ETRI Unveils Six Nano Technologies Including Sensors, Robots, and Artificial Intelligence

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 3rd that it will participate in ‘Nano Korea 2024,’ held for three days from the 3rd at KINTEX in Ilsan, to showcase new nano technologies to the general public.

The new technologies ETRI will unveil at the exhibition include six nano-related technologies closely connected to daily life, such as ▲ tactile sensor-integrated robots ▲ medical fields including musculoskeletal and cardiovascular ▲ neuromorphic artificial intelligence technologies.

The research team is demonstrating 360-degree omnidirectional tactile sensing 4-finger robot hand technology. Provided by Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.

In particular, the 360-degree omnidirectional tactile sensor robot hand technology, wearable sensor technology for musculoskeletal monitoring, and flexible tensile patch technology for real-time blood pressure monitoring are considered representative technologies that ETRI will exhibit.

The ‘360-degree omnidirectional tactile sensor robot hand technology’ is a fusion of a pressure sensor with high durability based on pneumatic pressure and the latest robot hand. The core is that it can precisely detect pressure applied from multiple directions, enabling the robot hand to handle objects naturally like a human hand.

Previously, ETRI developed advanced sensors capable of real-time detection of an object’s stiffness information through hardware technology of air chamber-type flexible tactile sensors with stiffness similar to human skin and signal processing circuit technology.

This sensor is expected to advance human-robot interaction to the next level and be widely applied in logistics automation, home robots, smart factories, and humanoid robot technologies.

The ‘wearable sensor technology for musculoskeletal monitoring’ is a wearable healthcare sensor technology using pressure sensors and vibration sensors that can be attached to the skin or worn over clothing. It is convenient as it can be worn over clothes for measurement, and it prevents discomfort caused by skin oils and sweat during measurement.

ETRI applies an algorithm that simultaneously extracts muscle activation and fatigue with this technology to monitor real-time muscle conditions and provide accumulated muscle activity information personalized for each individual.

ETRI explains that this is significant because there was previously no technology capable of simultaneously measuring muscle activation and fatigue. After clinical trials, this technology will be developed into a smart strap and wearable sports devices to enhance healthcare for the general public. In the future, it can be applied in various medical fields such as rehabilitation for athletes’ muscle injuries, management of sarcopenia in the elderly, and long-term rehabilitation for patients with muscle paralysis.

The ‘flexible tensile patch technology for real-time blood pressure monitoring’ is a patch-type device that is thin, flexible, and stretchable like skin, attached to the chest to provide continuous real-time blood pressure information.

This technology offers superior ease of use compared to existing wearable blood pressure monitors and can monitor changes in vital signs such as blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and body temperature over a long period.

For example, conventional blood pressure measurement is conducted while sitting still with minimal movement, but using ETRI’s technology, blood pressure can be measured while standing or moving. ETRI expects this technology to be utilized in future smart bed monitoring and home/daily care services for outpatient patients.

ETRI will also introduce various business activities based on semiconductor laboratories (Fab) at the exhibition. Representative examples include ▲ Semiconductor Laboratory and Flexible Electronic Materials Center ▲ Convergence Innovation Support Group and N-TEAM ▲ Semiconductor Design Verification Infrastructure Activation Project.

Min Ok-gi, Director of ETRI’s Superintelligence Creative Research Center, said, “Nano technology is a core foundational technology that can diversify its applicability as a new growth engine. By unveiling the research achievements developed by ETRI researchers at the exhibition to the general public, we aim to enhance public understanding of nano technology and take a step closer to commercializing the technology.”