Dongseo University announced on the 1st that its startup club SinkSight recently secured second place nationwide (President's Award from Pusan National University) at the '11th Busan Startup Idea Competition'.

At the competition, SinkSight showcased technology capable of predicting sinkholes, a rising social issue, using drones. This technology improves upon the limitations of existing ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology, which could only confirm the condition of relatively shallow underground areas within 2 meters. The drones, flying in formation, emit high-frequency signals to detect areas 5 to 6 meters underground. Additionally, an artificial intelligence (AI) system, trained on data from regions where sinkholes have occurred in the past, was developed to warn vehicles entering danger zones via navigation systems. SinkSight has filed four patents related to its AI-based prediction platform and sinkhole exploration drones. Kim Dae-geon, a professor of architectural engineering at Dongseo University who advised SinkSight on their research and development, stated, "The students conducted direct empirical tests and are currently negotiating with hardware and software companies regarding the feasibility of actual equipment production," adding, "If the students wish to start a business, we will consider pursuing it with government funding support."

The Busan Startup Idea Competition, hosted by Busan City and organized by entities such as the Busan Technology Startup Investment Institute, began in 2015. It aims to discover unique technological ideas from young people and support their commercialization to spread a startup culture. This year, over 300 teams from across the country participated, and the top prize (Busan Mayor's Award), which includes a KRW 15 million prize, was awarded to Seoul National University's 'Ddakmatcha Wood' team.

The Dongseo University SinkSight team donated the entire KRW 6 million prize to the 'Ebada Orphanage' near the school.

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