"We will grow into a global actuator and controller solutions corporations."
This is the ambition of Chae Sang-min, head of MoCon. MoCon is a startup that develops and manufactures actuators and controllers in the mobility field. An actuator is a device that creates movement and is used in mobility to perform physical actions such as opening and closing trunks and car doors. It converts electrical power into mechanical motion. A controller is a system that instructs the actuator on what to move, when, and how.
Chief Chae founded MoCon in Nov. 2022. Chae worked as an automotive parts engineer for about 11 years. She worked as an automotive mechatronics systems engineer at Iljin, a Korea-based auto parts manufacturer, and at Germany's Stabilus. However, recognizing inefficiencies in the auto parts development process, she established MoCon.
Chae said, "While working in the automotive industry ecosystem, I experienced delays in parts development time and increases in expense due to conflicts among engineers," and noted, "I thought we needed to eliminate this inefficient structure, reduce development expense, and ensure that the benefits could return to consumers."
MoCon's competitiveness lies in its ability to develop both actuators and controllers. In the current market, there are many corporations that develop only one of the two: actuators or controllers. As a result, conflicts among engineers are frequent, and expense is high. This is why Chae believes the company can enter and grow across various fields—starting with the mobility industry and expanding to robots, healthcare, and aerospace. Chae said, "I am pouring all the technology and know-how I accumulated over 11 years in the automotive industry ecosystem into this," expressing confidence.
Chae's technology has been recognized, leading to product development with Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics. 4th, Chae took part in the Genesis Neuron Project. She co-developed with Hyundai a system in which the side step that people step on when getting into a car automatically deploys, retracts, and folds. This system was installed in the SUV GV90 and was displayed at the 2024 New York Auto Show.
At CES, the world's largest consumer electronics and information technology (IT) trade show held this year, MoCon exhibited a product co-developed with LG Electronics. LG Electronics' appliances such as TVs and coffee machines were installed inside Hyundai's purpose-built vehicle (PBV) ST1, and Chae designed the pop-up style mechanism that allows these appliances to open automatically.
With welfare vehicle manufacturer Changrim Moatz, the company developed an electric wheelchair lift vehicle. In existing vehicles for people with disabilities, a person had to manually open and close the trunk door to load a wheelchair, but in this vehicle, the lift automatically lowers, making it easy to load a wheelchair.
Chae is currently developing an "AI all-in-one actuator system." It is a system that simulates and proposes product development so that client companies can manufacture the actuators and controllers they want. A minimum viable product (MVP) has been created, and a beta service is planned to start next year.
Overseas expansion is also in the works. Recently, the company has been discussing vehicle development with a U.S. manufacturer of vehicles for people with disabilities and is also planning to enter the European market, including Germany.
Chae said, "Starting with the mobility industry, we will enter the robotics, healthcare, aerospace, and smart home markets and grow into a global corporations."