Press Release
: 54 : 관리자 : Sat, 14 September 2024, 12:00 AM |
[워크투데이] SierraBASE CEO Kim: “Aging Infrastructure in Underdeveloped Countries is a Severe...We Will Lead in Preventing Disaster.” |
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- First Smart Construction New Technology Certification from the South Korean government - Product launched in July. “The likelihood of infrastructure collapse is significantly higher in developing countries compared to developed nations. Conducting safety assessments of infrastructure in these regions is urgently needed to prevent major disasters.” Song-Hyun Kim, CEO of SierraBASE, the first company to receive smart construction technology certification from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport this year, emphasized the severe "safety inequality" between developed and developing countries. “We must immediately conduct safety assessments on infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, in developing nations,” he stressed. Kim, a former university professor, founded SierraBASE in 2019 with the mission of creating a safer world. This year alone, over 140 people have died in India due to bridge collapses, and in Kenya, at least 42 lives were lost when a dam burst following heavy rains. Kim provided a detailed explanation of the vulnerabilities in infrastructure management in developing countries. “Statistics show that 45% of bridges in the United States are over 50 years old, indicating how much our surrounding infrastructure has aged. The real issue, however, lies in developing countries. There is virtually no investment in infrastructure management, and they lack the necessary technology and expertise. The severity of the problem is compounded by the fact that most developing countries in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America are in tropical climates. These climates have a profound impact on the physical structures of infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, accelerating the aging process considerably.” Kim announced plans to actively utilize "SIRIUS," the world’s first safety assessment solution using robots, launched in July, to assess the safety of infrastructure in developing countries. SIRIUS is a platform capable of smart inspection and monitoring of infrastructure through the 3D simultaneous control of multiple robots. Kim developed this solution while exploring safer methods for inspecting structures like bridges, dams, and buildings, which have traditionally been assessed by humans. SIRIUS revolutionizes safety assessment methods. It first creates a 3D map of the area, and then, based on this map, it conducts safe, autonomous flights and performs vision-based inspections using AI. SierraBASE was the first in Korea to commercialize a “rotary LiDAR” that rotates both horizontally and vertically for 3D mapping—a technology rarely seen even abroad. Thanks to the flawless implementation of this technology, a 300-meter bridge can be fully 3D mapped within 10 minutes, including the drone’s takeoff and landing time. Based on this data, the drone’s Level 4 autonomous flight enables automated inspection. This solution allows for quick and accurate assessments of infrastructure, drastically reducing both costs and time. Since its launch in July, SIRIUS has received an overwhelming number of service orders, earning a reputation as a “game changer” in the safety assessment market. Kim noted, “We are now struggling to accommodate all the test requests from potential clients.” The company plans to prioritize safety assessments in developing countries. “Our team started this business with the goal of making our society safer,” said Kim. “We can no longer stand by and watch the continued infrastructure collapses in developing nations. We are committed to taking direct action to help these countries.” SierraBASE was founded in 2019 by three graduates of POSTECH, often referred to as Korea’s MIT. Last year, the company was selected by the South Korean government as one of the “20 Smart Construction SMEs” due to its high growth potential. Earlier this year, SierraBASE received government certification for new construction technology, specifically for its “autonomous drone system with digital twin technology and AI algorithms for inspecting concrete structures”—a feat considered challenging even for large corporations. Since the system’s introduction in 2020, only 20 companies, including large enterprises, have received this certification. |
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