Aerial Manipulator Technology for Manipulating Unknown Structures via End-Effector Velocity Estimation

This technology is an operating system and method for mechanical structures that controls the thrust and moment of a multirotor by estimating the real-time velocity of a robotic arm's end-effector, inputting it into a directional filter to dynamically model the movement direction and mechanical constraints of unknown structures like drawers, and optimizing ideal force settings and end-effector trajectories.

When aerial manipulators operate constrained mechanical structures such as drawers or doors, effective interaction and precise force control have been difficult due to a lack of prior information regarding the structure's movement direction, mass, damping, and other dynamic characteristics.

This technology proposes a method that detects structural movement using an end-effector velocity estimator, estimates the constrained movement direction through a directional filter, and calculates the appropriate force required for structural movement via an ideal force setting unit. This allows for the control of the multirotor's position and orientation to interact harmoniously with mechanical structures. It can be utilized for facility inspections, opening doors in disaster zones, and remote operations, significantly enhancing the operational autonomy of aerial robots by enabling interaction without prior information about the target structure.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A position acquisition unit that obtains real-time location information for an aerial manipulator consisting of a multirotor equipped with a robotic arm.
• An end-effector velocity estimation unit that estimates the velocity of the end-effector attached to the tip of the robotic arm based on the location information.
• A directional filter that estimates the movement direction of the mechanical structure using the velocity of the end-effector.
• An ideal force setting unit that moves the mechanical structure at an ideal speed, and a controller that calculates the thrust and moment of the multirotor.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Convergence Knowledge-Based Creative Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Passive Exoskeleton Device for Upper Limb Strength Assistance Using Elastic Members and Directional Clutches

This technology is a mechanical exoskeleton system that assists a user's upper limb strength using elastic members and a clutch mechanism without an external energy source. A rotational elastic unit connected to a sliding hole releases stored elastic force during the movement of the rotational part, while a gear- and protrusion-based clutch part selectively allows or restricts movement in specific directions during bidirectional rotation to control the assistive force.

Conventional upper limb exoskeleton robots necessarily include electric actuators, which result in heavy device weight, high costs, and technical limitations in efficient operation due to constraints on energy source (battery) life and usage.

This technology consists of a body part, a rotational part, and a connecting part (including a rotational elastic unit) to assist muscle strength solely through elastic force without an energy source. The clutch part includes first and second clutch units, protrusions, and protrusion elastic members; it controls the rotational direction by changing the engagement state of the gears via switch operation, thereby performing assistive movements based on the load of an object. It can be applied to industrial muscle assistance, rehabilitation, and logistics, reducing weight, cost, and operational constraints by eliminating the need for batteries.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• An upper limb exoskeleton assist device, wherein the second clutch unit further comprises a second protrusion elastic member that elastically supports the second protrusion.
• A clutch part comprising a first clutch unit that allows rotation of the rotational part in one of a first direction or a second direction, and a second clutch unit that allows rotation in the other direction.
• A rotational part connected to the body part to be rotatable in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction.
• A connecting part that connects the body part and the rotational part, and applies elastic force to the rotational part when the rotational part rotates in the first direction.

Hand Rehabilitation Exoskeleton with Independent Finger Joint Actuation via Rotary Pushers and Wire Tension

This technology provides an exoskeleton structure that combines rotary pushers with sliding links and multiple wire tension mechanisms to achieve independent flexion/extension and abduction/adduction for each finger joint (MCP, PIP, DIP, CM, IP).

Conventional exoskeleton robots are limited to simple grasping motions due to restricted degrees of freedom and struggle with independent joint control, making it difficult to implement complex and precise hand movements.

