This technology is a groundwater flow control and contamination prevention system that creates a hydraulic boundary between extraction wells, which draw in contaminated groundwater, and injection wells, which return the treated water to the subsurface, with a reactive barrier placed inside this boundary to treat contaminants.
Conventional reactive barriers require excavating long, narrow trenches, which poses a risk of ground collapse due to excessive excavation and limits the depth at which they can be used. Furthermore, their linear structure requires a large installation footprint and high initial construction costs, and they are difficult to modify if the primary contaminants change over time.
This technology arranges multiple extraction and injection wells in a staggered pattern perpendicular to the flow direction, with injection wells placed upstream to create a V-shaped hydraulic boundary that narrows toward the extraction wells, allowing the reactive barrier size to be optimized. It uses reactive wells with replaceable cartridge media, arranged in a staggered, sawtooth pattern. Two-stage purification is provided by internal filters in the extraction wells and upstream permeable reactive barriers. Applicable to industrial sites, mine tailings, landfills, and fuel storage areas, this system allows for the concentration of contaminated groundwater plumes by adjusting well spacing and flow rates, significantly reducing the number of wells and excavation required.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Environment for the development of reactive media for controlling the spread of inorganic contaminants and the development of construction/control technologies for contamination prevention facilities.
This technology is a modular girder system with variable cross-sections. It assembles composite girders spanning between roadside supports by combining prefabricated steel pipe upper and lower flanges with a web structure consisting of upper and lower members and a web plate.
I-beam and H-beam girders used for urban soundproof tunnel roofs are heavy, obstruct driver visibility, and have poor wind load resistance and ventilation. Furthermore, they require a uniform cross-section based on maximum member force, preventing section optimization, and are difficult to install between opposing supports.
This technology integrates the web structure by filling the space between the flanges and the web with grout. Adhesion is enhanced by protrusions on the inner surfaces of the upper/lower members and outer surfaces of the flanges. Fillets on the web reduce stress concentration at pipe joints, while ring stiffeners, threaded rods, and bolts reinforce the ends. Designers can select different pipe and web sizes for each section. Applicable to urban highway soundproof tunnels, elevated road noise barriers, and pedestrian decks, it uses standard KS steel pipes to reduce costs while allowing customized designs that increase cross-sections only where loads are high.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the development of a new lightweight soundproof tunnel structural system for four-lane roads.
This technology is a deformation compensation method for non-standard formwork where a program installed on an information processing device models the reference shape of a non-standard structure, calculates the deformation caused by concrete lateral pressure through finite element analysis, and generates a pre-compensated formwork shape.
3D-printed non-standard formwork, created by cutting and stacking EPS panels with hot wires or lasers, is lightweight and allows for rapid, precise fabrication. However, due to the low strength and elastic modulus of EPS, it deforms significantly under the lateral pressure of poured concrete. Since lateral pressure varies at each point depending on the distance from the central axis to the form liner interface, this often resulted in structures that deviated from the design drawings.
This technology calculates the lateral pressure deformation of a reference shape to determine a compensation value, applies lateral pressure to the compensated shape to obtain a corrected deformation shape and amount, and then determines the final compensation value using Equation (1), which assumes the error between the ratio of corrected deformation to the compensated shape and the ratio of reference deformation to the reference shape is near zero. As a result, the shape of the formwork after deformation by concrete lateral pressure matches the originally designed reference shape. It can be applied to non-standard landmark buildings like the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, cultural and exhibition facilities with curved envelopes, and double-curved concrete sculptures. By simulating the lateral pressure deformation of EPS formwork via finite element analysis before actual pouring, it is possible to obtain structures that closely match the design without the need for trial pours or formwork rework.
This technology involves high-thermal-storage interior wall panels and their manufacturing method, created by applying a silica gel thin-film coating via a sol-gel process to 0.8mm porous activated carbon fine aggregate impregnated with n-hexadecane phase change material (PCM), and then evenly dispersing this aggregate within lightweight foamed concrete.
