Honam University 'Autonomous Vehicle Legend' Dr. Han Minhong Special Lecture Successfully Held

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Dr. Han Min-hong, a global pioneer in autonomous vehicles and CEO of Advanced Car Co., Ltd., visited Honam University, an AI-specialized university, to hold an enthusiastic exchange of information and discussions on autonomous driving technology with undergraduate and graduate students of the Department of Future Automotive Engineering, who will become the main players in the future automotive industry.

According to Honam University on the 12th, the Honam University LINC+ Project Group and the Department of Future Automotive Engineering held a special lecture from 2:30 p.m. in the small auditorium on the first floor of the IT Square on campus. The lecture aimed to help students understand autonomous vehicles, the epitome of the 4th Industrial Revolution convergence technology, and to share the experience and knowledge of Dr. Han Min-hong, who developed autonomous vehicles ahead of his time.

Dr. Han opened the special lecture titled “The Beginning, Present, and Future Development Direction of Autonomous Driving Technology” by introducing his 34-year journey in autonomous driving research.

Dr. Han explained his past achievements, saying, “While serving as a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University, USA, I participated in the development of an autonomous submarine, which led me to consider applying autonomous driving to the automotive industry. After continuous research, in 1993, while working as a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Korea University, I created an autonomous vehicle at about ‘Level 3’ with my students, achieving the world’s first urban autonomous driving. In 1995, we accomplished the feat of autonomous driving at 100 km/h on the rainy Gyeongbu Expressway.”

Dr. Han then assessed the current status of autonomous driving and expressed his opinions on the challenges and directions of future autonomous driving based on various research and development experiences.

He said, “In commercializing autonomous driving technology, autonomous vehicles, which are closely related to human lives, face many restrictions due to traffic laws. Delivery robots or port logistics unmanned trucks have a lower risk of human casualties and are not restricted by traffic laws, allowing for faster commercialization.”

Finally, Dr. Han stated, “To research and develop autonomous driving technology, endless courage and patience are required along with vehicle software programming, sensor and communication application technology, AI, and image recognition technology. It is necessary to quickly set goals on whether to focus on the commercialization of autonomous driving technology or to pursue long-term, future-oriented research and development.”

Meanwhile, to minimize large gatherings due to COVID-19, only undergraduate and graduate students of the Department of Future Automotive Engineering participated in the on-site special lecture, and to address the curiosity of general students and citizens interested in future automotive technology, the lecture was also broadcast live online through YouTube ‘Honam University TV.’

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