Nextrise, which has become Asia's largest startup pair, participates in 1,500 domestic and foreign startups, and 250 global companies.

Green content 'Surprise' that succeeded in making vegan leather fabric by using natural by-products such as cactus, green tea, apples, and sweet potatoes.

'Space Map', which is developing native space technology, and 'Wiplo', which introduced AI prediction maintenance solutions for eco-friendly AAM, attracted attention from NASA.

The Next Rise event, which marks its sixth anniversary this year, raised expectations even before the start, predicting the largest scale ever. The event, which involved 1,500 domestic and foreign start-ups, 250 global conglomerates, and start-up support organizations for two days from the 13th, was successfully completed by showing off its status in line with the purpose of growth and globalization of the domestic start-up ecosystem.

From a personal point of view, I have covered quite a few startups so far as a reporter, but it is two days when I realized that there are more startups I have not yet met than those I have met.

In addition to the enthusiasm of startups promoting innovative technologies and products, "Next Rise 2024" continued throughout the event, with a variety of programs such as 1:1 business meet-ups, IR pitching of domestic and foreign startups, job interviews, and networking events.

​Develop AI predictive maintenance solutions to prepare for the AAM era.

​​A promotional video introducing Wiplo's solution. ( Video=Wiplo)

​

Wiplo, which met at an independent booth operated under the name of GS Energy's open innovation program, The GS Challenge: Future Energy, is also a startup preparing for a larger market in the future. GS Energy is also a subsidiary of GS Ventures, a Wiplo investment firm.

What Wiplo has developed is an AI predictive maintenance solution for the era of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) (also known as future urban aviation UAM). In addition, it is developing inspection and diagnosis solutions for eco-friendly mobility such as fuel cells, battery-based electric vehicles, and eVTOL (electric power vertical take-off and landing aircraft), not internal combustion engines. In this regard, 23 domestic and foreign patents are owned. In April, Wiplo, who was recognized for its technology and innovation, was selected for the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund's scale-up program "Pre-ICON."

In particular, Wiplo drew attention from visitors by unveiling solutions for next-generation mobility, including 'EV-Pit' △ 'Verti-Pit' △ 'Smart Hangar', which checks the driving unit of the drone, structural stability, and mechanical defects.

"We are developing a solution that goes into the core infrastructure of urban aviation mobility, commonly called Bertie Port, and a solution that can go into eVTOL," said Kim Se-hee, head of the Wiplo communication team, who met at the booth.  

"If AAM such as eVTOL is commercialized, there will be many collectively known Bertie ports throughout the city for take-offs and landings. Usually, you think of a large-scale Bertie Port with an area of 5500㎡, but there will also be small "Bertie Stop" at the level of a bus station now, where you can take off and land in small spaces such as gas stations, parks, and rooftops of buildings. When it becomes the airport size, it is also called Bertie Hub. This is collectively called Bertie Port, and we're developing a solution that goes into this, and a solution that goes into eVTOL."

The demand for checking and maintaining AAM will also increase as the number of small Bertie Stops increases. However, the problem is that it is difficult to meet the demand for a long time and manpower to be put in a hangar like an aircraft. Wiplo's solution shines at this very moment. Team leader Kim continued, "The core of the Wiplo solution is unmanned and automated."

"Wiplo's core technology is to check the drive of eVTOL in less than 10 seconds without contact. Drones and electric vehicles can also be checked in the same way. It is possible to check even the parts that cannot be confirmed by the existing related pipe, and the accuracy is more than 98%. In addition to simple checks, AI learns and analyzes the automatically recorded time series database through the dashboard to make a comprehensive diagnosis of the gas condition. This enables 'predictive maintenance' that identifies airframe aging and understands the average lifespan and replacement schedule for each part."

Listening to the explanation, the concept of 'EV-Pit', 'Verti-Pit', and 'Smart Hangar' mentioned above became increasingly clear. In particular, it was understood at once when I saw the actual "Verti-Pit" introduced at the scene. In other words, Wiplo's solution is a technology that can be inspected in a non-contact manner through sensors simply by placing drones, eVTOLs, and electric vehicles on "EV-Pit" and "Verti-Pit" depending on the size or type of mobility. In particular, drones can be inspected even in a "hovering" state where the blades run.

Team leader Kim added, "In the future, when drones transport people or large cargo, inspections will take place in a situation where large blades hover, and at this time, it is not easy for people to approach and inspect them." Based on the technology of this solution, Wiplo is preparing to expand its business, including services linked to non-life insurers and maintenance platforms.