Korea's national rehabilitation center transfers five technologies to private firms

The National Rehabilitation Center said it has signed agreements transferring five of its own rehabilitation technologies to three private Korean companies, extending a push to turn laboratory research into products for elderly and disabled users.

The contracts grant ordinary licensing rights to state employee-invention patents for 36 months, covering the whole of South Korea.

The five technologies are an ankle rehabilitation exercise module, a lifestyle-disease health management system based on lifelog data, a multifunction bed with posture-change, bedsore-prevention and bathing-assistance functions, an upper-limb joint rehabilitation training device with its control method, and an exercise guidance device based on an inertial measurement unit.

The companies receiving the technologies — SY Innotech, Dotoriz and Infinite Monkeys — plan to use them to improve existing products or develop new ones for sale.

The agreements follow four transfers to domestic private companies last year, covering a trunk-movement assistance device, functional shoes, an ankle rehabilitation exercise device and a system that provides tailored rehabilitation exercise programs.

"This technology transfer is significant in that it connects rehabilitation technologies accumulated during the research and development stage to products and services that can be used in the field," center director Kim Dong-a said.

"As the role of rehabilitation technology in responding to a super-aged society is becoming more important, along with improving physical function and quality of life for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled, we will actively support outstanding research results so they lead to substantive social value," Kim said.

Kim added that the center will keep improving transfer procedures and administrative convenience and strengthen cooperation with private companies to find more technology buyers.