[2021 Budget] Managing ICU with AI... Implementing Flying Taxis

Budget for 'Innovative Technology' Special Projects
10 Initiatives Including Energy-Saving Intelligent Power Metering Project

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to manage intensive care units (ICUs) 24 hours a day using artificial intelligence (AI). It is also challenging to turn the imagination of developing flying taxis into reality.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced on the 1st that the '2021 Budget Proposal' containing these plans has passed the Cabinet meeting.

Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance

Next year, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has newly allocated 7.1 billion KRW for the 'Smart AI ICU Management Project.' Of this, 5.3 billion KRW will be invested in the development and demonstration research of the AI-based clinical decision support system (CDSS).

CDSS is a medical information technology system that supports medical decisions such as patient diagnosis, treatment, and prescription. Through AI-based CDSS, it is expected to analyze data such as electrocardiograms, pulse, and respiration of ICU patients to predict crises and assess patient severity.

Additionally, new projects will be promoted including ▲location-based personalized counseling overseas (2.7 billion KRW) ▲mobile verification system for resident registration cards (2.24 billion KRW) ▲cultural heritage management using drones (1.5 billion KRW) ▲construction of the government and public institution knowledge information platform 'Digital Jiphyeonjeon' (600 million KRW).

Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance

Among the projects with increased budgets next year, the project to realize flying taxis (UAM·Urban Air Mobility) has the largest increase. The budget was increased by a whopping 1080% (from 1 billion KRW to 11.8 billion KRW).

To demonstrate new aircraft, support will be provided for infrastructure construction such as takeoff and landing site equipment, aircraft introduction, and flight path monitoring equipment. Support will also be given to small and medium enterprises for 'drone transport demonstration' to allow trial transport of small-scale cargo to customers from urban outskirts.

By 2022, a budget of 158.6 billion KRW has been allocated to replace power meters in 5 million apartments with intelligent systems (AMI·Advanced Metering Infrastructure). This is an increase of 158.6 billion KRW compared to this year's budget proposal. It is also 4.6 times higher than the 28.2 billion KRW allocated through this year's supplementary budget.

In addition, budgets will be expanded for projects such as ▲support for R&D strategies to secure excellent patents (22.8 billion KRW → 28.6 billion KRW, a 25.4% increase) ▲mobile baggage declaration (200 million KRW → 1.7 billion KRW, an 826% increase) ▲expansion of operation of domestic medical device education and training centers within hospitals (1.1 billion KRW → 1.6 billion KRW, a 45% increase).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.