Korea Tech students unveil 95 graduation projects, from EV fire-fighting robots to AI startup location tools

Ninety-five student research projects — ranging from a robot designed to contain electric vehicle fires in underground parking garages to an AI service that recommends startup locations for small-business owners — will go on public display as part of an annual graduation exhibition at Korea University of Technology and Education.

The university announced Wednesday that it will hold its 32nd Annual Graduation Research Exhibition for the 2026 academic year in the lobby of Damheon Silhak Hall on campus Wednesday and Thursday.

The exhibition is an educational program in which third- and fourth-year students identify real-world problems and research and develop solutions drawing on their major coursework and hands-on training. This year's entries include 40 projects from the School of Mechatronics Engineering, eight from the School of Energy, New Materials and Chemical Engineering, 23 from the School of Business Administration, and 24 from the Department of Employment Service Policy. Introductory panels for each school and highlight videos will also be available online.

Five students from the School of Mechatronics Engineering, including Lee Su-yong, developed a smothering robot to prevent EV fires from spreading in underground parking garages. When parking-zone sensors detect a fire, the robot receives the ignition location and navigates there autonomously. It then uses radio-frequency identification technology to pinpoint the burning vehicle and deploys a fire-smothering blanket over it. The project focuses on rapidly containing the vehicle before firefighters arrive, preventing flames from spreading to nearby cars.

Nine students from the chemical and biological engineering track of the School of Energy, New Materials and Chemical Engineering, including Lim Jun-ha, will present a smart implant designed to promote bone formation while maintaining sustained antibacterial properties. The implant's surface incorporates a copper-based material to provide initial antibacterial protection, and its surface structure is engineered to change in a simulated in-vivo environment. The goal is to simultaneously improve cell compatibility and long-term antibacterial performance.

Park Tae-young of the School of Business Administration researched an AI startup location matching service that draws on regional vacancy data. The model aggregates commercial district and vacancy information — including foot traffic, sales, rent, accessibility, surrounding population and competition levels — to assess location suitability and recommend sites that match a prospective entrepreneur's business type, budget and preferences.

Kim Ji-yeon of the Department of Employment Service Policy researched an income-based framework to strengthen the effectiveness of employment insurance for workers in special forms of employment. She noted that the existing occupation-centered employment insurance system struggles to adequately cover emerging work arrangements such as platform workers. Drawing on case studies of atypical worker protections in Germany and France, she proposed a path toward an employment insurance system that reflects actual income and the nature of the working relationship.

Korea University of Technology and Education President Yoo Gil-sang said the graduation research exhibition "carries great significance as a process in which students apply the specialized knowledge and practical skills they have built at university to finding solutions to problems facing actual industries and society." He added that the university would "continuously strengthen practice-centered education so that students can grow into talent equipped with creative problem-solving abilities and real-world competencies."