With the building and construction sector accounting for approximately 30% of domestic energy emissions, residential energy-saving technologies have become urgent. However, while existing lightweight foamed concrete panels offer excellent insulation and lightweight properties, they lack the thermal storage function to store and release heat. Previous thermal storage materials, which absorb PCM into fibers or porous bodies, also faced issues with PCM leakage or loss during use, preventing long-term performance.
This technology involves impregnating 100 volume parts of PCM with 80 volume parts of activated carbon under vacuum for 2 hours, followed by solidification and coating with a silica gel thin film under conditions of pH 3–4 for the sol solution and pH 7–8 for gelation to seal the surface pores of the activated carbon. It stores 73.6 J/g of thermal energy during cooling and 71.16 J/g during heating. This aggregate is used to replace 20–60 wt% of fine aggregate and is mixed with quicklime, cement, anhydrous gypsum, and a foaming agent, then cast and cured in a mold containing reinforcing bars. Applicable to interior walls of apartment complexes, interior finishes for passive houses and zero-energy buildings, and lightweight partition walls in schools and offices, it stores daytime heat and releases it at night without damaging the independent cells of the foamed concrete, thereby reducing heating and cooling loads without additional equipment.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's research on safety and performance evaluation technology for nano-concrete.
This technology is a hybrid building-bridge structure where a bridge deck spanning over the ground is supported by cables attached to multiple buildings containing residential and office spaces, with the base of each building forming an arched tunnel for vehicle traffic. Cable cars are installed between the buildings, traveling along transport cables.
In traditional suspension or cable-stayed bridges, pylons serve little purpose other than reducing the bending moment of the girder, making them highly inefficient relative to their construction costs. As bridges grow longer, drivers spend more time in traffic and may wish to enjoy the scenery, but existing bridge structures lack the space to accommodate such amenities.
This technology utilizes two parallel transport cables for each direction, with a direction-changing mechanism—comprising variable, rotating, auxiliary, and U-shaped curved cables—symmetrically placed at gaps to redirect or maintain the cable cars. The cable cars are self-propelled by rollers and motors on the dual cables. Applicable to long-span urban river crossings, marine tourist bridges, and mixed-use bridge developments, it allows for the monetization of pylons as residential or observation spaces while providing auxiliary transit between buildings.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for the development of resource-saving, eco-friendly construction systems.
This technology is a safety tent featuring a flexible, zippered door. It includes a sensor unit inside the tent body to detect fire and gas. Upon detection, a motor in the drive unit pulls a cord to slide the zipper handle down, automatically opening the door.
While fire and carbon monoxide poisoning accidents frequently occur during winter camping due to heating or cooking inside tents, existing smart tent management systems only notify users via their mobile devices. These systems lack actual escape assistance, which is critical because exposure to toxic gases can cause dizziness, respiratory distress, or seizures, making it difficult for users to evacuate on their own.
This technology uses a first motor to wind a cord connected to the zipper handle around a pulley, while a second motor pulls a cord attached to the end of the zipper in the opposite direction. This keeps the zipper taut, ensuring the fabric door opens smoothly without snagging. The system includes a fire blanket stored above the door, a fire extinguisher with a light on the tent ceiling, and an exhaust fan on the body, all of which activate alongside the alarm. A control unit also sends wireless alerts to mobile devices. Suitable for winter camping tents, glamping sites, and emergency shelters, this system ensures that even users incapacitated by carbon monoxide can receive fresh air and escape through the opened entrance.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's LINC 3.0 project.
This technology is a buckling-restrained brace for building structures. It features a core member with flange-type connection brackets at both ends, double-encased by a hollow non-bonding member and a reinforcing member, with cantilever-type stiffener units welded into the seating grooves at both ends of the beam member.
