On October 23, 2025, Daegu Metropolitan City hosted the 'FIX Innovation Awards' as a side event of the Future Innovation Tech Expo 2025 (FIX 2025) at the EXCO Grand Ballroom. The event selected companies showcasing innovative technologies and products, with 30 participating companies in fields such as future mobility, robotics, and ABB (Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Blockchain) receiving awards.

Since June 2025, 195 companies participated in the FIX Innovation Award judging. Daegu Metropolitan City formed a panel of judges from corporate professional institutions to conduct a thorough evaluation, ultimately selecting 9 companies for the Best Innovation Technology Award and 21 companies for the Innovation Award. Additionally, a press conference was held to introduce the award-winning companies to major media representatives from the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.

The Best Innovation Technology Award in the Future Mobility category was awarded to Autonomous A2G, Hanwha Construction Division, THN, and ATL (HL) Robotics. They were recognized for their autonomous buses, ceiling electric vehicle chargers, transparent antennas, and autonomous parking robots.

The Best Technology Innovation Award in the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) category was awarded to Maysha for its digital twin solution supporting optimal decision-making in industrial sites. The Best Technology Innovation Award in the Robotics category was given to Mobin, I’m System, A4Lab, and WithForce for their semi-autonomous road control signal robots, vascular interventional surgical robots, surgical navigation systems, and wearable solutions for agricultural sites.

Daegu Metropolitan City provides various support and nurturing benefits to the FIX Innovation Award winners, including business management consulting from IM Bank, IPO pitching and investor meeting arrangements from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, and promotional marketing opportunities. Benefits also include discounted participation fees for FIX 2026, scale-up policies, and overseas expansion support programs. Daegu Metropolitan City aims to strengthen the foundation of FIX through the Innovation Awards, encouraging more companies dealing with innovative technologies to participate and drawing a blueprint to elevate it to a world-class ICT competition.



Hong Seong-ju, Deputy Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, stated, "This second FIX 2025 started with the goal of creating a Korean version of CES. I hope the companies that won the FIX Innovation Awards will expand globally and meet again at next year's event. Additionally, Daegu Metropolitan City will devise various policies to provide opportunities for many companies."

Companies Innovating Industries with AI and Advanced Technologies

The companies awarded the Innovation Award also presented impressive achievements. Here are the accomplishments of companies recognized for their unique technological prowess and creativity in each field.

CIT - Aiming to Become a Game Changer in Next-Generation Semiconductor Packaging

CIT, a startup founded in 2023 specializing in advanced materials, received the Innovation Award for its copper-plated glass substrate 'CuFlat-PKGCore' for semiconductor packaging. This product deposits ultra-thin, ultra-flat copper on a glass substrate, significantly reducing power consumption and halving data transmission distances within the substrate.



CIT's ASE (Atomic Sputtering Epitaxy) technology aligns copper atoms at the atomic level to create a copper surface with a roughness of less than 3 nanometers (nm). It is over 200 times smoother than conventional copper foil used in AI accelerator substrates, maintaining stable performance even in high-heat environments. It also eliminates the need for seed layers and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) in the semiconductor process, shortening production processes.

The eco-friendly manufacturing method reduces power and water consumption and generates no chemical waste. ASE technology was published in the international journal Nature in 2022, proving its technological reliability. CIT is conducting technology verification (PoC) with global semiconductor equipment and board manufacturers and plans to expand its market focus on Korea, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. CIT CEO Jung Seung stated, "We aim to achieve energy savings and eco-friendly transitions in the AI semiconductor era and set a new standard in the global semiconductor packaging market."

VisualCamp - Innovating Education with Eye-Tracking

VisualCamp received the FIX 2025 Innovation Award for its literacy diagnosis solution 'Read AI.' This solution applies AI-based eye-tracking technology to the education market. VisualCamp's eye-tracking technology is designed to track people's gaze using only smartphone or tablet cameras. It boasts an accuracy of 1.5 degrees, surpassing Apple's eye-tracking technology (up to 1.11 degrees), according to VisualCamp CEO Seok Yoon-chan.

CEO Seok Yoon-chan stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic and short-form content have lowered students' literacy. Read AI analyzes students' reading habits and comprehension levels using eye-tracking data and provides personalized learning programs. It measures how well students read and how focused they are by identifying where their gaze lingers."

The solution consists of three stages: diagnosis, content management, and learning. It diagnoses literacy levels from first grade to twelfth grade and recommends optimized content using AI. According to VisualCamp's data, in an experiment conducted with a middle school class, the group using Read AI achieved a reading accuracy of 15%, more than seven times higher than the non-user group.

VisualCamp has launched consumer-targeted Read app, school-targeted Read for School, and academy-targeted solutions. It is also expanding languages beyond English to Spanish, Chinese, and more. The company is also entering overseas markets such as Mexico, India, and South Africa.

Shilla Systems - Diagnosing Growth with AI

Shilla Systems received the Innovation Award for its AI-based musculoskeletal disease prediction solution 'PineDX.' PineDX focuses on analyzing skeletal images with AI deep learning algorithms, concentrating on scoliosis and growth. When X-ray images are taken, it automatically measures the Cobb angle (spinal angle), a diagnostic indicator of scoliosis, and assesses severity to assist in treatment planning.



The product includes PineDX C, B, and S. PineDX C diagnoses scoliosis, PineDX B provides integrated growth indicators for various body parts such as hands, shoulders, pelvis, and knees, and PineDX S supports comprehensive analysis and tracking management. It aims to target markets such as orthopedics, rehabilitation medicine, and pediatric clinics.

Shilla Systems developed the X-ray AI model Orth-DX, reducing the time to analyze different X-ray information from various hospitals and equipment. The company is conducting joint research with university hospitals such as Asan Medical Center and Konkuk University Hospital to establish an AI standard diagnostic platform.

