- Development of drone inspection automation innovation 'verti-Pit' and recognition of leading contributions to AAM field
On the 10th, Yeejung Kim, CEO of WEFLO, a future mobility preservation solution company, received a commendation from the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy in recognition of his contribution to the development of the unmanned mobile industry in Korea. The commendation is the result of Yeejung Kim's high praise for his contribution to innovative technology development, practical use, and revitalization of the unmanned mobile industry ecosystem.
Since the establishment of WEFLO as an in-house venture from Hanwha System, CEO Yeejung Kim has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based contactless drone automatic inspection solution to solve chronic quality control and soundness diagnosis problems in the drone production and operation process and lead technological innovation in the unmanned mobile industry. WEFLO's core solution, "verti-Pit," is overcoming the limitations of existing visual and manual inspections, opening the era of automated precision inspections, and establishing new quality standards for the drone industry.
In particular, "verti-Pit QC," which enables comprehensive drone quality inspection at the end-of-line (EoL) stage of the drone production process, has the technology to inspect more than 15 key items, including the drone's appearance, driving unit, safety, and mechanical defects, with a high accuracy of 99.8% within a minute through multimodal fusion sensors and mobility-specific vertical AI technology. This high degree of technology and innovation has been proven by the acquisition of a total of 26 patents at home and abroad, which has contributed to enhancing Korea's status as an unmanned mobile technology powerhouse.
CEO Yeejung Kim continues to contribute greatly to the practical use of unmanned mobile technology and the revitalization of industrial ecosystems. Starting in 2023, it participated in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "Drone Demonstration City Construction Project" as a delivery infrastructure operator and established about 153 drone delivery centers in 13 local governments nationwide. In particular, other infrastructure companies have made a significant contribution to national standardization by installing inspection pads equipped with no inspection functions to establish infrastructure construction guidelines for the safe operation of drones. This is evaluated as a contribution to standardizing safety rules and securing drone operation safety in the unmanned vehicle industry.
In addition, it was selected as the '100 Company of Defense Innovation' in 2024 and was recognized for its capability as a key company leading future innovation in the Korean defense industry. Currently, it has been selected for a defense drone combat test project and has established a system for inspection and maintenance of defense drones that perform various tasks such as monitoring, reconnaissance, and hitting, and is in the process of verifying the suitability and performance of related products. WEFLO's contribution to technology and defense is leading to active interest and requests for strategic cooperation from major defense aircraft manufacturers and operating organizations.
WEFLO has recently expanded its business to the future aviation mobility (AAM) field and is conducting prior research projects with air taxi manufacturers. In addition, R&D is continuing to strengthen competitiveness in the global AAM industry ecosystem through cooperation with OEMs.
CEO Yeejung Kim played a leading role in creating a future unmanned mobile industry ecosystem by demonstrating a deep understanding and leadership of new market development and technology convergence in the next generation of mobility as a leader in UAM MRO business and business development while serving as Hanwha System. In addition, expertise in weapon system development and patent capabilities, such as winning the 2020 Silver Award for Research and Development, participation in multiple weapons system projects, and the 2019 Patent Award (50 patents registered by one author), is currently a solid foundation for the development of unmanned mobile industry technology.
"The award of the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy's commendation will once again be an opportunity to demonstrate WEFLO's technology and vision both internally and externally," said Yeejung Kim, CEO of WEFLO. "We will continue to strive for innovation and development of the future unmanned mobile industry and lead Korea's leap forward as a global mobility powerhouse."
