In the 'Cybathlon 2024,' the international cyborg olympics held in October last year, Professor Shin Dong-jun's research team from Yonsei University's Department of Mechanical Engineering won. The event was in the muscle electrical stimulation (FES) rehabilitation robot bicycle category. Athlete Lim Hoon-seop, who became totally paralyzed from the waist down due to a traffic accident in 2021, completed the 1960m track in 6 minutes and 2 seconds, securing the victory.
Professor Shin noted at the '12th Korea-Switzerland Life Science Symposium' held on the 20th at the Westin Chosun Seoul hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, that "FES is a technology that stimulates leg muscles with electricity to enable motion in paralyzed patients," adding that "we found a stimulation pattern that maximizes muscle strength while reducing fatigue using FES technology."
The technology developed by Professor Shin's team is designed for rehabilitation to enhance the muscles of patients with paralysis in the lower body. Even for individuals who cannot move their lower body at all, this technology can yield effects similar to those of cycling exercise. Professor Shin stated, "After analyzing the data from athlete Lim, we observed a reduction in fat and an increase in muscle mass," and added, "The thigh circumference also increased by 8 cm."
As scientific technology advances, innovative technologies that help overcome physical or cognitive disabilities are emerging every day. Korea and Switzerland are at the forefront of bioengineering for overcoming disabilities. This symposium, held in conjunction with the 'Korea-Switzerland Innovation Week 2025', examined the trends in cutting-edge science and technology for overcoming disabilities and provided a snapshot of how scientists from Korea and Switzerland are collaborating.
This time, top researchers from Switzerland made a significant visit to Korea. Professor Silvestro Micera from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), who served as the keynote speaker, introduced a wearable device for restoring hand and finger nerve functions. Professor Micera said, "I was inspired while watching Star Wars in my teens," and added, "I am conducting research that directly connects prosthetic limbs to the human nervous system."
Professor Micera's team is developing technology to connect the human nervous system with prosthetic limbs. The goal is to enable individuals wearing prosthetic limbs to feel sensations like a real hand. This technology does not stop at merely grasping objects with a prosthetic but allows the user to feel various sensations that one would experience when gripping an object with a hand. Professor Micera explained, "The most challenging part was to replicate the temperature felt when holding something in hand," stating, "Currently, it can sense the temperature of objects grasped with the prosthetic between 25 and 37 degrees Celsius."
Dr. Yoan Civet from the EPFL Soft Actuator Center introduced a soft actuator technology that controls the blood flow in the aorta by being implanted in the human body. This technology enables overcoming diseases like heart failure, affecting millions of people worldwide. Dr. Civet stated, "We control the airflow using electrical signals to manipulate air pressure, thereby regulating the flow in the aorta," and added, "We are conducting research to use this technology for bio-bladders that control bladder muscles and for the revival of facial muscles."
Professor Yves Perriard from EPFL presented shoes designed for diabetes patients. One in ten people globally suffers from diabetes, and among them, 19 to 34% experience foot ulcers due to poor blood circulation, leading to slow healing. Professor Perriard noted, "Diabetes patients often do not realize when ulcers form on their feet due to nerve damage, resulting in severe progression and sometimes amputations," and explained that, "We aim to solve this issue by utilizing technology that adjusts foot pressure in the shoe sole."
The smart shoes developed by Professor Perriard's team contain 50 devices capable of adjusting pressure in the sole. Higher pressure increases the likelihood of ulcers forming. Professor Perriard explained, "We measured the pressure applied to the shoes while walking and obtained data on which areas should receive more or less pressure," adding, "We use a magnetorheological fluid that changes viscosity according to magnetic fields to regulate the pressure applied to the foot."
Professor Michael Mayer from the Adolphe Merkle Institute at the University of Fribourg introduced a device that supplies electricity to artificial organs inside the body. This device was inspired by the electric eel and aims to continuously supply electricity using energy generated during metabolic processes. Professor Mayer mentioned, "I envisioned that we could generate power using carbon dioxide emitted when a person breathes."
Domestic researchers introduced various technologies that can support bioengineering, similar to artificial intelligence (AI). Professor Lee Jin-hyung from Stanford University, who established the digital medical device company LVIS, introduced NeuroMatch, an AI-based platform for diagnosing and treating brain diseases.
Professor Lee stated, "It is essential to directly measure how brain circuits communicate," and added, "Creating a digital twin to restore brain function is our goal." A digital twin refers to a system or object modeled virtually to accurately reflect entities in the real world.
Professor Lee noted, "The expense of developing new drugs ranges from $3 billion to $6 billion, which is not a sustainable approach," and stated, "By directly observing the brain network, drug development and clinical trials can progress much faster and more cost-effectively."
Professor Jeon Tae-joon from Ulsan University College of Medicine introduced various examples of how AI technology can be utilized in real medical settings. A notable example is a clinical trial recommendation system for tumor patients. By extracting patient information from electronic medical records (EMR) and training AI on clinical trial criteria, this system recommends suitable clinical trials for patients.
Professor Jeon emphasized, "Integrating large language models (LLM) into the medical field is a significant trend, and major hospitals are also actively pursuing this," pointing out that "most services focus on reducing the workload of clinicians, but it can also uncover new knowledge by analyzing hospital records, clinical guidelines, and trial data."
Experts gathered at the symposium emphasized that the industry, academia, and public institutions must collaborate for innovation in bioengineering. They also highlighted the significance of cooperation among technology-leading countries like Korea and Switzerland.
Kim Hyun-cheol, head of the Research and Development Innovation Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, stated, "Korea and Switzerland will work together to find solutions for future healthcare across various fields, from neural interfaces to AI." Jacques Ducrest, Director General of the Swiss Federal Office for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), remarked, "Switzerland is a leading country in life sciences, and Korea's big data sector is growing," and noted, "This symposium will serve as a platform for the long-term innovation of both countries."