Conventional braces suffer from buckling under extreme loads exceeding design seismic loads, leading to a sharp decline in stiffness and strength, unstable behavior, and reduced energy dissipation. Existing buckling-restrained braces designed to address this require concrete filling between the core and the casing, which significantly increases weight, delays construction due to a seven-day curing period, and prevents on-site size adjustments to accommodate tolerances in steel structures.
This technology maximizes the deformation-absorbing section by utilizing stiffener units composed of a panel-type fixing part secured to the seating groove, a bar-shaped support member extending at a lower height with a rounded or multi-faceted end, spacing grooves that create gaps between the support member and the beam, and longitudinal reinforcing protrusions. Synthetic resin elastic buffer pads inside the non-bonding member and elastic contact panel grooves on the beam member reduce friction and impact. Applicable to seismic retrofitting of mid-to-high-rise steel buildings, steel frames for factories and warehouses, and seismic remodeling of public buildings like schools, it allows for the immediate installation of lightweight braces without concrete filling or curing, while ensuring stable hysteretic behavior during large plastic deformations.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT through AI-based thermal imaging technology for building forensics.
This technology is a fire evacuation bumper handrail installed horizontally along corridor walls to support those with limited mobility and cushion wheelchair impacts. It integrates fire and toxic gas sensors for both directions, a directional indicator to light the way to safety, and an actuator to adjust the body height.
Existing emergency handrails that glow during power outages only illuminate the immediate area regardless of the fire's location, failing to indicate the safest evacuation route. Since toxic gas inhalation is the leading cause of fire-related deaths, evacuees often struggle to detect gas and may inadvertently follow lights directly into high-concentration gas zones.
This technology features alternating arrow-shaped light sources pointing left and right, using green, yellow, and red sequences to indicate increasing danger levels. If gas is detected on the left, it illuminates the right-pointing arrow; if detected on both sides, both lights activate. For gases heavier than air, such as chlorine or sulfur dioxide, the actuator raises the handrail in proportion to the concentration; for lighter gases like ammonia or carbon monoxide, it lowers the handrail, guiding evacuees to a safer posture. Suitable for nursing homes, senior centers, public buildings, and subway corridors, it allows users to follow the handrail through smoke while receiving guidance on both the safe direction and the optimal body height to avoid gas layers.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's LINC 3.0 project.
This technology is a pile-row dual concrete formwork designed to allow the boundaries of concrete pouring sections to be installed at desired angles by alternating thick main barrier rods and thin auxiliary barrier rods on segmented frame units connected by hinge supports. The auxiliary leg that holds the auxiliary barrier rod also serves as the rotation axis for adjacent frame units.
Conventional formwork used for pouring large slabs or blocks in sections often suffers from leakage of fluid concrete through boundary gaps, requiring secondary work to chip away hardened leaks with a hammer drill. Furthermore, it has been difficult to freely bend and position the boundaries to match the planar shape of the pouring surface.
This technology features segmented frame units composed of top, bottom, and vertical plates with cylindrical hinge supports, incorporating arc-shaped cutouts to allow rotation without interference. A similarly structured leg-fixing segmented frame unit at the bottom secures the lower ends of the main and auxiliary legs. Both barrier rods are covered with leakage-prevention covers featuring elongated serrated barrier plates on their outer surfaces, which roughen the pouring surface. Length adjustment and detachment prevention are achieved through ball-plunger telescopic legs, leaf spring fasteners, and locking ring segments. Applicable to segmented pouring of apartment and office slabs, foundation work for curved buildings, and underground block construction, it eliminates the need for concrete cleanup and reduces adhesion defects at construction joints.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's digital-based construction and safety supervision technology development program.
This technology is an automatic restoration damper for structures that uses a primary elastic body and a disk housed within a casing, allowing the restoration force to be set by adjusting the compression rate of the primary elastic body via an adjustment unit. A secondary elastic body is also held in the housing by a locking member, providing additional restoration force during large displacements.
