Wearable robot drive system with automated initial setup

This technology relates to an automated drive system and method for wearable robots using force and inertial sensors, enabling the automatic configuration of the initial drive phase after the device is worn.

Soft wearable robots previously required manual adjustment of wire tension and reference posture every time they were worn, which was not only cumbersome but also led to inconsistent assistive performance due to uncertainty in the settings.

By using signals from force, inertial, and current sensors to automatically determine initial tension and reference states, this technology reduces user inconvenience and uncertainty while shortening the time required to start operation.

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Key Features:

• A unidirectional actuator featuring a motor that generates assistive force for the wearable robot and a wire that transmits this force to the wearer.
• A current sensor that measures the assistive force generated by the motor and a force sensor that measures the assistive force applied to the wearer.
• An inertial sensor that detects the wearer's gait cycle in real time to control motor operation.
• A control unit that manages the motor based on values measured by the current, inertial, and force sensors.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of a new wire-fabric mechanism-based ankle assist device for improved stability and energy efficiency during walking, and from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a human-augmentation hybrid robot suit capable of a safe 7-second 100m sprint and comfortable 12-hour wear.

Hybrid Artificial Muscle Combining Twisted String and Pneumatic Actuation

This technology relates to a hybrid pneumatic artificial muscle unit using a twisted-string pneumatic engine and its operating method, integrating both twisted-string and pneumatic actuation into a single unit.

Existing wearable and collaborative robots have faced limitations such as high energy loss, heavy actuator weight, and complex structures, making them difficult to adapt to a user's specific body structure.

This technology integrates a twisted-string element driven by a turbine and micro-motor into a pneumatic artificial muscle, simultaneously improving the response speed and contraction force of the artificial muscle.

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Key Features:

• An inelastic sleeve, a gas inlet/outlet connected to one end for gas injection, and a fixed end sealing the other end.
• An elastic tube located within the inelastic sleeve, with one end connected to the gas inlet/outlet and the other end connected to the fixed end.
• A turbine featuring a central rotational axis and multiple propellers that generates torque through gas pressure.
• A twisted-string structure connected to the other end of the turbine's rotational axis, generating contraction force through twisting.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a human-augmentation hybrid robot suit capable of safe 100m sprints in 7 seconds and comfortable 12-hour wear, as well as the development of core technologies for compact, lightweight, high-performance, and highly durable safe drive modules based on string twisting, utilizing string surface reinforcement, variable radius pulleys, and hybrid drive control.

Intelligent Strength and Gait Assistance Robot with Direct Knee-Joint Drive and Linear Guide

This technology features a gait assistance robot that combines an exoskeleton worn on the user's lower body with a caster walker via an arm. By mounting the knee-joint actuator directly onto the knee and installing the hip-joint actuator with a linear guide, the power transmission distance is significantly reduced.

Conventional technologies suffer from long power transmission distances between the actuator and the joint, resulting in low mechanical efficiency and output, complex control, interference in the range of motion, and structural instability.

This technology proposes a method of directly coupling the actuator to the knee joint and applying a linear guide to the hip-joint actuator to provide longitudinal degrees of freedom to the arm. It can be applied to gait rehabilitation and strength training for the general public, patients, and the elderly, improving both output and stability while reducing power loss and interference.

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Key Features:

• An exoskeleton equipped with a pair of frames, hip and knee joints that rotate the frames, and braces
• A caster walker equipped with wheels driven by a motor to assist the user's gait
• An arm configured to correspond to the pair of frames, with both ends fastened to the exoskeleton and the caster walker, respectively
• A joint actuator installed on the arm to transmit rotational force to the hip joint and directly coupled to the knee joint

Steering and Attitude-Controlled Two-Wheeled Robot Maintaining Balance via Roll Angle Feedback PD Control

This technology is an autonomous two-wheeled robot that maintains its roll angle balance without auxiliary devices by independently controlling the front-wheel steering motor and rear-wheel drive motor based on feedback signals from speed and attitude sensors.