AirLab - Delivering Clean Air to the Nose

AirLab received the Innovation Award for its nose mask module product. Leveraging its experience in manufacturing snoring prevention devices and sleep endoscopy mouthpieces, it offers a respiratory health solution. The newly unveiled nose mask, Nose Clean, is a product worn inside the nose to block the entry of harmful bacteria, pollen, vehicle exhaust, and other substances affecting the human body.



Nose Clean features a three-stage assembly structure. The filter is made from natural materials such as hanji, cotton, and ultra-fine fibers. Phytoncide is applied for sterilization, and high-antibacterial silver (Ag) is used in the silicone that contacts the human body. Despite its simple structure, it has the capability to block 69.1% of fine dust (PM2.5) and 49.7% of vehicle exhaust.

AirLab CEO Lee Hyo-kwang stated, "Existing masks have low foreign substance blocking capabilities in industrial settings. They also cause breathing difficulties and sweating issues. However, Nose Clean addresses these inconveniences, offering an innovative solution that allows you to breathe clean air with every breath."

AI For PET - AI Protects Pet Health

AI For PET received the Innovation Award for its AI-based pet health diagnosis solution. As the pet market grows, AI technology is used to diagnose pets' health conditions and detect diseases early.

Since pets cannot express their symptoms verbally, disease detection is often delayed. AI For PET helps overcome the challenges of detecting pet diseases and systematically manages pet health. To build the service, an AI model was created using over 2.5 million image data. It detects 28 abnormal signs in a pet's eyes, teeth, skin, etc., from a single photo. It also analyzes limping (lameness) by registering a 4-second walking video.

The service includes TTCare Vet for veterinary hospitals, TTCare Home for the general public, and TTCare Pro for pet grooming salons and businesses. Additionally, AI For PET is collaborating with the Korea Racing Authority to develop an AI solution for assessing horse health. The goal is to establish a global pet data bank by 2026.

A4Lab - Innovating Surgical Procedures

A4Lab received the Innovation Award for its surgical navigation system, Xave. This technology accurately informs surgeons of the real-time location of surgical tools, similar to a car navigation system. While surgical navigation technology is widely used, the complex image registration process takes over 30 minutes to prepare for surgery. A4Lab claims that its automated preparation process reduces surgery preparation time to just one minute.



A4Lab CEO Park Jae-young emphasized, "In 585 technology verifications (PoC), there was not a single failure. Remote support is also possible. We have captured both the critical time and accuracy in the operating room." CEO Park Jae-young mentioned a surgical case at Samsung Medical Center. According to the presentation materials, the navigation system monitored the distance between surgical tools and nerves, avoiding critical damage. A4Lab is pursuing FDA approval for entry into the U.S. market.

Juvic - AI Diagnoses Skin and Suggests Personalized Cosmetics

Juvic, a drug delivery system (DDS) development company, received the Innovation Award for its personalized beauty care system, Needeep, which combines AI-based skin diagnosis technology with drug delivery technology. Needeep is a solution where AI diagnoses skin conditions and recommends appropriate active ingredients, providing microneedle cosmetics containing those ingredients. Using large language models, it learns K-beauty consultation data to offer natural communication as if face-to-face with users, according to Juvic Research Director Kang Geon-woo.



Microneedles are also known as painless injections. The micro-needle structure penetrates the skin and dissolves immediately upon contact with body fluids. Juvic claims that cosmetics with microneedle technology enhance the delivery of active ingredients through the stratum corneum. Juvic plans to continuously develop the disclosed technology, which is at the concept stage, to improve its completeness.

Juvic unveiled Renustar Shot, a cosmetic partially applying microneedle technology. The star-shaped microstructure physically penetrates the skin's stratum corneum to quickly deliver the active ingredients of cosmetics. In addition, Juvic is dedicated to securing microneedle technology by researching adhesive obesity treatments, vaccines, and more.

THN - Connecting Future Mobility Transparently

THN (CEO unspecified), which received the Best Innovation Technology Award in the Future Mobility category, gained attention with its 5G/6G transparent antenna and Clear Flex technology. This technology is a film-type antenna that can be embedded or attached to vehicle windows or building exteriors, overcoming the limitations of conventional protruding antennas. THN claims it has over 90% light transmittance and a resistance of less than 0.35 ohms.

Clear Flex contains a metal mesh with a line width of less than 5 micrometers, maintaining visibility despite using a metal mesh. Special coating technology is applied to suppress moiré effects (pattern streaking) and scattering phenomena. It is designed to be installed on the rear windows of vehicles with heating wires, allowing both the heating wire and antenna to operate simultaneously in cold winters.

THN has conducted technology verification with domestic and international mobility companies, stating that all functionalities have passed. However, cost stabilization and securing mass production capabilities are identified as challenges.

Korea Green Data - Solving Environmental Issues with AI Energy Management

Korea Green Data, which received the Innovation Award in the IT category, envisions revolutionizing energy data management with its AI energy management service, Green OS. This generative AI-based service automatically generates approximately 20 to 200 data points based on data from factories, warehouses, renewable energy, and more.

Korea Green Data CEO Lee Ho-jun stated, "It is designed for non-experts in ESG departments to use easily. Power data is still manually recorded, and many complex solutions are accessible only to experts, but Green OS addresses this issue."

Korea Green Data has spent over four years developing the service. Since 2024, it has been collaborating with various companies such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Construction, LS Electric, and Ananti to expand the application range of Green OS. According to CEO Lee Ho-jun, Ananti Namhae Resort changed its electricity tariff plan using the Green OS solution, achieving an annual savings of KRW 50 million.

IT Donga Reporter Kang Hyung-seok (redbk@itdonga.com)

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