[Edaily Reporter Shin Young-bin] #Angel Robotics is embarking on the development of “bidirectional Brain-to-Robot” technology that simultaneously restores motor function and sensory feedback for people with quadriplegia.

Angel Robotics announced on the 15th that a consortium led by the company has launched the world’s first bidirectional Brain-to-Robot development project as part of the Inter-ministerial Advanced Medical Device R&D Program.

This project will run for seven years, from 2026 to 2032. It is a flagship project with a total investment of approximately 30 billion won, including 20.25 billion won in government funding and private sector contributions. Angel Robotics is the lead organization.

Brain-to-robot technology is considered one of the most challenging areas within Brain-to-X technology, which uses brain signals to control external robots. This is because it goes beyond simply manipulating a cursor or smartphone; the robot must interpret the user’s intent to perform actual movements and then relay the sensory feedback generated during that process back to the user.

To achieve this, decoding electrodes to read behavioral intentions and encoding electrodes to deliver sensory feedback must be implanted separately in the cerebral cortex. The key lies in implementing a closed-loop structure where bidirectional signals travel between the brain and the robot without delay.

The Angel Robotics Consortium is simultaneously developing a full-body wearable exoskeleton robot—known as a “wearable humanoid”—that enables individuals with quadriplegia to move freely, along with high-resolution bidirectional cortical implants. While each technology will be commercialized independently, they are ultimately intended to be integrated into a single unified system.

Major domestic research institutes, hospitals, and companies are participating in the consortium. Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and Enside are responsible for the cortical implantable electrodes, while KAIST is in charge of somatosensory sensors and AI signal processing. The brain-neural interface clinical trials will be conducted by the Department of Neurosurgery at Seoul National University Hospital.

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Severance Hospital in Gangnam, Samsung Medical Center, and Pusan National University Hospital will participate in the exoskeleton robot clinical trials. The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) will handle preclinical trials, and the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) will provide regulatory support. The Inter-ministerial Medical Device R&D Project Group will oversee the project.

Development will proceed in three phases. In Phase 1 (2026–2027), core technologies for high-density cortical implantable electrodes and exoskeleton robots dedicated to brain-to-robot interfaces will be secured. In Phase 2 (2028–2029), hardware and software integration will be carried out, and the first human clinical trials will be conducted.

In Phase 3 (2030–2032), the project will pursue approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and commercialization of a hybrid medical device that integrates a brain-neural interface, encoding/decoding AI, and an electric exoskeleton robot via ultra-low-latency communication.

Angel Robotics has built up its technical expertise in the field of walking assistance robots. The company won a gold medal at the Cybathlon competition held in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2024, and has experience in obtaining Class 3 medical device approval, securing insurance coverage, and exporting overseas.

The goal of this project is to expand existing walking assistance robot technology—which has primarily focused on lower-body paralysis—to include individuals with quadriplegia. If successful, it is expected to lead to everyday assistive technologies that enable people with quadriplegia to stand up and walk on their own, pick up objects, and feel tactile sensations in their fingertips.

Kong Kyung-chul, the consortium’s general manager and CTO of Angel Robotics as well as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, stated, “Reading the brain’s intention to act to control the robot and feeding the robot’s sensory feedback back to the user is an essential technology for overcoming severe disabilities.” He added, “We aim to go beyond being the world’s best in robotic technology for mobility impairments and become the first in the world.”