Kim Cheol-hwan, a research fellow at LG Electronics, and Son Nam-ho, an executive at ATEC Mobility, were selected as the winners of the Engineer of the Year award in August.
The 'Engineer of the Year' award is presented monthly to one engineer each from large and small companies to encourage technological innovation in the industrial field and foster an environment that favors engineers, awarded by the Minister of Science and ICT, along with a prize of 5 million won.
Kim Cheol-hwan, a research fellow at LG Electronics, was recognized for developing the world's first lower-pressure scroll compressor and commercializing a high-performance heat pump using eco-friendly refrigerants, thereby enhancing the national technological competitiveness in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. A heat pump is a device that transfers heat from one side to another and is used for both heating and cooling.
Recently, in Europe, fossil fuel boilers are being replaced with Air to Water Heat Pumps (AWHP) as part of global eco-friendly policies. To meet this demand, the development of advanced refrigerant compression technology that provides stable high heating performance while using eco-friendly natural refrigerants is essential.
Kim combined the advantages of existing scroll compressors, such as high efficiency and low noise, with the simple structure of rotary compressors to achieve both high efficiency and low costs simultaneously. He also developed a heating compressor utilizing eco-friendly natural refrigerant (propane) that can supply hot water (70 degrees) at boiler levels even in extreme cold (-30 degrees).
Kim noted, 'I will continuously develop world-class eco-friendly technologies so that our country can lead the global refrigeration and air conditioning industry.'
Son Nam-ho, an executive at ATEC Mobility, was selected as a winner for his contributions to the advancement and innovation of public transportation systems by developing tagless gate (contactless transportation fee payment) technology and establishing an automated station system and a contactless ticket vending system for buses.
During rush hours such as commuting, delays frequently occur due to the fare payment procedure (contacting transportation cards) for public transportation users, raising concerns about safety accidents. Additionally, transportation disadvantaged individuals and passengers with luggage experience inconveniences during ticket purchasing and gate access.
Son developed a contactless transportation fee payment technology utilizing deep learning-based low-power Bluetooth (BLE) communication technology to ensure that the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values from passengers' smartphones are transmitted without distortion or omission, even in narrow spaces. Furthermore, he contributed to improving passenger convenience by establishing the first metropolitan transfer system in Daegu and Gyeongbuk region outside the capital area.
Son stated, 'I could receive this award thanks to my colleagues who stood by me, my family who always supported me, and the company that trusted me with this responsibility.' He further expressed, 'I want to continue developing good software to help society.'