Due to their inherent structural instability, two-wheeled vehicles are difficult to balance during autonomous operation without auxiliary devices like gyroscopic wheels or counterweights, which often lead to increased power consumption and inefficiency.

This technology proposes a real-time steering angle control method using a PD controller that utilizes the frame's roll angle and its derivative as feedback, consisting of a feedforward compensator, a main error compensator, and a state feedback compensator. It can be applied to autonomous delivery robots and unmanned mobility platforms, allowing them to maintain dynamic equilibrium without auxiliary devices and significantly improving power efficiency.

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Key Features:

• A steering control motor installed on the handlebar axis connected to the front wheel to adjust the steering angle
• A drive control motor installed at the end of the rear-wheel axle to power the rear wheel
• A speed sensor for measuring rear-wheel velocity and an attitude sensor for measuring the frame's tilt
• A controller that receives signals from the speed and attitude sensors to manage both motors and maintain balance

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This invention was developed with support from the Future IT Convergence Research Institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Environment-Adaptive Game Strategy Execution Technology Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning with Imperfect Models

This technology is an AI-based, environment-adaptive game strategy execution method and system that generates real-time policies to address environmental uncertainty by integrating imperfect models from virtual environments with data collected from real-world game environments using deep reinforcement learning.

Existing AI game robots have struggled with discrepancies between virtual and real environments, such as variations in friction, leading to performance errors when executing strategies in real-world settings due to a lack of robustness against uncertainty.

This technology proposes a method that builds an imperfect model reflecting uncertainty factors within a virtual environment and implements a reinforcement learning framework through sequential performance error detection and error function optimization to derive adaptive policies using real-time data feedback from the actual environment. It can be applied to sports robots and industrial precision robots, serving as a core technology to bridge the gap between simulation and reality.

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Key Features:

• Providing a virtual environment that includes an imperfect model with extracted environmental uncertainty factors for each type of sport
• Generating environmental changes via the imperfect model within the virtual environment as the game progresses
• Executing reinforcement learning to detect sequential performance errors and optimize error functions and weights
• Deriving environment-adaptive policies through real-time data feedback from the actual environment

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of AI curling robot technology capable of establishing game strategies and executing gameplay.

Collision Avoidance Path Generation for Two-Wheeled Mobile Robots Based on Wheel Speed Control Uncertainty Modeling

This technology generates collision-avoidance driving paths by modeling speed control uncertainty based on the difference between the reference speeds and actual candidate speeds of a two-wheeled mobile robot's left and right wheels, dynamically expanding the clearance space for collision avoidance.

Previously, failure to properly model speed control errors—which arise from limitations in sensor and motion control performance during robot operation—often led to collision risks or reduced driving efficiency due to excessively large clearance settings.

This technology proposes a method that quantitatively models the speed control errors of the left and right wheels using standard deviation and the chi-squared distribution. This model is applied to the existing clearance to create an expanded buffer, which is then incorporated into the cost function of the path planning algorithm. It is suitable for indoor service and delivery robots, ensuring an optimal balance between safety and driving efficiency.

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Key Features:

• Registering the speed control uncertainty model of the two-wheeled mobile robot to the robot
• Expanding the pre-registered clearance space for collision avoidance based on the uncertainty model
• Generating the robot's driving path based on the newly expanded clearance space
• An uncertainty model constructed based on the difference between the reference speeds and candidate speeds of the left and right wheels

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This invention was developed with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea's "Intelligent Growth Autonomous Driving System for Unmanned Vehicles Operating Safely in Congested Residential Road Environments" and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' "[Sub-project 2-1] Autonomous Driving Platform for Greenhouse Transport Operations."

Drone for Detecting Abnormal Driving Using Line Tracing and Deep Learning

This technology utilizes an onboard image acquisition unit and driving information acquisition unit to extract data on vehicle speed, acceleration, and steering angle. By applying line tracing and deep learning algorithms, it analyzes lane departure frequency and driving patterns to identify abnormal driving behavior.

