usr_1605491787770.jpg

Angel Robotics, a team led by Kong Kyoung-chul, a professor of mechanical engineering at KAIST, on Nov. 13 won the gold and bronze medals at this year's Cybathlon in Daejeon. (KAIST)


Robotic equipment developed by a team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) that assists the physically disabled to complete everyday tasks has risen to the top of its field.


Angel Robotics, a team led by Kong Kyoung-chul, a professor of mechanical engineering at KAIST, on Nov. 13 won the gold and bronze medals in the wearable robotics competition at the Cybathlon 2020, the institute announced on Nov. 16.


In the powered exoskeleton competition, a pilot wearing an exoskeleton must complete six missions such as walking on even and uneven terrain, sitting and standing, climbing stairs and navigating obstacles in a zig-zag manner.


Contestants must wear the robot and walk around, unlike in other contests that allow the use of mobility assistance equipment like wheelchairs or bicycles.


Kim Byeong-wook won the gold by completing all six tasks in the exoskeleton event in 3 minutes 47 seconds, while Lee Joo-hyun won the bronze with a time of 5 minutes 51 seconds. A Swiss team won the silver. 

The research team said the "Walk-on Suit 4" worn by the competitors was developed by Kong and the Angel Robotics team in collaboration with Yonsei University Severance Rehabilitation Hospital. Compared to the previous model, the newest edition had a walking speed eight times faster but with a significantly lower weight. The technological improvements to the latest model took four years of research and development.


usr_1605492126867.jpg

Kim Byeong-wook of Team KAIST on Nov. 13 competes in the powered exoskeleton race at the Cybathlon 2020 in Daejeon. He went on to win the gold.


The Cybathlon is an international competition in which disabled contestants perform missions using robotics. The term is a portmanteau of the words "cyborg" and "athlon," or match. The inaugural event was hosted by Switzerland in 2016 and the second held this year took place from Nov. 13-14 at the teams' home bases under the supervision of Cybathlon officials.


This year's games saw 53 teams from 20 countries compete in the six events of powered arm prosthesis, brain-computer interface, powered exoskeleton, functional electrical stimulation bike, powered leg prosthesis and powered wheelchair.


Korea.net