비밀번호 확인 :
KU Smart Factory where Imagination can be Turned into Reality
관리자
1185
2018.04.17
<p> *<strong>* This article is based on an article published by Weekly Chosun <br /></strong></p> <div> <p style="text-align: justify;">On March 20, 2018, I visited the KU Smart Factory which has become popular among university students. The KU Smart Factory is nicknamed the “Fab Lab of Korea”. Students can turn their imagination into reality in the Fab Lab which stands for Fabrication Laboratory furnished with diverse laboratory and production equipment.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">When I entered the New Engineering Building on Konkuk University (KU)’s Seoul campus where KU Smart Factory is located, I heard the sound of piano music. I followed the sound and came across a large laboratory, covering 1000 ㎡ <span>(approximately 300 pyeong), which features 6 m ceiling height. A big desk where industrial glue, cables, and scissors were laid was placed in the center of the laboratory. About ten students were assembling something at the desk. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">When a student suddenly raised his hand, a lecturer ran to him and kindly explained the assembling process. Course materials were being displayed on the projector screen hung on the wall. A battery, a copper plate, and aluminum foil were shown on the screen. “These are the materials you will use which are easily found in daily life to make it today. It’s easy to make. So please follow my instructions carefully,” said lecturer Yong-jin Kim pointing at the screen with his finger. The students didn’t stop laughing throughout the three-hour-long lecture.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">On that day, students made mini digital pianos connected to computers. Students, looked amazed at their work, kept striking the piano keys. Piano sounds soon filled the lab.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“I thought it would be difficult to make a machine but surprisingly, I am now gaining knowledge about technologies-related to the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution,” said Ye-jin Lee, a junior of the Department of Apparel Design. She was busy making her piano with copper wire and a soldering machine, instead of a need and thread, which she uses to sew clothes.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In the KU Smart Factory, classes take place two to three times a week at free of charge. The classes, open to all KU students, regardless of major, mainly cover topics in relation to 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution such as 3D printing and manufacturing of products. Any student can sign up for the courses through which they can make diverse products including rings, furniture and pianos by themselves after checking class schedules on KU’s website. The classes are popular among students, with millions of students visiting the KU Smart Factory every day.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Senior students of the Department of Electric & Electrical Engineering were making panels for television screens by using safety goggles and soldering machines placed on a shelf on the other side of the lab. They were carefully following safety rules while using the equipment.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“If it were not for this place, I would work on my graduation project with a soldering machine I purchase at home. I am so happy that a work space for students like this is being provided,” said Min-ho Jeong, a senior of the Department of Electric & Electrical Engineering.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“KU Smart Factory is open to anyone. We provide sufficient explanations of all equipment and safety training to students. It is an innovative space where students can acquire knowledge necessary in the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution including coding,” said Jong-seol Kim, Administrative Director of the KU Smart Factory.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Country’s largest state-of-the-art facility</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">KU has emerged as a major private university in recent years. Since being selected for the PRIME (Program for Industrial Needs-Matched Education), the nation’s biggest education project, in 2016, the university has received KRW 48 billion over three years from the government. KU has taken another leap forward with the implementation of the project. The university declared its vision “PRIME KONKUK 2020” in preparation for its centennial anniversary and came up with a slogan: “A history of leadership “ to cultivate “Crossover talent” that future society wants. KU is planning to bring about massive educational innovation in an aim to become “One of the Top 5 Private Universities in Korea and One of the Top 100 Universities in Asia” by 2020. As part of the project, the university opened the “KU Smart Factory in May 2017.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In the opening ceremony, KU President Sanggi Min explained the reason for establishment of the KU Smart Factory as follows: “I consider that it is tremendously meaningful for us to lead innovation in university education in the era of the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution. The KU Smart Factory where students can turn various imagination and ideas into reality will be a highly effective means of helping students perform experiments, experience new things and commercialize idea which can lead to startup businesses and offering training”.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">As he noted, many are paying attention to the KU Smart Factory. Recently, the university was named one of Asia’s most innovative universities by Reuters for two consecutive years. In November 2017, KU became the first university to host a student drone competition in Korea and has been accelerating innovation in education for nurturing talent possessing interdisciplinary skills who can play the leading roles in the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The university spent KRW 4 billion converting the first floor of the New Engineering Building to two-story space where the KU Smart Factory, covering 1250 ㎡, is situated. The KU Smart Factory was modeled on Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and MakerSpace of the Technical University of Munich, Germany in which students can freely develop their test products with equipment and materials provided. Even if similar facilities are being operated by Seoul National University and Hanyang University, the KU Smart Factory is the largest in Korea. One of the biggest advantages of the laboratory is that the space equipped with various expensive equipment is accessible to undergraduate students.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There is a variety of rooms for experiments in the KU Smart Factory including the VR room, metal equipment room, woodworking tool room, 3D printing room, design room and drone operation room. Students can perform practical exercises through courses like capstone design and 3D video lectures are also offered.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Capstone design courses, or “Creative integral design” project, were developed to cultivate the future generation of engineers having necessary skills required by the industry. All students, irrespective of major, can stretch their imagination in the KU Smart Factory. <br /><br /><strong>Place where students can realize the vision of launching businesses</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The VR room is the most popular among students. As I went near the room, I heard exclamations uttered by students. Two students using VR devices couldn’t close their mouths and kept saying “wow!”. A number of planets of the universe were rapidly coming close to them on “VR projection wall”, a big screen. They were bending over as if they were trying as if they were trying to dodge the planets. A female student even shouted for a short time.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The VR room is divided into two sections, one is a space for brainstorming and making goods where students can explore VR spaces which is an ideal place for students to create content and technologies and the other is the space where a large 3D display and VR projection wall are installed.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“Motions of students can be detected using computers in the VR room. I would like to say that VR room is a space for creative thinking,” said Professor Hyeong-seok Kim of the Department of Software who took part in designing the VR room.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The KU Smart Factory continues to evolve. The university is scheduled to build a motion platform within this year. Slight movements which are not easy to be detected using cameras can be captured on the platform. The motion platform will be useful when manufacturing cars or aircrafts.</p> <p>What will the future of the KU Smart Factory look like? <br />Seon-ju Kim, Dean of the College of Engineering, replied as follows: “We are going to assist students in conducting experiments and setting up companies by using the facility. Furthermore, we will engage with local community and make the KU Smart Factory a place for university-industry collaboration. We also hope all students, regardless of major, can fulfill their dreams of starting their own businesses. Students will become talent with interdisciplinary skills who will serve as leaders in the 4th Industrial Revolution by gaining extensive experience related to promising fields of technology at the KU Smart Factory”.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: small;"><img width="626" height="240" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block;" alt="" src="ArticleFile.do?id=11729608" /><br /><img width="500" height="299" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block;" alt="" src="ArticleFile.do?id=11729606" /><br /><img width="500" height="301" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block;" alt="" src="ArticleFile.do?id=11729607" /></span></span></span></span></strong></p> </div>
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