Traditional, labor-intensive methods for enforcing traffic laws against drunk or abnormal driving suffer from low efficiency and structural limitations in providing real-time monitoring in hard-to-reach areas such as mountain roads or highways.

This technology captures vehicle driving footage via drone-mounted cameras, calculates driving metrics such as acceleration and angular velocity, and compares them against abnormal driving patterns learned through a logistic regression model before transmitting vehicle data to a control server. It offers a new approach to traffic enforcement and road safety management, enabling continuous monitoring of inaccessible areas without the need for manual intervention.

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Key Features:

• Image acquisition unit that captures driving footage of at least one vehicle on the road
• Driving information acquisition unit that extracts driving data from the captured footage
• Analysis unit that uses deep learning techniques to identify abnormal driving based on the acquired information
• System that recognizes lanes via line tracing techniques to perform individual vehicle assessments

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the development of a remote communication-based gas sensing analysis and judgment operation system utilizing machine learning.

Minimally invasive surgical assistance system for automatic endoscope extraction based on image quality assessment

This technology is a control system that automatically extracts an endoscope from the surgical field with the surgeon's consent, based on real-time quality assessment of endoscopic images. It generates an extraction path and performs real-time collision avoidance control by utilizing 3D surgical field images acquired preoperatively and location data of key biological structures.

When endoscopic image quality degrades during surgery due to debris or other factors, the process has traditionally relied on manual operation by a skilled nurse, which poses a risk of physical collision between the endoscope and vital structures such as organs, blood vessels, and nerves within the surgical field.

This technology monitors quantified image quality via an assessment unit and triggers a signal upon degradation to obtain surgeon approval. It then activates a 3D model-based collision risk assessment module and a path generation module. This ensures the endoscope is automatically extracted along a safe path, maintaining surgical continuity and safety. It minimizes surgical delays caused by image quality degradation in laparoscopic and robotic surgery, and fundamentally prevents collisions with biological tissues, significantly enhancing surgical safety.

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Key Features:

• Endoscope inserted into the inflated surgical field before robotic surgery to capture real-time footage of the surgical site
• Endoscopic image quality assessment unit that quantifies and evaluates the quality of surgical site images in real time
• Signal generation unit that triggers a notification when image quality falls below a preset threshold
• Automatic endoscope extraction unit that removes the endoscope from the surgical field upon obtaining surgeon consent

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the research and development of next-generation surgical robot systems through collision avoidance for robotic surgical arms.

Educational Robot Combining Wearable Object Recognition and Power-Responsive Control

This technology is an educational robot device that receives images of objects captured by a user's wearable device to identify the object type, outputs information about the recognized object via video and audio, and controls the robot's movement. It also features a technology that monitors reserve and demand power levels within the power supply system to manage operating modes.

Cognitive and language education for infants and toddlers has historically been difficult to provide consistently due to time constraints faced by parents.

This technology proposes an educational robot that communicates with a wearable device to capture the direction the user is pointing, recognizes objects, and outputs relevant educational content. By dynamically controlling the robot's operating mode based on power status, it enables both efficient educational support and optimized power management. It can be applied to early childhood cognitive and language education as well as home service robotics, enriching the learning experience by recognizing objects based on the user's line of sight and providing tailored educational content.

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Key Features:

• A communication unit that receives images of objects in the direction pointed to by the user from a wearable device.
• A control unit that identifies the type of object in the received image and manages operations in response to power status.
• An output unit for displaying video and audio corresponding to the type of recognized object.
• A mobility unit that allows the robot to move within a certain range of the user, and a control configuration responsive to reserve and demand power.

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This invention was developed through the "Development and Demonstration of National DR Business Models for Activating Demand Response for Small-Scale Electricity Consumers" project supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the "Development of IoT Platforms for Energy Efficiency and Creative Talent Development" project supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Body-Powered Wearable Variable Impedance Device for Posture Correction Using Upper/Lower Cables and Elastic Elements

This technology is a non-powered wearable variable impedance device that corrects posture and assists muscle strength by inducing cable tension and elastic deformation based on the user's body movement. It features a mechanism that increases tension during upper body flexion by positioning upper and lower strings around a spinal connection point.

