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  Kakao Games invests $15 million in Playable Worlds to boost game-developing capabilities SEOUL -- In an effort to boost game-developing capabilities and expand its influence abroad, the game publishing wing of South Korea's web service giant Kakao has invested $15 million in Playable Worlds, an American company that creates cloud-native online games. The strategic investment was made through the European branch of Kakao Games to develop differentiated cloud-native games and metaverse platforms. Cloud-native games use the cloud to process certain parts of the game, 2022-04-21
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  Seoul's civil complaint call center to upgrade AI-based civil complaint service SEOUL -- Seoul's civil complaint call center will upgrade its artificial intelligence-based customer service to take care of waves of inquiries. Chatbots and voicebots will carry out simple and repetitive tasks so that human assistants can focus on complicated inquiries. AI-based customer services are used in various sectors due to their efficiency. Chatbots communicate with customers through text conversations and voicebots specialize in verbal conversations. Customers can c 2022-04-21
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  Researchers develop empathetic haptic skin capable of detecting complicated touch motions SEOUL -- Inspired by a thin and elastic polymeric food wrap product, South Korean researchers have developed an empathetic haptic skin that can detect complicated touch motions such as fondling, stroking, pinching, and twisting to emotionally interact with human counterparts. The artificial skin can be used for the creation of care or pet robots. Various types of haptic sensors are being developed globally. Sensors capable of detecting pressure and movements are normally produced i 2022-04-21
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  Researchers develop high-energy hybrid lithium-ion battery capable of charging at lightning speed SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a high-energy, high-output hybrid lithium-ion battery that can be charged at a lightning speed. The super-fast-charging battery can be utilized in many fields including electric vehicles, drones, and other smart devices. Lithium-ion batteries are one of the most used in the world. Lithium-based batteries are lighter and smaller in size compared to other battery types, contributing to the miniaturization of portable devices including 2022-04-21
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  LG Uplus launches commercial service of quantum-resistant cryptography SEOUL -- LG Uplus has launched South Korea's first commercial service of quantum-resistant cryptography that can defend against hacking attacks on quantum computers. The mobile carrier would discover customized application services for each customer group and expand them to various fields. LG Uplus (LGU+), a mobile carrier in South Korea, said it would apply quantum-resistant cryptography technology to wired and wireless communication through technology advancement. As diffe 2022-04-21
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  Researchers develop hair-thin fiber OLED capable of emitting white light SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a fiber organic light-emitting diode that is capable of emitting white light. The fiber that is thinner than a strand of hair can be used in various sectors including fashion, medical, safety, and flexible display. Normally, white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), also known as WOLEDs, emit white light through color filters of red, green, and blue (RGB) in a similar way to that of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Direct emissio 2022-04-21
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  KT restores voices of Lou Gehrig's disease patients with artificial intelligence SEOUL -- KT, a major major telecom company in South Korea, has restored the voices of eight patients with Lou Gehrig's disease using artificial intelligence-based speech synthesis technology. Patients can communicate with their friends and family members using a smartphone app that converts written text into their voices within a second. Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a neurodegenerative disease that damages nerve cells in the br 2022-04-20
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  S. Korea's only state seed vault to be guarded with LG Uplus smart radar service SEOUL -- In order to respond to the climate crisis and help preserve biodiversity, LG Uplus will donate an artificial-intelligence-based smart radar service to South Korea's only seed vault run by a state arboretum that opened in 2018 in a mountainous area to store seeds donated by institutions from all over the world. The seed vault in the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum in Bonghwa, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Seoul is an underground facility with a triple iron 2022-04-20
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  Hyundai shipbuilding group's holding company test operates passenger ship in virtual space SEOUL -- Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the holding company of Hyundai shipbuilding group, test operated autonomous passenger ships in a virtual space using digital twin technology. Various functions such as high-speed sailing and docking were demonstrated using the virtual clone of an actual ship that is currently being built. A digital twin is a virtual clone of an object or an infrastructure. Digital twins are frequently used as testing grounds for new technologi 2022-04-19
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  State technology institute partners with brain institute for advanced research SEOUL -- A South Korean state-run technology institute forged a partnership with a state brain research institute to develop a new artificial intelligence-based brain-related big data analysis and verification platform. The two prominent institutes will also cooperate to incubate young brain researchers. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) said in a statement on April 18 that the institute partnered with the Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI) to be 2022-04-18
