Yonsei graduate Jeong Yoon-jung and her team of engineers from the American start-up ‘SuitX’ have developed Exoskeleton Robot ‘Phoenix’, the world’s lightest and most advanced exoskeleton designed to help people with mobility disorders be upright and mobile. In February, the Phoenix received the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Award for Good Competition in the United Arab Emirates.

 

Jeong, who is the co-founder of SuitX, studied Mechanical Engineering at Yonsei. After graduating, she went to UC Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D. in the field, receiving her degree in 2014. In a recent interview, she expressed her belief that there are a number of exciting possibilities for SuitX in South Korea. Speaking of her time at Yonsei, she credited the course “Creative Design Engineering” with helping to spur her desire to launch a start-up. “Yonsei University’s startup system is not too different from an American university’s system,” she said. “However, the attitude and mindset towards start-ups could be improved here. Undergraduate courses should not be considered in terms of receiving a grade for the semester. Students should also keep in mind the big picture, as this is a foundation for the future.”

 

Jeong also encourages today’s undergraduates to think beyond the prevailing corporate mindset and seek out opportunities to participate directly in developing an important idea. “I really hope that more students take the opportunity to have such experiences after graduation,” she said. As for the future at SuitX, Jeong and her colleagues plan to conduct further research and development to improve the Phoenix even more. “Our goal,” she explained, “is to make a product that enables the mobility impaired to live a normal and happy life.”