Conventional circular restoration dampers using shape-memory steel rods to connect friction plates cannot have their restoration force altered once manufactured, making it difficult to recalibrate them on-site to match a structure's specific load, type, or safety factor. Furthermore, friction dampers, which dissipate vibration energy as heat, often suffer from friction that slows restoration and prevents the structure from returning to its original position.
In this technology, a locking member rotatably coupled to the housing via a hinge holds the secondary elastic body with a locking portion, while a contact portion remains pressed against the housing by the secondary elastic body's restorative force. When the disk is pushed and further compresses the secondary elastic body, a spring member rotates the locking member to release it. The adjustment unit consists of an adjustment plate opposite the disk and multiple adjustment members screwed into the housing, allowing the gap between the plate and disk to be set simply by turning the adjustment members. Applicable to seismic retrofitting for buildings, vibration control for bridges and plants, and renovation of aging facilities, this system allows for on-site setting of restoration forces to match design loads and ensures structures return to their original position without residual deformation after an earthquake.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the commercialization of innovative hybrid seismic isolation devices capable of withstanding magnitude 8.5 earthquakes.
This technology is a fire-suppression blind featuring a roller that stores extinguishing fluid and is rotatably mounted within a frame fixed to a structure. When a motor rotates the roller to unroll the pouch-type flame-retardant member, the extinguishing fluid flows down through the member and is sprayed via nozzles on the bottom discharge rod.
Pilotis-style buildings have open first floors with columns and parking areas, which allow oxygen to enter from all sides during a fire. The chimney effect causes flames to spread rapidly up walls and into the building via stairwells, yet these areas often lack dedicated fire-suppression systems. Existing fire blinds, which roll up to prevent fire spread, only protect the screen itself from burning and fail to block or delay the spread of flames and smoke.
In this technology, a heat-shrinkable member at the bottom of the flame-retardant material contracts when heated, wrinkling the material and changing the spray angle of the attached nozzles to direct extinguishing fluid toward the most intense flames. When deployed, a bending member on the frame seals against the roller to prevent smoke from escaping through the top gap. Upon fire detection, a motor activates, and extinguishing fluid is continuously replenished via a supply pipe connected to the tubular rotating shaft. Applicable to first-floor parking areas of multi-unit housing and villas, commercial entrances, stairwells, and underground parking access points, this system acts as a water curtain to block fire paths, providing residents on upper floors with critical time to evacuate.
This technology is an excavator-based construction panel installation device. A main frame is detachably mounted to the excavator's arm and push link, while a movable frame, equipped with vacuum suction cups to hold construction panels, is moved in multiple directions relative to the main frame via multi-directional motion components to align the panel's position and orientation. The excavator's cylinders and the attachment can be remotely operated via a remote control terminal and a wireless communication module inside the excavator.
In curtain wall construction, where exterior walls are composed of glass or metal panels, existing methods using suction attachments on excavators require moving the entire excavator to adjust panel position and orientation, making precise control difficult and time-consuming. Even methods adding a roll rotation device are limited to adjusting only the rolling direction and require manual handle operation, leading to high labor costs and long work times.
This technology uses stacked vertical/horizontal linear motion guides and rolling/yawing rotary motors to move the movable frame in four directions. Combined with the excavator's boom and arm cylinders for forward/backward movement and pitch adjustment, it allows for multi-axis panel alignment. The remote control terminal uses a single joystick to input commands for hydraulic cylinders, multi-directional motion components, and suction cup buttons, connecting to the excavator via RF, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Applicable to low-level curtain wall construction for high-rises, large exterior panel installation for factories and warehouses, and glass facade replacement, it allows operators to wirelessly perform fine adjustments while observing the panel up close, enabling fast and accurate installation without manual labor.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a rough-terrain driving system capable of independent driving and attitude control.
