Korea, Italy Team Up for Robot Research

“Isn’t endoscopy painful? Korean and Italian experts will make joint efforts to relieve the pain,” said Paolo Dario, professor of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.

Korean and Italian researchers were cooperating at a November 1 workshop on robot engineering for people with disabilities and senior citizens that was held in a conference room of the Ministry of Information and Communication. Three Italian robot engineers made presentations with themes such as “robot engineering for longevity” and “robot engineering for rehabilitation.”

“In the near future, Korea and Italy will face a common problem: an increasing proportion of senior citizens. In this regard, robot technologies for seniors and people with disabilities have huge potential for applications,” explained, Silvestro Micera, professor of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.

Among the three Italians who made presentations, Professor Paolo Dario is a world-renowned micro-robot expert. He said that it was lucky for him to start joint research with KAIST when he visited Korea for the first time.

Marco Santoro, a research fellow who came to Korea with Professor Dario, said confidently, “If our two nations cooperate, we will be able to possess several core technologies with higher levels than those of the U.S. and Japan, which have had a head start in terms of robot development.

In the workshop, Doctor Oh Sang-rok, who made a presentation on network robots for seniors and people with disabilities, said, “Korea and Italy are cooperating closely in diverse areas including colon endoscopy robotics and artificial skin sensors and we have top technologies in these fields.”

Yoon-Jong Yoo gustav@donga.com