Analysis of 51 applications filed between 2013 and 2015 , released by the Korean Intellectual Property Office
Complex technologies such as kinematic design technology, self-localization technology, and object and environment recognition technology

The strong earthquakes that struck Japan and Ecuador in succession last April caused numerous casualties and property damage, but recovery is still requiring a lot of time and manpower. With small-scale earthquakes occurring frequently in Korea recently, public concern is growing that we are no longer safe from natural disasters such as earthquakes; consequently, interest in robot technology that can be deployed for rescue operations and disaster recovery is on the rise.


▲ Annual patent application status for disaster response robots

A disaster response robot refers to a robot deployed in place of humans in extreme environmental conditions, such as natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as nuclear power plant leaks and large building collapses.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (Commissioner Choi Dong-gyu), domestic patent applications related to disaster response robots (based on the filing date) showed a continuous increase since 2010, with 22 applications filed between 2010 and 2012 and 51 applications filed between 2013 and 2015, whereas previously the annual average was only 2 to 3 cases.


▲ Patent application status by applicant for disaster response robots

Looking at the application rates related to disaster response robots, companies accounted for the highest proportion at 34%, followed by universities at 30%, public research institutes at 21%, and other individuals at 15%; however, since there is no significant difference in the proportion of patent applications among companies, universities, and public research institutes, research in this fieldIt shows that the initiative is proceeding in a balanced manner across industry, academia, and research.

Looking at the technology trends of patent applications filed since 2010, firefighting-related fields such as fire suppression accounted for 32%, and disaster environment deployment and rescue fields accounted for 30%, while detection and surveillance fields accounted for 23%, surface and underwater fields for 10%, and other fields for 5%, and patents related to surface and underwater fields concerning maritime accidents are also being filed steadily.

▲ Patent application status by technology trend related to disaster response robots

Korea's disaster response robot technology has been recognized as being of a world-class level, with the KAIST team winning the '2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge,' a global disaster response robot competition, with their 'DRC-HUBO' robot.

Kwon Young-ho, Head of the Robot Automation Examination Division at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, stated, “With natural disasters occurring frequently worldwide recently, there is an increasingly urgent need for the technological development of disaster response robots. As disaster response robots are a complex integration of technologies such as kinematic design, self-localization, object and environment recognition, information and communication technology, autonomous mobility, and battery performance enhancement, they have a significant ripple effect on related industries. Moving forward, we anticipate the development of disaster response robots that surpass actual humans by combining humanoid robot technology, which further mimics human behavior, with disaster response technology.”