Independent Nanocoating Antimicrobial Spray Significantly Extends the Shelf Life of Produce
The edible coating on produce has drawn a great deal of attention in the food and agricultural industry. It could not only prolong postharvest shelf life of produce against external changes in the environment but also provide additional nutrients to be useful for human health. However, most versions of the coating have had intrinsic limitations in their practical application. First, highly specific interactions between coating materials and target surfaces are required for a stable and durable coating. Even further, the coating of bulk substrates, such as fruits, is time consuming or is not achievable in the conventional solution-based coating. In this respect, material-independent and rapid coating strategies are highly demanded.
The research team led by Professor Insung Choi of the Department of Chemistry developed a sprayable nanocoating technique using plant-derived polyphenol that can be applied to any surface. This new nanocoating process can be completed in seconds to form nanometer-thick films, allowing for the coating of commodity goods, such as shoe insoles and fruits, in a controlled fashion. For example, spray-coated mandarin oranges and strawberries show significantly-prolonged postharvest shelf life, suggesting the practical potential in edible coatings of perishable produce.
The technology has been patented and is currently being commercialized for widespread use as a means of preserving produce. The research results have recently been published in Scientific Reports on Aug 1.
Polyphenols, a metabolite of photosynthesis, possess several hydroxyl groups and are found in a large number of plants showing excellent antioxidant properties. They have been widely used as a nontoxic food additive and are known to exhibit antibacterial, as well as potential anti-carcinogenic capabilities. Polyphenols can also be used with iron ions, which are naturally found in the body, to form an adhesive complex, which has been used in leather tanning, ink, etc.
The research team combined these chemical properties of polyphenol-iron complexes with spray techniques to develop their nanocoating technology. Compared to conventional immersion coating methods, which dip substrates in specialized coating solutions, this spray technique can coat the select areas more quickly. The spray also prevents cross contamination, which is a big concern for immersion methods. The research team has showcased the spray’s ability to coat a variety of different materials, including metals, plastics, glass, as well as textile fabrics. The polyphenol complex has been used to form antifogging films on corrective lenses, as well as antifungal treatments for shoe soles, demonstrating the versatility of their technique.
Furthermore, the spray has been used to coat produce with a naturally antibacterial, edible film. The coatings significantly improved the shelf life of tangerines and strawberries, preserving freshness beyond 28 days and 58 hours, respectively. (Uncoated fruit decomposed and became moldy under the same conditions). See the image below.
a –I, II: Uncoated and coated tangerines incubated for 14 and 28 days in daily-life settings
b –I: Uncoated and coated strawberries incubated for 58 hours in daily-life settings
b –II: Statistical investigation of the resulting edibility.
Professor Choi said, “Nanocoating technologies are still in their infancy, but they have untapped potential for exciting applications. As we have shown, nanocoatings can be easily adapted for several different uses, and the creative combination of existing nanomaterials and coating methods can synergize to unlock this potential.”
2017.08.10 View 9455 -
Multi-Device Mobile Platform for App Functionality Sharing
Case 1. Mr. Kim, an employee, logged on to his SNS account using a tablet PC at the airport while traveling overseas. However, a malicious virus was installed on the tablet PC and some photos posted on his SNS were deleted by someone else.
Case 2. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are busy contacting credit card and game companies, because his son, who likes games, purchased a million dollars worth of game items using his smartphone.
Case 3. Mr. Park, who enjoys games, bought a sensor-based racing game through his tablet PC. However, he could not enjoy the racing game on his tablet because it was not comfortable to tilt the device for game control.
The above cases are some of the various problems that can arise in modern society where diverse smart devices, including smartphones, exist. Recently, new technology has been developed to easily solve these problems. Professor Insik Shin from the School of Computing has developed ‘Mobile Plus,’ which is a mobile platform that can share the functionalities of applications between smart devices.
This is a novel technology that allows applications to easily share their functionalities without needing any modifications. Smartphone users often use Facebook to log in to another SNS account like Instagram, or use a gallery app to post some photos on their SNS. These examples are possible, because the applications share their login and photo management functionalities.
The functionality sharing enables users to utilize smartphones in various and convenient ways and allows app developers to easily create applications. However, current mobile platforms such as Android or iOS only support functionality sharing within a single mobile device. It is burdensome for both developers and users to share functionalities across devices because developers would need to create more complex applications and users would need to install the applications on each device.
To address this problem, Professor Shin’s research team developed platform technology to support functionality sharing between devices. The main concept is using virtualization to give the illusion that the applications running on separate devices are on a single device. They succeeded in this virtualization by extending a RPC (Remote Procedure Call) scheme to multi-device environments.
This virtualization technology enables the existing applications to share their functionalities without needing any modifications, regardless of the type of applications. So users can now use them without additional purchases or updates. Mobile Plus can support hardware functionalities like cameras, microphones, and GPS as well as application functionalities such as logins, payments, and photo sharing. Its greatest advantage is its wide range of possible applications.