This technology utilizes a rotary pusher motor to position a cam-shaped rotary pusher that applies pressure to the proximal phalanx attachment, while independently driving wires for each finger segment to enable flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction for every joint. Applicable to hand rehabilitation, wearable robotics, and physical therapy, it enhances rehabilitation efficacy by enabling precise hand movements through independent joint control.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A third wire that passes through the upper side of the thumb distal phalanx attachment, the upper side of the thumb proximal phalanx attachment, the upper side of the thumb CM attachment, and the upper side of the palm attachment to generate thumb extension.
• A fourth wire that passes through the lower side of the thumb distal phalanx attachment, the lower side of the thumb proximal phalanx attachment, and the lower side of the thumb CM attachment to generate thumb flexion.
• An exoskeleton mechanism including a sixth wire fixed to the lower side of the thumb CM attachment and passing through the lower side of the palm attachment toward the ring finger to generate thumb abduction.
• A fifth wire fixed to the upper side of the thumb CM attachment and passing through the upper side of the palm attachment to generate thumb adduction.

Muscular Strength Assistive Device

This technology is a fiber-based actuator mechanism that physically assists with joint flexion and extension. It features heat-shrinkable/expandable polymer fiber warps integrated into a body worn on the upper or lower limb joints, which are individually controlled via heating wires.

Conventional metal exoskeleton structures are heavy and complex, which reduces user comfort, requires significant space for fitting, and restricts natural movement.

This technology integrates heat-shrinkable and expandable polymer fibers (homochiral/heterochiral warps) into a body to form a fiber-based muscular strength assist unit. Based on data from electromyography (EMG) sensors, it selectively controls the contraction and expansion of inner and outer warps according to the direction of joint flexion to actively assist movement. It can be applied to rehabilitation training, gait assistance, and medical/welfare services, enhancing ease of movement and improving the fit for joint support.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A body section designed to wrap around upper or lower limb joints
• A muscular strength assist unit mounted on the body section that operates by detecting joint movement
• The muscular strength assist unit features heat-shrinkable and expandable warps arranged alternately at intervals
• A configuration that individually controls the contraction and expansion of inner and outer warps during joint flexion and extension

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the development of renewable energy and intelligent robot convergence technology.

Active Upper Limb Exercise Assist Device

This technology features a structural combination of a cuff that accommodates the user's arm for upper limb rehabilitation and a multi-joint robot module that controls it. It physically guides wrist rotation through an arc-shaped guide rail and sliding bracket within the cuff. Based on the movement of the handle and sensor data from within the cuff, the motion controller calculates and regulates the robot's 6-degree-of-freedom assistive force.

Conventional technologies are limited to specific tasks such as assisting with meals and fail to account for individual physical characteristics. Furthermore, they lack the ability to detect independent wrist rotation along the longitudinal axis of the arm or provide force assistance, resulting in lower precision for rehabilitation training.

This technology incorporates a handle and motion sensor to detect wrist rotation, along with a sliding mechanism using an arc-shaped guide rail and rollers within the cuff. The motion controller identifies the user's intent to guide 6-degree-of-freedom movement via the multi-joint robot module and provides assistive force for wrist rotation through an electric motor. Applicable to rehabilitation training, gait assistance, and medical/welfare services, it improves the user's upper limb exercise experience by accounting for physical characteristics and arm positioning while providing comfortable force assistance.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• An active upper limb exercise assist device including a motion sensor positioned between a support piece and a handle, which detects the intent for wrist rotation based on the movement of the handle.
• A multi-joint robot module that selectively guides 6-degree-of-freedom movement in a Cartesian coordinate space and provides assistive force for the upper limb positioned in the cuff.
• A handle provided on the upper surface of the support piece, designed for the user to grip to facilitate wrist rotation.
• A pair of bracket members that slide along the outer ends of guide rail members positioned at the rear.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for research on physical/cognitive interaction-based neuro-robot technology.

Gravity Compensation Device for Both Rotary and Linear Joints

This technology relates to a gravity compensation device for rotary and linear joints, utilizing a cam and a torsion spring to counteract the gravitational torque acting on the joints.

Existing gravity compensation structures often cause unnecessary displacement and torque during linear motion, which increases energy consumption and reduces the efficiency of manipulator robots.

By combining a cam follower, a torsion spring, and a belt-pulley transmission element, this technology compensates for gravity in both rotary and linear joints, thereby improving energy efficiency. It is applicable to rehabilitation devices, flight simulation equipment, and more.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A joint member installed to allow both rotation and linear movement relative to the housing
• A cam profile that rotates in conjunction with the joint member, and a cam follower that moves vertically along the cam profile
• A spring pressure mechanism installed within the housing to move with the cam follower and transmit elastic force
• A torsion spring that operates in conjunction with the linear movement of the joint member and is compressed by the spring pressure mechanism to provide elastic force in the direction opposite to the rotation

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of an integrated gravity compensator for the miniaturization of wearable robots.

