KIMM, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and Central Hospital Hold Robotic Prosthetic Leg Demonstration
Joining hands for the distribution of smart robotic prosthetics developed with domestic technology

Robotic prosthetic legs developed with domestic technology are expected to become reliable legs for disabled national merit recipients.
The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials and the Central Veterans Hospital, under the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, will hold a demonstration of a robotic prosthetic leg at the Prosthetics Center of the Central Veterans Hospital in Seoul on the 5th and join forces to promote the distribution of smart robotic prosthetic legs to national merit recipients.

The demonstration will be attended by Minister Park Sam-deuk of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, President Park Cheon-hong of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), the Director of the Central Veterans Hospital, the Director of the Prosthetics Center, and Principal Researcher Woo Hyun-soo, who is in charge of research and development.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has been providing prosthetic devices, such as artificial legs, to persons of national merit who have been injured in war or on official duty. With the recent increase in requests for prosthetic devices incorporating advanced technology, the Ministry has been reviewing the distribution of smart robotic prosthetic legs developed with domestic technology.

Last March, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials began preliminary suitability tests for robotic prosthetics on five persons of national merit. Starting in August, the scope of subjects was expanded to include Seoul and the Daejeon area, and a total of 8 people were evaluated on whether they could use robotic prosthetic legs in daily life.

Previously, from 2015 to 2017, the Medical Support Robot Research Laboratory at the Daegu Convergence Technology Center of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials conducted research on ankle-type robotic prosthetics for lower limb amputees with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT, and succeeded in developing a smart robotic prosthetic in April 2017.

In 2018, we embarked on technology development for the commercialization of robotic prosthetics through the ACE (Advanced Commercialization Enhancement) program, a support program for small and medium-sized enterprises of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, and in 2019, we launched the project in earnest with support from the R&D Special Zone Technology Transfer Commercialization Project.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to continuously improve the quality of robotic prosthetics by receiving recommendations for suitable candidates from local veterans hospitals during the first half of this year and conducting a second trial service. Once quality improvement reaches a certain level, the Ministry plans to select applicants among those eligible for leg prosthetics (calf) and supply robotic prosthetics on a trial basis.

Park Cheon-hong, President of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), stated, “We will make active efforts to ensure that smart robotic prosthetics become new feet for those who have dedicated themselves to our country.”