Hyosang Lee appointed new Cyber Valley Research Group Leader

Lee’s research group focuses on intelligent tactile systems and studies the sensing and perception mechanisms of biological systems. “With Dr. Hyosang Lee, we now have a second Cyber Valley research group leader at the University of Stuttgart, who brings us up to speed in the field of both sensory technology and machine learning,” says Prof. Dr. Wolfram Ressel, Rector of the University of Stuttgart, welcoming him. “The Nobel Prize for the identification of the very receptor that lets us perceive touch has just been awarded. Transferring that to autonomous systems is a considerable challenge.” Lee's research group is made possible by a grant from the Christian Bürkert Stiftung.

The group is part of the Institute of Smart Sensors (IIS) and develops artificial tactile systems that are then applied in contact-rich environments. In order to do so, the group is going to conduct interdisciplinary research at both the hardware and software levels, including research into new materials, sensor design, multiphysics simulation, sensor fabrication, signal processing, and machine learning. Their research has the potential to produce autonomous systems for contact-rich systems. These systems could, in perspective, be able to recognize contact as such and take advantage of their body’s surface for manipulation, motion planning, and nonverbal communication.

Most recently, Lee was a postdoctoral researcher in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS). There, he developed whole-body tactile sensors with sensing mechanisms inspired by biological systems. Previously, he was awarded his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea, in 2017. He also obtained his master’s degree in robotics and mechanical engineering there. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Korea University, South Korea.

About the Christian Bürkert Stiftung

The special purpose of the Christian Bürkert Stiftung is the advancement of young people in the natural sciences and technology who stand out due to their professional skills, sense of responsibility and dynamics. The charitable foundation which is company-affiliated with Bürkert Fluid Control Systems supports the exchange of scientific experience, in addition to other non-profit tasks, and promotes in particular science and research as well as education.