Unidirectional Compensator for Mechanical Creep Compensation

This technology relates to a unidirectional creep compensator and a twisted string actuator equipped with the same, designed to mechanically compensate for creep occurring in flexible material reduction elements.

Actuators using fiber materials, such as twisted string actuators, have historically suffered from performance degradation and reduced repeatability due to the accumulation of creep during prolonged use.

By applying continuous contractile force to the drive line using only an elastic structure and a one-way bearing, this technology compensates for creep, maintaining control performance and repeatability without the need for additional sensors or complex control systems.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A twisted string drive unit that generates tension in the drive string as a pair of twisted string units move in opposite directions.
• A joint member and output shaft that receive power from the twisted string drive unit to enable bidirectional motion control.
• An auxiliary drive unit connected to the output shaft of the joint member to directly control the bidirectional motion of the output shaft.
• An elastic structure that stores contractile force and applies it to the drive string when creep occurs to compensate for the displacement.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a compact, lightweight, high-performance, and highly durable safe drive module based on string twisting, utilizing string surface reinforcement, variable radius pulleys, and hybrid drive control, as well as support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the second phase (third stage) of bionic wrist design technology development.

LiDAR-based Mobile Object Localization Using Split Scan Synthesis and Point Cloud Matching

This technology estimates the position of a mobile object by receiving scan data at intervals shorter than the time required for a single LiDAR rotation, synthesizing it with previous scan data to acquire a point cloud, and then identifying the closest point cloud within a point map.

Conventional LiDAR-based localization requires a full sensor rotation to process data, resulting in long position update intervals and often necessitating additional sensors to improve precision.

This technology proposes a pipeline-based approach that synthesizes and matches scan data received at short intervals, shortening the localization cycle without the need for extra sensors. It can be applied to autonomous vehicles and indoor logistics robots, providing an economical solution that enhances both position update speed and precision using only existing sensors.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• Receiving scan data at a second duration that is shorter than the first duration required for a single LiDAR rotation
• Synthesizing the received scan data with scan data from a previous time point stored in units of the second duration
• Acquiring a first point cloud of the mobile object's surroundings based on the synthesized scan data
• Estimating the position based on the point cloud in the point map that is closest to the first point cloud

‍

This invention was developed with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT's research on fault-tolerant real-time virtualization technology for high-reliability autonomous driving systems.

Underwater Robot for Submerged Tunnel Inspection Using a Guide-Wire-Connected Mother-Ship and Survey-Ship System

This technology features an underwater robot system where a first and second mother-ship are attached to the surface of a submerged tunnel, connected by a guide wire. A survey-ship travels back and forth between them to acquire sensing data, with winch winding control and directional adjustment units used to sequentially shift the survey area.

Existing methods faced challenges in maintaining the precise distance required for inspection due to the risk of collision between the robot and the tunnel, as well as a lack of technical solutions for efficient, continuous monitoring while moving along the tunnel surface.

This technology proposes a method where two mother-ships are fixed to the tunnel surface, allowing a survey-ship to travel along a guide wire to inspect the surface using optical and acoustic sensors. The mother-ships use winches and directional adjustment units to perform longitudinal movement and rotation. This enables automated, precise inspection of submerged tunnels and undersea structures while maintaining a constant distance to eliminate collision risks.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A first mother-ship attached to the submerged tunnel surface, including a first winch and a first directional adjustment unit connected to one end of the guide wire.
• A second mother-ship attached longitudinally, including a second winch and a second directional adjustment unit connected to the other end of the guide wire.
• A survey-ship that inspects the surface of the submerged tunnel while moving along the guide wire from the first mother-ship toward the second mother-ship.
• A configuration that changes the survey area by moving the mother-ships through winch winding control and directional adjustment units.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Smart Underwater Tunnel System Research Center of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Autonomous Mobile Robot System Combining Block-Based Path Planning and Real-Time Information Sharing

This technology is an autonomous mobile robot system and control method that manages autonomous vehicles based on block-defined travel paths. It prevents deadlocks by sharing location and speed data between multiple vehicles in real time, allowing for path rerouting or speed adjustments at potential collision points.