This technology is a metal spraying method that provides electromagnetic shielding to concrete walls. It involves applying a surface hardener to the concrete, attaching a conductive mesh, applying a surface roughening agent, and then spraying metal to form a protective coating. The process uses a specialized spray gun that senses the distance to the concrete surface to automatically control its operation.
High-altitude electromagnetic pulses can paralyze power and communication grids within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, making shielding essential for data centers and critical infrastructure. While metal shielding plates are an option, they are expensive and prone to electromagnetic leakage at joints. Metal spraying is seamless and easy to apply to existing structures, but it has historically faced issues with cracking or peeling due to insufficient adhesion, which compromises shielding performance.
This technology uses a 50–200 mesh copper or zinc-aluminum wire mesh bonded with epoxy to provide a stable foundation for the metal coating, preventing cracking and peeling while enhancing shielding through the mesh's scattering effect. A silicate-based hardener densifies the concrete, while an epoxy-silica mixture creates micro-textures for better adhesion. The spray gun automatically alerts the operator if the distance is incorrect and shuts down if the issue persists. This allows for seamless, high-quality shielding on existing walls in data centers, power stations, and military facilities, regardless of operator skill.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the development of EMP shielding construction materials.
This technology is a building wall structure and construction method for EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) where plastering mortar, mesh, cement-based finish, and paint layers are applied sequentially over insulation. It involves mixing paraffin-based phase-change materials (PCMs) into the mortar, finish, and paint at specific ratios, using a blend of two or more PCMs with non-overlapping phase-change temperature ranges.
Conventional interior and exterior finishes relied solely on air trapped within the micropores of insulation like expanded polystyrene to block heat transfer, limiting their thermal efficiency. Previous technologies utilizing PCMs were primarily focused on reducing floor heating energy, failing to effectively block outdoor air infiltration or reduce cooling energy during the summer.
This technology incorporates 5–10 parts by weight of PCM into plastering mortar, 1–10% into cement finish, and 5–10% into powder paint. By mixing two PCMs that react at different temperatures within the 10–40°C range at ratios from 2:8 to 8:2, it regulates seasonal response temperatures. The PCMs, such as n-tetradecane or n-octadecane, feature an average particle size of 2–10㎛ and a heat storage capacity of 100–260kJ/kg. Applicable to exterior insulation for residential and office buildings, green remodeling, and passive house envelopes, the low-temperature PCM raises indoor temperatures in winter, while the high-temperature PCM absorbs heat in summer, reducing year-round heating and cooling loads.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s project for developing carbon-reducing concrete structural materials and energy-saving building materials, specifically for the development of low-environmental-impact building materials.
This technology is a metal spraying method for concrete that involves sandblasting the surface, applying a surface hardener and a texturing agent, and then creating a thick first metal spray layer via arc spraying, followed by a thinner, less porous second metal spray layer via powder spraying, finished with a sealing treatment.
Water-based paint, commonly used for exterior finishes, requires repainting every 3–5 years, leading to high lifecycle maintenance costs. Repeated repainting causes the film to thicken and peel from the concrete, significantly reducing its effectiveness against carbonation and salt damage. Methods using stainless steel panels with anchors are expensive, and existing spraying technologies have failed to provide a reliable way to ensure adhesion between the concrete and the metal coating.
This technology uses a silicate-based penetrating surface hardener to strengthen the concrete surface and a texturing agent to create micro-irregularities for mechanical interlocking of the sprayed metal. It then covers the porous arc-sprayed layer with a dense powder-sprayed layer to reduce porosity. Sprayed metals such as stainless steel, zinc, aluminum, bronze, brass, or silver can be selected for aesthetic purposes, and the surface is sealed with a Teflon-based resin for a smooth finish. Applicable to building exteriors, interior design, bridge and coastal concrete structures, and water treatment tank interiors, it provides a high-end metal finish and long-term protection against carbonation and salt damage without the need for periodic repainting.
This invention was developed with technical support from the Ministry of Environment for metal spray lining to improve the durability of concrete structures in water treatment facilities.