There is a risk of injury from improper posture, such as bending the waist during squatting and lifting tasks, and existing posture correction exercise equipment has significant limitations in usability due to its bulkiness and lack of portability.

This technology proposes a structure that combines a wearable cable system with elastic elements. By adjusting the separation distance and tension between strings according to changes in the user's joint angles, it encourages back straightening and provides muscle support during knee flexion, enabling variable impedance through body movement alone without an external power source. It reduces the risk of injury in environments where repetitive strain on the lower back occurs, such as logistics loading/unloading, construction site work, and nursing care, and is easy to implement in the field due to its lightweight, portable, and power-free design.

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Key Features:

• A connection point located on the user's back between the neck and hips, serving as the reference point where the upper and lower cables intersect and connect.
• An upper cable system worn on both sides of the upper body, featuring first and second upper strings and an upper connecting string that extend toward the connection point.
• A lower cable system equipped on each leg, featuring first and second lower strings and a lower connecting string that extend toward the connection point.
• An elastic component that deforms according to changes in the user's joint angles to generate elastic force, thereby performing posture correction and muscle strength assistance.

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This invention was developed with support from the Human-Centered Soft Robotics Research Center of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Passive gait assistance device that recovers and releases walking energy using multi-stage elastic members

This technology features multi-stage elastic members (first and second) that operate sequentially based on the pitch angle changes of the leg link to recover and release walking energy, and utilizes a physical constraint mechanism with a rotating locking pin and a rotation guide slot to control the timing of energy storage.

Existing lower-limb exoskeleton robots are heavy and expensive due to motor-based drive systems, cause a sense of gait unnaturalness, and increase the burden on the wearer due to the lack of an optimized passive mechanism for ankle muscle assistance during the gait cycle.

This technology constructs a multi-stage passive mechanism that sequentially stores walking energy in the first and second elastic members according to the rotation angle (pitch angle) of the leg link, and reduces the burden on the wearer while increasing ankle assistance through a hybrid structure using a back-mounted motor and wires. It can be applied to rehabilitation training, gait assistance, and muscle support, reducing weight, cost, and gait unnaturalness by assisting ankle strength without relying solely on motors.

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Key Features:

• A footplate that supports the foot and a leg link that rotates in the pitch direction relative to the footplate during walking
• First and second elastic members provided between the footplate and the leg link to store gait assistance energy
• A first link including a rotating locking pin and a second link provided with a rotation guide slot through which the rotating locking pin passes
• A structure where the rotating locking pin contacts one end of the rotation guide slot at a first pitch angle to initiate energy storage

Work robot that maintains horizontal balance by independently controlling drive units via multi-joint adjustment units

This technology is a posture stabilization mechanism that maintains the horizontal balance of the body by using the multi-joint structure of adjustment units connecting the body to multiple drive units, independently controlling the position and speed of each drive unit based on the body's tilt.

Conventional methods for posture stabilization in construction machinery are often limited to specific equipment or constrained by structures that require data from the working arm, resulting in low responsiveness and intuitiveness during automatic control.

This technology places adjustment units between the body and each drive unit to control vertical, longitudinal, and lateral positioning. When tilting occurs, it uses Closed-Loop Inverse Kinematics (CLIK) to independently control the position and speed of the drive units, correcting the body's horizontal level. It can be applied to construction and agricultural robots as well as off-road mobile platforms, enhancing operational stability by automatically maintaining a level body even on slopes.

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Key Features:

• Multiple drive units provided for ground travel, each featuring a drive member rotatably connected to a support member
• Multiple adjustment units connecting the body to the drive units to regulate the relative position of the drive units with respect to the body
• A controller that manages the multiple drive units and adjustment units to maintain and restore the horizontal balance of the body
• Configuration that independently controls the speed differential of drive units on the tilted side and the relative distance between units

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of off-road driving systems capable of independent drive and posture control.