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  Researchers develop non-metallic photocatalyst capable of producing green hydrogen SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a non-metallic photocatalyst that can use sunlight to produce green hydrogen which does not emit any kind of greenhouse gases during the production process. While the ordinary production process for hydrogen fuel requires some form of fossil fuel, green hydrogen solely relies on renewable energy generated by sunlight or wind. Photocatalysts absorb bright light to cause chemical reactions but they are mainly made of metallic materials 2022-04-18
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  Researchers develop photocatalyst technique to turn sludge into green ammonia SEOUL -- A joint team of researchers has developed a photocatalyst technique that uses sunlight to turn sewage sludge into ammonia, which can be used for the production of hydrogen through a thermal catalytic decomposition process. Green ammonia can be produced using only renewable energy such as sunlight and wind power. Because no carbon is generated, green ammonia is considered an important part of a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem. Sewage sludge full of organic materials is a goo 2022-04-14
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  Researchers develop high-intensity ultrasound technique capable of detecting metal ions inside body SEOUL -- A joint team of researchers has developed a diagnostics technique that uses high-intensity focused ultrasound to detect metal ions. The technique can play a vital role in the process of understanding the metal ions in both healthy and disease states. Metal ions are basic and fundamental elements required for the maintenance of life of plants, animals and humans. The essential metal ions for humans include sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Other trace metals such as 2022-04-13
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  SKT works with Morph Interactive for quick introduction of new functions for Ifland metaverse platform SEOUL -- SK Telecom, a top mobile carrier in South Korea, will work with Morph Interactive, a 3D graphics platform developer, to speed up the development and introduction of new functions for a tolerant metaverse platform called "Ifland" that would maximize user experience through diverse virtual spaces and avatars. SK Telecom (SKT) will make equity investments in Morph Interactive under a strategic cooperation agreement, but financial terms were not disclosed. Morph Inter 2022-04-13
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  Researchers develop technology to accurately classify sound in CCTV blind spots SEOUL -- South Korea's state research body has developed a situation recognition solution that can accurately classify sound generated in CCTV blind spots through artificial intelligence. Within three seconds of the sound signal, combined sound objects can be accurately classified up to 91 percent to monitor crimes and emergencies. The Korea Photonics Technology Institute (KOPTI) said that its research team has developed the solution with the aim of detecting all kinds of mixed 2022-04-12
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  Researchers develop ultra-quick diagnosis chip technology for blood poisoning by bacteria SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed an ultra-quick detection technique capable of analyzing blood for the presence of viable bacteria using a microfluidic chip. Bacteria sometimes cause infection within the bloodstream, a microbiological disease known as bacteremia or more commonly known as blood poisoning. The newly-developed method takes about three hours to get results while the conventional technique requires two to three days. Blood poisoning caused by bacteria in 2022-04-07
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  Incheon airport to detect dangerous items through smart security inspection zone SEOUL -- South Korea's main gateway in the western port city of Incheon will establish a smart security inspection system that can detect dangerous items without having passengers take out laptops and liquid materials. Through the adoption of state-of-the-art equipment including body inspection detectors and X-ray computed tomography (CT), various portable items can be identified quickly in a smart inspection zone. Currently, Incheon International Airport inspects passengers 2022-04-06
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  POSTECH opens e-sports pub for students to have e-sports competition SEOUL -- A prominent engineering and science school in South Korea's southeastern port city of Pohang opened an e-sports pub where students can compete with other collegians at home and abroad or watch sports games while having light meals. It is a metaverse facility that 50,000 people around the world can access at the same time. Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) is the only Korean university to have a sports pub called "Colosseum" which is desig 2022-04-06
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  Researchers develop new effective photoelectrode structure for green hydrogen production SEOUL -- Researchers have developed a new photoelectrode structure that is used for the production of green hydrogen which does not involve any fossil fuel during its creation process. The new structure allows the electrode to have 400 percent more efficient than current photoelectrodes. A photoelectrode is a semiconductor that absorbs solar energy to initialize electrochemical transformations. The electrode dissociates water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Because the phot 2022-04-05
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  Researchers develop highly efficient eco-friendly gold leaching technique for 'urban mines' SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a highly efficient gold leaching technique to recover precious metals from electronics. While a conventional method has an efficiency of about 15 percent, the newly-developed eco-friendly technique can recover up to 99.9 percent of gold used in chips and conductors. Gold leaching uses a toxic chemical solvent including sodium cyanide to dissolve and extract gold. Professional gold collectors retrieve abandoned electronics including c 2022-04-05