Conventional magnetic tape guidance systems incur high maintenance costs when environmental changes occur, and their centralized control systems often fail to account for the real-time status of each vehicle, limiting operational efficiency and collision prevention.

This technology structures travel paths by defining blocks using outlines, ways, surfaces, and task markers. The system controller collects operational data from each vehicle and calculates virtual travel times to determine optimal rerouting or speed adjustments. Applicable to smart factories and logistics centers, it enables flexible path changes and collision-free operations without the need for floor infrastructure modifications.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• Vehicle drive unit equipped with vehicle sensors and a drive motor for the vehicle body
• Vehicle control unit connected to the vehicle sensors and drive unit to manage motor operation
• Configuration for setting and inputting travel paths from origin to destination in block-based units
• System controller that shares location and speed data among multiple vehicles to manage rerouting or speed control at potential collision points

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of logistics robot systems applicable to wide-area hospital environments.

Robot Coaxial Joint Unit with Interference Isolation via Cross-Roller Bearings and Disc Couplings

This technology is a robot coaxial joint unit that integrates a reducer, joint torque sensor, cross-roller bearing, and disc coupling within a coaxial joint. It precisely measures rotational torque while mechanically isolating and canceling out non-rotational moment loads and assembly stresses.

In conventional robot joints, moment loads from external forces and stresses caused by assembly tolerances are transmitted directly to the joint torque sensor, leading to interference errors that deviate from the actual rotational torque.

This technology proposes a method where the cross-roller bearing supports the moment load of the output frame, and the joint torque sensor is connected to the output frame via a disc coupling to ensure structural flexibility, thereby reducing unnecessary stress. It can be applied to collaborative robots and force-controlled manipulators, providing the reliability to accurately measure only pure rotational torque even in environments subject to external forces.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• An input unit that receives driving force from the drive section and transmits it to the coaxially arranged reducer and output section.
• An output unit coaxially arranged with the input unit that outputs rotational force to the exterior using the transmitted driving force.
• A joint torque sensor coaxially arranged with the input and output units to detect torque applied to the coaxial joint.
• Cross-roller bearings that support moment loads from external forces, and disc couplings that reduce assembly stress.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a low-cost robot system based on multi-degree-of-freedom passive gravity compensation.

Floor Obstacle Detection Technology Using Laser Range Sensors via One-Class Classification Learning

This technology detects small floor obstacles by training a one-class classification model on data from a normal driving surface, obtained via a tilted 2D laser range sensor, and statistically determining whether real-time sensing data deviates from the normal range.

Existing grid map methods struggle to detect small obstacles due to the resolution limitations of 2D laser sensors, while learning-based techniques require large-scale training datasets that include obstacle data and often fail to identify minor protrusions due to sensor bias errors.

This technology proposes a method that converts data collected from normal driving surfaces into Mahalanobis distance-based feature data, registers it to a one-class classification model, and corrects sensor bias errors using a Kalman filter before applying real-time data to the model. It can be applied to cleaning robots and indoor delivery robots to accurately detect small dropped objects and thresholds without the need for obstacle data collection.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• Generating multiple normal floor characteristic data points through driving on a normal surface
• Registering the normal floor characteristic data into a pre-registered one-class classification model
• Acquiring sensing values from a laser range sensor as the mobile robot moves
• Detecting obstacles by generating floor characteristic data from sensing values and determining whether they are normal

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the development of commercial-grade autonomous driving controllers for unmanned transport robots in diverse environments; the Small and Medium Business Administration for integrated driving control systems for multiple intelligent autonomous transport robots; and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for intelligent growth-type autonomous driving systems for unmanned vehicles operating safely in congested residential road environments.

Vision-Based Odometry Robust to Illumination Changes Using an Affine Photometric Model

This technology is a vision-based odometry system and method that minimizes photometric errors in environments with significant illumination changes by establishing an affine photometric model between keyframes and the current frame in input camera images, and performing illumination correction using planar patch-based residual vectors and Jacobian matrices.

