What if hearing-impaired individuals could order food in sign language at a drive-thru? What if rideable electric scooters could be combined with wheelchairs for seamless mobility? What if dialysis treatments could be conveniently done inside an electric vehicle without needing to go to a hospital?
The compassionate hearts and innovative ideas of Hyundai and Kia employees aimed at supporting social minorities were on full display as future mobility technologies were unveiled.
On the 22nd (Friday), Hyundai and Kia held the finals of their ‘2023 Idea Festival’ at the Namyang Technology Research Center (located in Namyang-eup, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do), where employees proposed ideas and presented their creations.
This year marks the 14th edition of the Idea Festival, an annual event that has been running since 2010 to foster a creative research culture and encourage employees’ passion and creativity in research and development.
The theme of this year’s Idea Festival was ‘Technologies That Change the World with a Warm Heart.’ Leading up to this event, Hyundai and Kia called for ideas that would create new value for the transportation disadvantaged and other socially vulnerable groups, starting in May.
Among the submissions, 15 teams were selected as finalists, with expectations that their innovative ideas could positively impact society. They competed in the finals on this day.
A total of 9 teams presented in the ‘Production Category’ which implements ideas in real form and 6 teams shared their concepts in the ‘Scenario Category’ through storytelling.
Five teams from the Yantai and Shanghai Technology Research Institutes in China participated in the finals via pre-made videos (3 teams in the Production Category and 2 teams in the Scenario Category).
Hyundai and Kia provided all finalist teams with production funds and space for creating their prototypes, allowing them approximately 5 months to bring their ideas to life.
In the ‘Production Category’, the following projects were presented: ▲ ‘Visiting Dialysis Room’ utilizing V2L (Vehicle to Load) and V2H (Vehicle to Hospital) communication, ▲ Aquatic rescue mobility ‘Orbit’ designed to ensure golden time, ▲ ‘Blind Spot Pedestrian Accident Prevention Technology’ through UWB (Ultra-wideband) communication, ▲ ‘Digital Side Mirror (DSM) Sign Language Communication System’ for the hearing impaired, ▲ ‘V2GO (Vehicle To Go)’ enhancing vehicle air conditioning systems for external use, and ▲ ‘Haptic Navigator’ for visually impaired public transport users.
In the ‘Scenario Category’, projects included ▲ Custom Vehicle Subscription Service for Pregnant Women ‘Comfortable World’, ▲ AI-based Active Driving Under the Influence Prediction and Prevention System ‘Drunk Hunter’, ▲ Mobility Enhancement Technology for Wheelchair Users utilizing Shared Scooters, and ▲ Social Safety Net Technology to prevent accidents occurring in blind spots.
The China Technology Institute showcased in the ‘Production Category’ ▲ Identification Control System utilizing vehicle knocking sounds ▲ Driver healthcare system leveraging smart watch integration ▲ Smart services using a 360° rotating camera within the vehicle, and in the ‘Scenario Category’ presented ▲ Travel services for the visually impaired using autonomous driving technology and ▲ Convertible mobility operable on land, sea, and air.
Following the presentations by each team, the judging panel, which included CTO Kim Yong-hwa, evaluated the novelty and completeness of the entries, also factoring in the cumulative ‘likes’ from YouTube to determine the final rankings.
The result of the competition saw the ‘Haptic Navigator’ presented by Team ‘H-sense’ winning the gold prize in the Production Category, while Team ‘Good Brothers’ won in the Scenario Category for their ‘Mobility Enhancement Technology for Wheelchair Users Utilizing Shared Scooters’.
The H-sense team who won the Production Category received a prize of 10 million won and an opportunity to attend ‘CES 2024’, while the Good Brothers team in the Scenario category won 5 million won and a chance for overseas technology exploration in Asia.
Hyundai and Kia’s CTO Kim Yong-hwa remarked, “This Idea Festival is a result of employees thoughtfully considering how mobility can exert a positive influence.