GIST Showcases AI Technologies to Transform Everyday Life at Korea Science Festival

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) announced on April 27 that it participated in the "2026 Korea Science Festival in Gyeonggi," held at Hall 4 of KINTEX Exhibition Center 1 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, from April 24 to 26.

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology operated a booth at the ‘2026 Republic of Korea Science Festival in Gyeonggi’ from the 24th to the 26th. Provided by Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

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Hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and jointly organized by the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and the Korean Science Culture Private Council, the "2026 Korea Science Festival" is the largest science culture event in the country. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the festival is being held in four regions nationwide: the Seoul metropolitan area, Chungcheong, Yeongnam, and Honam.

Under the theme "Listening, Understanding, and Moving AI: Real-Time Voice Dubbing and Intelligent Robots," GIST showcased the research achievements of Professor Hongkuk Kim of the Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering (also CEO of OnionAI Co., Ltd.) and Professor Kyubin Lee, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (and professor in the Department of AI Convergence).

Professor Hongkuk Kim, an expert in speech and audio AI, presented his AI real-time automatic dubbing solution, "AunionAI-DUB." This solution utilizes a multi-agent system, where multiple AIs cooperate to solve problems, integrating translation, speech synthesis, and lip-sync to enable automatic multilingual dubbing.

Going beyond simple translation, the system reflects context, situation, and spatial awareness to deliver natural-sounding results akin to real human voices. It also enhances immersion and realism in videos by automatically generating and applying sound effects (SFX) through analysis of scene-specific environments and situations.

A student visiting the booth operated by Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) at the "2026 Korea Science Festival in Gyeonggi" is observing the AI technology "ManipForce," which learns the sense of force and performs precise manipulation. Provided by GIST

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This technology, which maintains the speaker's timbre and leverages large language models (LLMs) to create a high sense of immersion, was also featured at "CES 2026," the world's largest IT and consumer electronics exhibition, held in Las Vegas, USA, in January. It garnered attention as a promising AI technology.

Ha-yul Jung, a fifth-grade student at Hansu Elementary School in Goyang, said, "I was amazed because the ambient sounds generated by AI based on a video of people playing basketball in a gymnasium sounded so real. It was also fascinating and fun to see AI dub a movie scene into another language using just a brief sample of my own voice."

The research team led by Director Kyubin Lee introduced "ManipForce," an AI technology that learns the "sense of force" to perform precise manipulation, and the "Medical Assistant AI," which maximizes efficiency in clinical settings.

"ManipForce" is a technology where robots learn and replicate subtle changes in force experienced by humans during tasks. Sensors attached to the operator's wrist and task video footage are used to collect force and rotation data. The system then utilizes 3D markers and gravity compensation functions to extract only the precise forces generated from actual contact by skilled workers.

At the science festival, a demonstration showcased a robot arm and hand precisely assembling gear components. One attendee, who works in the construction industry, commented, "If this is applied to tasks where subtle force control is critical, it could greatly improve construction accuracy and automation."

The "Medical Assistant AI," which supports diagnosis based on medical data, was demonstrated using pre-recorded dental X-ray images. The system identifies abnormal findings and suggests treatment directions before the final review by a dentist. It garnered attention for its ability to detect uncertainty in the diagnostic process, prompt additional verification from medical staff, and improve diagnostic accuracy by learning from diverse medical data.

Lee Eunji, Director of External Relations at GIST, stated, "This year's Korea Science Festival was a meaningful opportunity for GIST's AI technologies to meet the public in hands-on experiences, demonstrating how research achievements can be extended into everyday life. We will continue to promote the spread of science culture so that everyone can experience it firsthand."

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