Conventional vision-based odometry assumes constant lighting conditions, which leads to drift in estimated trajectories when sudden illumination changes occur due to camera auto-exposure, shadows, or moving clouds.

This technology proposes a method that selects planar patches using a blob detector and RANSAC, and corrects inter-frame illumination parameters by applying an affine photometric model. By using the ESM algorithm to minimize the sum of squared photometric errors, it enables robust camera pose estimation even under irregular lighting changes. It secures the reliability of position estimation in environments with severe illumination fluctuations, such as outdoor autonomous driving, drone navigation, and outdoor robotics, significantly expanding the practical application range of vision-based navigation.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• An image input unit that receives images captured by a camera, and a keyframe setting unit that handles RGB and depth images.
• A patch selection unit that selects one or more planar patches within the RGB image of a keyframe.
• An illumination model setting unit that defines the photometric model applied when transforming the current image frame.
• A configuration that obtains residual vectors using keyframes, current image frames, and model parameters, and calculates update values using a correction matrix.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the "Research on Collaborative Manipulation and Network Systems for Lunar Surface Sampling and Exploration [Phase 1/Year 1]" project.

Collaborative Aerial Transport System Combining Offline Path Learning and Online Obstacle Avoidance

This technology is a collaborative aerial transport system and method for multi-aerial manipulators that combines server-based offline path planning with individual online obstacle avoidance algorithms. It generates paths using Bezier curves and RRT*, and produces smooth trajectories through least-squares interpolation.

Drones face weight limitations that make it difficult to equip them with precise force and torque sensors, preventing the use of conventional force-based control algorithms. Furthermore, existing collaborative transport methods have struggled with object recognition in complex environments and high computational loads during centralized control.

This technology utilizes constraint-chain-based equations of motion and adaptive sliding mode controllers without the need for force or torque sensors. It proposes a method that applies Bezier curves and shape-preserving piecewise cubic interpolation for offline path generation. Online, it detects unknown obstacles via vision sensors, allowing a virtual leader to generate corrected paths for safe collaborative transport. Applicable to the aerial transport of large cargo and construction materials, it provides an economical solution for achieving stable collaboration among multiple drones without expensive force sensors.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• Environmental information acquisition module that obtains environmental data, including obstacle information along the route from the starting point to the destination for shared cargo.
• Flight path generation module that generates the flight path for each aerial manipulator offline based on obstacle information.
• Server communication module that transmits the flight paths to each of the multiple aerial manipulators.
• Flight path learning module that discretizes the flight path and calculates gains using the least-squares method to create a smooth trajectory.

‍

This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of drone automation and vision-based operation technology for high-precision aerial manipulation.

Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robot Module with Vision-Based Grasp Control

This technology is an exoskeleton module worn on the user's hand and wrist. It utilizes a camera and distance sensor to recognize external objects, determines the object through an interface based on the user's arm strength and directional control, and drives the finger mechanism to grasp the object. It functions as both an upper limb rehabilitation robot module and a complete rehabilitation robot system.

Existing hand rehabilitation robots suffer from low accuracy and high noise in biosignal recognition, such as electromyography (EMG). Furthermore, it is difficult to interpret the intentions of paralyzed patients due to their limited muscle strength, making these devices impractical for daily use.

This technology proposes a control system that uses image processing via a camera and distance sensor to visually identify and confirm objects for grasping. By accurately reflecting the user's intent, it enables precise control of the finger drive mechanism. It can be used for daily living assistance and hand rehabilitation training for paralyzed patients. By relying on vision-based intent recognition rather than biosignals, it allows patients with weak muscle strength to use the device effectively.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A body that connects to and supports the user's hand, and a drive unit located on one side of the body to move the fingers.
• A pressure transmission unit at one end of the drive unit to apply grasping force to the fingers, and a distance sensor to measure the distance to external objects.
• A camera unit that recognizes the shape of external objects, adjusts its orientation in response to arm muscle movement, and identifies specific objects.
• An interface unit that displays identified objects for confirmation, and a control unit that manages the operation of the drive unit.