The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held in Las Vegas, USA from January 5th to 8th, 2023. CES is an event hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), an American consumer technology association, every January, and is an event where you can see the world's technology trends at a glance. MEch-SSENGER conducted interviews with startups from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University who participated in the CES. Professor Yoon Young Kim's lab interviewed Jeong-han Yoo and Je-seung Lee of the Master's and Doctor's Integrated Course, Professor Sung-hoon Ahn's lab interviewed Gu-yeop Jung of the PhD program, and Hyuk-soon Lim of the startup PYLONEER.

Professor Yoon Young Kim's Lab: Multiphysics System Design Lab

1. Please explain which of the 5 main themes of CES you participated in and the theme you participated in.
(Jeong-han Yoo) Prof. Yoon-Young Kim's lab held two exhibitions. Among them, I exhibited an exoskeleton robot that improves individual mobility under the name of IDeALab Exo. Our laboratory has developed a unique algorithm that can automatically design an exoskeleton robot of a new solution, and a representative product using it is the “Chameleon Knee Robot” exhibited at this CES. A chameleon knee robot can be assisted by anyone without complicated wearing help because it changes its axis of rotation by itself depending the wearer's body or knee movement. This has a great economic advantage and can also amplify the speed or force of the motor in accordance with the timing of the walking motion.
(Jeseung Lee) Professor Yun-Young Kim’s ultrasonic metamaterial technology was selected as an excellent laboratory technology of Seoul National University, which is expected to start a business in the future, and was exhibited as a poster at the ‘SNU Exhibition Hall’. As a prospective co-founder of IDeALab Meta, I personally participated in the field, demonstrated key startup technologies and explored the possibility of entering the global market. We are pioneering “ultrasound metamaterial” technology that can overcome the limitations of existing ultrasonic technology. Ultrasonic metamaterial technologies secured by patents include a flow meter using a new concept metatransducer, a foreign substance inspector in pipes, and a thin film thickness gauge, and this ultrasonic technology can be applied notly for industrial purposes but also for medical purposes.

2. Please tell us if there are any results that have been harvested or expected through participation in CES.
(Jeong-han) IDeALab Participated in CES to widely promote Exo's self-developed design algorithm and new exoskeleton robots designed through it. Although we have independently developed new technologies that have not been seen in the exoskeleton robot market, and large domestic and foreign companies have expressed interest, there have been few opportunities to widely introduce technologies developedly in academia to the industry. Through this opportunity, I met and talked with many corporate officials and individual consumers. In the future, we, IDeALab Exo, were able to establish the design direction of the robot and achieved results in publicizing the excellence of the algorithm.
(Jeseung) Through this CES 2023, we were able to see the commercialization potential of ultrasonic metamaterials. Overseas companies that have shown interest in Professor Yoon Young Kim’s ultrasonic metamaterial technology include △AB InBev (a multinational beer company with the world’s No. 1 market share) △Shimadzu Corporation (a Japanese precision equipment manufacturer), and △Samsung Electronics and △Hyundai Motors among domestic companies. △SK Incheon Petrochemical △SeAH Changwon Special Steel, etc. In addition to our company, various companies that introduced new technologies using ultrasonic metamaterials participated in CES together, and an ultrasonic scanner was introduced in the first keynote presentation, which was the most influential at CES, so we could feel the importance of ultrasonic technology.

3. "Metaverse/Mobility/Digital Healthcare/Sustainability/Human Security" These five themes were selected as the main themes of this 2023 CES. In this regard, please tell us what the position of mechanical engineering is.
(Prof. Yoon Young Kim) If mechanical engineering can be called the body, I think the metaverse and so can be called clothes from the point of view of a mechanical engineer. I think it is up to mechanical engineers how to utilize and develop mechanical engineering in this world's technological trends. I think mechanical engineers can make a great contribution to opening a new world depending what level they actually do it and what new things they do. Can't you just wear clothes without a body?

4. Please tell us about the significance of CES from a scholar's point of view.
(Prof. Kim) I think it's a good event to understand the world's latest technology trends. I heard that CES organizers tell us not to call CES Consumer Electronics Show (Consumer Electronics Show), but to just call it CES. What is clear is that I think CES is a good event that goes beyond the field of home appliances and gives us new inspiration, where we can see the world's technology trends at a glance. If possible, it would be nice if undergraduate and graduate students were given the opportunity to visit at leastce.

Professor Sung-Hoon Ahn's Laboratory: Innovative Design and Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory

1. Please explain which of the 5 main themes of CES you participated in and the theme you participated in.
(Gu-yeop Jung) Prof. Ahn Seong-hoon's lab participated in CES with a 'wearable NOx meter reading watch'. Unlike the existing semiconductor gas metering method, this product is a light metering method using the Fabry-Perot effect, and has a low operating temperature and power consumption, so it is particularly effective for wearable devices in terms of wearing comfort and battery.

2. Please tell us if there are any results that have been harvested or expected through participation in CES.
(Gu-yeop) Unlike academic societies that focus performance and effectiveness, at CES, we expected to be able to confirm the qualitative requirements of users such as design and fit, and we were able to actually get a lot of responses. Through this, we were able to obtain a new development direction for future development.

3. "Metaverse/Mobility/Digital Healthcare/Sustainability/Human Security" These five themes were selected as the main themes of this 2023 CES. In this regard, please tell us what the position of mechanical engineering is.
(Gu-yeop) Recently, software development such as AI is being cited as a leading role in technologies that are attracting attention, and many home appliances were introduced at the 2023 CES with a focus AI technology. However, in order to implement this, ‘machines’ are needed after all, and I believe that mechanical engineering should be responsible for creating machines in an environment where evolving software can work well.

4. Please tell us about the significance of CES from a scholar's point of view.
(Gu-yeop) As an engineering scholar, since engineering is for technology that benefits mankind, I think it was an opportunity to think about what functions actual users need and how to reflect them. Research that is new and has high academic value is important, but I think it will be a place where you can experience what kind of technology society needs and think about research for it.

Startup from the Department of Mechanical Engineering: PYLONEER (formerly PYLON)

1. Please explain which of the 5 main themes of CES you participated in and the theme you participated in.
(Hyuk-soon Lim) The ‘electric vehicle proxy charging system, Giing’ exhibited by Pyloneer is closer to the theme of ‘mobility’. It provides electric vehicle charging service by monitoring and controlling power by utilizing the existing infrastructure of the apartment building as it is. The automatic power distribution system minimizes mobile parking for electric vehicle users and provides a reasonable charging experience through a dynamic rate system based demand power.

2. Please tell us if there are any results that have been harvested or expected through participation in CES.
(Hyuk-soon) It was of great significance that we introduced Pilaneer’s ‘Ziing’ service for the first time. We verified the necessity by receiving feedback existing problems and solutions, and we were able to hear many opinions the direction and strategy for global expansion. In addition, through meetings with various companies, we have agreed to proceed with the agreement and technology development strategy for providing the test bed that is needed right away.

3. "Metaverse/Mobility/Digital Healthcare/Sustainability/Human Security" These five themes were selected as the main themes of this 2023 CES. In this regard, please tell us what the position of mechanical engineering is.
(Hyuk-soon) Many companies that attended this CES presented products armed with technologies such as IT and AI. However, in order for such new technologies to come to market, they must be articulated with traditional mechanics, design and production disciplines. In this situation, I believe that mechanical engineering will be able to create new value through an open attitude toward new studies such as artificial intelligence based traditional studies.

The participation of startups from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and laboratories in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the 2023 CES is expected to be a good experience to confirm the possibility of entering the global market of the technology, as well as an opportunity to promote the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University to the world.