Impedance Control Device for Wheeled Weight Supporters Considering Dynamic Characteristics of Human Lower Limbs

This technology generates assistive driving force based on impedance control values tailored to specific walking environments (such as mud, water, or zero gravity) by measuring the user's center of gravity displacement and vertical force during gait in real time.

Conventional fixed rehabilitation aids lack mobility, making it difficult to simulate diverse walking environments and limiting the ability to perform gait training on actual ground.

This technology integrates displacement and interaction force sensors into a wheeled mobile platform and applies an optimized impedance calculation algorithm based on the user's state and mode to provide real-time assistive force for walking. Applicable to rehabilitation training, gait assistance, and medical/welfare services, it improves a patient's walking ability by providing impedance control based on their center of mass and vertical force, allowing for personalized gait training in various walking scenarios.

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Key Features:

• A center-of-gravity extraction unit that determines the position of the user's center of gravity using a displacement measuring device mounted on the wheeled weight supporter.
• A vertical force measuring unit that measures vertical force using an interaction force measuring device mounted on the wheeled weight supporter.
• A drive unit that generates and transmits force to the wheeled weight supporter corresponding to the calculated driving force.
• A calculation unit that computes the driving force using the measured vertical force and impedance values.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's research project on ultra-high-efficiency mobility mechanisms based on natural dynamics for extreme environment exploration systems.

Device for Controlling an Active Upper Limb Exercise Assistive Device

This technology calculates the ratio of sensing values from eight 1-axis force sensors (load cells) distributed across the forearm support and handle. By comparing these values against mapped reference ranges, it identifies the user's intended movement (linear or rotational) and generates and transmits control signals to a multi-joint robot.

Conventional upper limb rehabilitation robots for feeding assistance often lack versatility, fail to account for individual user physique, and rely on expensive 6-axis force-torque sensors to detect movement intent, leading to high implementation costs and practical challenges.

This technology utilizes multiple low-cost 1-axis force sensors placed at various points on the upper limb assistive device and implements an algorithm that normalizes and estimates movement intent by combining the ratios of measurements between sensors. Applicable to robotic gripping, precision measurement, and automated equipment, it enhances daily convenience and quality of life by assisting with daily activities and rehabilitation exercises for the elderly, individuals with limited mobility, or patients with muscle weakness.

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Key Features:

• An input unit that receives sensing values for force measured from a plurality of sensors attached to the upper limb exercise assistive device while the user's forearm is positioned on the device during movement.
• A signal generation unit that generates control signals for external force to assist the user's intended movement based on the extracted movement intent information and transmits them to the multi-joint robot connected to the upper limb exercise assistive device.
• A movement intent extraction unit that extracts the user's movement intent information using the ratio of sensing values calculated for each sensor combination.
• A calculation unit that computes the ratio of sensing values between sensors included in pre-matched combinations among the plurality of sensors.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the development of an active exercise system based on human-robot collaboration technology to enhance upper limb motor function in the elderly and infirm.

Joint positioning device for easy fit adjustment

This technology relates to a joint positioning device and its operating method, allowing users to adjust the force transmission points of a wearable robot to fit their body simply by operating a knob.

Conventional wearable robots require wires or webbing to be attached to precise points on the body to ensure performance, which has historically been inconvenient due to the need to manually adjust multiple straps and fasteners.

This technology enables intuitive position adjustment through a joint device consisting of adjustment elements and a knob, reducing preparation time and improving the reproducibility of assistive performance.

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Key Features:

• A support frame featuring multiple through-holes spaced at specific intervals along its length to serve as a reference for positioning.
• A slider frame mounted to slide along the length of the support frame for length adjustment.
• A link oriented perpendicular to the support frame, featuring a gear along the circumference of its lower outer surface.
• A knob that locks the link's rotation by engaging with the gear in fixed mode and releases it in adjustment mode.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a wearable robot for construction workers capable of providing over 10kgf of muscle assistance with excellent wearability.