Waplat, NHN's senior care subsidiary, is joining hands with KEPCO MCS to expand an artificial intelligence (AI)-based care service to vulnerable regions nationwide.
NHN said on the 29th that its subsidiary Waplat signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with KEPCO MCS to operate an "AI-based care service." The signing ceremony was held on the 24th at NHN's Pangyo office, Play Museum.
The agreement aims to build a care model that encompasses island and mountainous regions where access to existing care services has been difficult by combining Waplat's AI care technology with KEPCO MCS's nationwide public workforce network.
The two companies will jointly promote an operating system that combines control center-based remote care with on-site in-person care. Waplat will continuously collect and analyze seniors' well-being and health data through its "AI lifestyle supporter," while KEPCO MCS will use its nationwide pool of power meter readers to handle on-site well-being checks and control support. In emergencies, they will also cooperate on follow-up measures in coordination with local governments and related agencies.
The collaboration is meaningful in that Waplat has secured nationwide on-site operating capabilities, moving beyond its existing urban-centered control service. The two companies plan to expand the model into a standard operating model that local governments and the public sector can use.
With the agreement, Waplat will add optional products to its "AI lifestyle supporter" that provide a check-in phone call and an in-person visit once a month each. The "AI lifestyle supporter" is an integrated care platform usable with just a smartphone and no separate device installation, offering: ▲ AI-based conversational care ▲ 24-hour well-being checks using smartphone sensors ▲ cardiovascular and stress checks based on Ministery of Food and Drug Safety certification ▲ phone consultations connected to medical professionals ▲ real-time integrated monitoring for implementing agency staff.
Jeong Sung-jin, president of KEPCO MCS, said, "By combining Waplat's AI technology with our nationwide public workforce and operating experience, we created an opportunity to expand workforce operations into care services," adding, "We will build a public care model that provides tangible help to local communities."
Hwang Sun-young, CEO of Waplat, said, "Our task was to build a care system that can cover island and mountainous regions," and noted, "Through this agreement, we have established a dense care system regardless of geographic conditions."
Meanwhile, Waplat is currently operating services in cooperation with 22 local governments nationwide, including Jeju Island and Gangwon Province. In Sep., it also joined the "Korean ARPA-H Project" led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as a joint research and development institution and is advancing AI-based preventive care technologies.