​[Business Post Channel Who] The era of 'Simple Sky Path' is opening. 

​It has been more than a hundred years since mankind began to use the sky as a path, but the use of the sky path is still not as comfortable for us. Because of the inconvenience, we use land roads and waterways to cross the Han River, but not sky roads.

​But this story is gradually becoming an old saying, too. Governments and companies in each country are making all-out efforts to develop technology and improve systems to commercialize urban air mobility (UAM) technology that can easily travel a short distance as soon as possible. 

​If UAM feels like a distant story, there are drones that are already deep in our lives. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport started drone delivery services in 14 local governments nationwide in August.

WEFLO is a start-up company that has stepped up to take responsibility for the safety of this 'simple skyway'. It is a company that started as an in-house venture of Hanwha System and spun off, and is engaged in checking and managing the status of UAM and drones based on technologies such as contactless sensors, artificial intelligence, and big data. 

​Since most of the skyways of UAMs and drones not only penetrate the city center but also have low flight altitude, the fall of these aircraft can lead to casualties even if there are no humans on the aircraft. 

​This is why maintenance of aircraft is very important in the UAM and drone business, and it is also why CEO Kim Eui-jung founded WEFLO. 

​Channel Who met Kim Eui-jung, CEO of the UAM era, in person, who said he would speed up the arrival of the UAM era through a new and innovative inspection system. The following is a question and answer between CEO Kim Eui-jung and Channel Hoo.

​- The company WEFLO is very unfamiliar to the general public. Can you explain what kind of business it is?

​The main members of WEFLO were originally researchers who were developing weapons systems at Hanwha System. The most important factor in creating a weapon system is to create an inspection system, and I thought that future mobility must also require a smart and unmanned inspection system. Just in time, the members of WEFLO had such expertise and technology, and they started WEFLO to create a new and innovative inspection system to help open the era of future mobility. 

​There are two key technologies of WEFLO : fusion sensors and artificial intelligence. Fusion sensors can quickly check the condition of the aircraft in a non-contact manner and determine what the problem is through artificial intelligence technology. 

​- Even now, humans can check the aircraft themselves, so why non-adjacent inspections and artificial intelligence are essential?

​Drones are also drones, and these technologies can become very important in the UAM era. In fact, it is ideal for large and expensive aircraft such as UAM to fly while constantly inspecting them by installing their own inspection system. 

​Although it is difficult to mount such a system cost-wise and technically for drones, UAM can be made in the form of mounting a system on the aircraft by using WEFLO's contactless inspection technology. In this regard, we believe that WEFLO can move forward as a company that provides sustainable solutions.

​In addition, there is always a probability of misjudgment in a person's visual inspection, and the quality of the inspection varies greatly according to the difference between individual knowledge and experience. However, using WEFLO's sensors and artificial intelligence can solve this problem and I think it is a much more suitable method for future mobility checks. 

​- According to WEFLO's business explanation data, the maintenance accuracy is 98%, but if it's 98%, it's actually a little insufficient when it comes to safety issues. What does the 98% figure mean?

​The solution's accuracy of 98 percent is currently a probabilistic figure from the perspective of predictive maintenance. The forecast maintenance accuracy of 98% is very high considering that a problem is predicted to occur in a few days, and that several events are beyond our control in the meantime. 

​It has already secured 99.8% of accuracy in relation to failure judgment, not predictive maintenance. In the future, if more data is secured through various additional projects, the accuracy of preliminary maintenance will also be increased to close to 100. 

​- The UAM era also feels a little distant. What are the areas where WeFlow's business is actually being applied?

​Currently, services are operated in drone-related projects or ground mobility projects of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. 

​Last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced its goal of completing commercialization of drone delivery by 2027, and WEFLO's airframe inspection technology is also being used in projects to achieve that goal. To this end, WEFLO's solutions are currently being delivered to 14 local governments nationwide.  

​- How is the competition in the drone and UAM unmanned inspection markets? Also, what is WEFLO's position in the market?

​Currently, there is a lot of competition among airframe manufacturers worldwide regarding drones and UAMs, and there are not many companies in the maintenance field yet. Large companies are not starting to develop gas inspection solutions themselves, and there are not many from the start-up side. 

​WEFLO is conducting pre-inspection projects with drones before the arrival of the UAM market, and is also supplying inspection solutions for electric vehicles. Through the big data and technology obtained in this process, it is expected that it will be able to maintain competitiveness in the UAM market even after it opens. 

​In that sense, it is very meaningful to collaborate with startups with excellent technology, and various cooperation results are being achieved. It is cooperating with major UAM developers and aircraft developers in the U.S. and Japan. Well-known partners include Britain's Skyport and Japan's SkyDrive, and Hyundai Motor is also discussing collaboration with SuperNull, which was established in the U.S.

​- One of the most important things when running a startup is investment, and I know that it has already made various investment-related achievements. What is the competitiveness that made this possible?

​I understand that it is very rare for the aerospace start-up industry to attract such investment, launch products, and even launch services in about two years like WEFLO. It has received investments from several strategic investors (SI) and financial investors (FI) and recently completed bridge investments. 

​I believe that the important driving force behind the successful settlement of the market with various investments is, above all, to accurately grasp what technology and businesses are actually needed in the current situation, and to commercialize them in a timely manner to make a case for actual sales.  

​- What is WEFLO's long-term goal?

​Although it is currently focusing on the projects of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it is aiming for global business in the long run. This is because WEFLO's goal is in the world rather than in Korea.

​The UAM industry can be seen as the most promising industry in the future mobility market. The goal is to become a company that provides the world's best inspection solution, not the best in Korea in this UAM industry. 

​- As a representative, if there is anything you want to say to the employees and even the new employees who will come forward.

​The idea from the beginning of the start-up to the present is that each member wants to have their own strengths and colors. 

​I hope you will be proud of the products you have created by demonstrating your talents and creativity. There is a hope that these things can be piled up and contribute to both one's development and the company's development, so that one can feel a sense of accomplishment, and that one can become a member who grows on his own by setting challenging goals. 

​CEO Kim Eui-jung received a doctorate in information and communication engineering from KAIST. He worked as a part leader of LG Electronics' CTO Smart Car Research Institute, Hanwha General Research Institute, and Hanwha System Future Technology Lab AAM (Next Generation Aviation Mobility) MRO (Maintenance Operation) and established WEFLO in 2022. At the time of working for Hanwha System, he received a silver award for development related to the strike weapon system and a patent invention award presented by Hanwha Research Institute, and is registered as the first author in 50 patents. 

​The interview video of CEO Kim Eui-jung can be found on Channel Who YouTube. Reporter Yoon Hwi-jong​