Professor Shin said, "Mobile Plus is expected to have great synergy with smart home and smart car technologies. It can provide novel user experiences (UXs) so that users can easily utilize various applications of smart home/vehicle infotainment systems by using a smartphone as their hub."
This research was published at ACM MobiSys, an international conference on mobile computing that was hosted in the United States on June 21.
Figure1. Users can securely log on to SNS accounts by using their personal devices
Figure 2. Parents can control impulse shopping of their children.
Figure 3. Users can enjoy games more and more by using the smartphone as a controller.
2017.08.09 View 10054 -
Students from Science Academies Shed a Light on KAIST
Recent KAIST statistics show that graduates from science academies distinguish themselves not only by their academic performance at KAIST but also in various professional careers after graduation.
Every year, approximately 20% of newly-enrolled students of KAIST are from science academies. In the case of the class of 2017, 170 students from science academies accounted for 22% of the newly-enrolled students. Moreover, they are forming a top-tier student group on campus. As shown in the table below, the ratio of students graduating early for either enrolling in graduate programs or landing a job indicates their excellent performance at KAIST.
There are eight science academies in Korea: Korea Science Academy of KAIST located in Busan, Seoul Science High School, Gyeonggi Science High School, Gwangju Science High School, Daejeon Science High School, Sejong Academy of Science and Arts, and Incheon Arts and Sciences Academy.
Recently, KAIST analyzed 532 university graduates from the class of 2012. It was found that 23 out of 63 graduates with the alma mater of science academies finished their degree early; as a result, the early graduation ratio of the class of 2012 stood at 36.5%. This percentage was significantly higher than that of students from other high schools.
Among the notable graduates, there was a student who made headlines with donation of 30 million KRW to KAIST. His donation was the largest donation from an enrolled student on record. His story goes back when Android smartphones were about to be distributed. Seung-Gyu Oh, then a student in the School of Electrical Engineering felt that existing subway apps were inconvenient, so he invented his own subway app that navigated the nearest subway lines in 2015. His app hit the market and ranked second in the subway app category. It had approximately five million users, which led to it generating advertising revenue. After the successful launch of the app, Oh accepted the takeover offered by Daum Kakao. He then donated 30 million KRW to his alma mater. “Since high school, I’ve always been thinking that I have received many benefits from my country and felt heavily responsible for it,” the alumnus of Korea Science of Academy and KAIST said. “I decided to make a donation to my alma mater, KAIST because I wanted to return what I had received from my country.” After graduation, Oh is now working for the web firm, Daum Kakao.
In May 24, 2017, the 41st International Collegiate Programming Contest, hosted by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and sponsored by IBM, was held in Rapid City, South Dakota in the US. It is a prestigious contest that has been held annually since 1977. College students from around the world participate in this contest; and in 2017, a total of 50,000 students from 2,900 universities in 104 countries participated in regional competitions, and approximately 400 students made it to the final round, entering into a fierce competition. KAIST students also participated in this contest. The team was comprised of Ji-Hoon Ko, Jong-Won Lee, and Han-Pil Kang from the School of Computing. They are also alumni of Gyeonggi Science High School. They received the ‘First Problem Solver’ award and a bronze medal which came with a 3,000 USD cash prize.
Sung-Jin Oh, who also graduated from Korea Science Academy of KAIST, is a research professor at the Korea Institute of Advanced Study (KIAS). He is the youngest recipient of the ‘Young Scientist Award’, which he received by proving a hypothesis from Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity mathematically at the age of 27. After graduating from KAIST, Oh earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from Princeton University, completed his post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, and is now immersing himself in research at KIAS.
Heui-Kwang Noh from the Department of Chemistry and Kang-Min Ahn from the School of Computing, who were selected to receive the presidential scholarship for science in 2014, both graduated from Gyeonggi Science High School. Noh was recognized for his outstanding academic capacity and was also chosen for the ‘GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program’ in 2015. The ‘GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program’, established in 1992 by the GE Foundation, aims at fostering talented students. This program is for post-secondary students who have both creativity and leadership. It selects five outstanding students and provides 3 million KRW per annum for a maximum of three years.
The grantees of this program have become influential people in various fields, including professors, executives, staff members of national/international firms, and researchers. And they are making a huge contribution to the development of engineering and science. Noh continues doing various activities, including the completion of his internship at ‘Harvard-MIT Biomedical Optics’ and the publication of a paper (3rd author) for the ACS Omega of American Chemical Society (ACS).
Ahn, a member of the Young Engineers Honor Society (YEHS) of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, had an interest in startup businesses. In 2015, he founded DataStorm, a firm specializing in developing data solution, and merged with a cloud back-office, Jobis & Villains, in 2016. Ahn is continuing his business activities and this year he founded, and is successfully running, cocKorea.
“KAIST students whose alma mater are science academies form a top-tier group on campus and produce excellent performance,” said Associate Vice President for Admissions, Hayong Shin. “KAIST is making every effort to assist these students so that they can perform to the best of their ability.”
(Clockwise from top left: Seung-Gyu Oh, Sung-Jin Oh, Heui-Kwang Noh and Kang-Min Ahn)
2017.08.09 View 9334