ENG VOL.49
February 2019
News ____ ETRI Issue
Headline News
ETRI Establishes International Standard for IoT Low-power Communications
ETRI researchers established an international standard for IoT-related technology, one of the leading technologies underpinning the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and were also granted an international standard patent. These are truly extraordinary achievements. ETRI’s recommended standard for NFC-based IPv6 Communications, i.e., low-power IoT communications protocol technology, had been finally confirmed at a November 2018 meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an international community to develop and promote Internet standards. Subsequently, ETRI announced that the confirmed standard would serve as the official international standard from early this month. It is the world-first proprietary technology owned by ETRI’s Protocol Engineering Center. At the 2016 interoperability test event hosted by the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI), the technology already passed each test item with high scores, demonstrating its technological superiority. Also, the technology was introduced as an example of outstanding technology by the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), an international Internet address registry.
ETRI Develops Thermoelement, Generating Electricity with Body Heat
ETRI researchers developed a thermoelement that generates electricity using heat emitted from the human body. The developed thermoelement converts thermal energy obtained from body heat into electricity and amplify the energy to supply power to wearable devices. This invention will make it possible for wearable devices to operate without attached batteries.
The researchers further expect that it will be possible to collect data wirelessly from those wearable devices by combining them with temperature or pulse sensors going forward. When implemented, the technology will be applied to monitoring of infants and patients or location tracking of pets.
Opening of Drone Show Korea 2019
Drone Show Korea 2019, the largest drone exhibition event in Korea, was held at BEXCO for three days from January 24 to 26. This year celebrated the fourth anniversary of the show, and 110 drone-related companies participated under the theme of “Connected by Drone.”
Domestic drone-related companies, such as Korean Air, Uconsystem, Fine ADS, PNU Drone, NES&TEC, Samco, made their presence. Notably, Doosan Mobility Innovation, which applied fuel cell technology to drone batteries, thereby significantly increasing the flight time of drones, and SKT, which examined the expandability of drones connected to communications, newly participated and presented cases of inter-industry convergence.
Also, major research institutions related to drones and public-sector clients established their exhibition spaces, including the ROK Army seeking the Dronebot Combat System, ETRI, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, Institute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, and Land and Geospatial Informatrix Corporation.