Author: Yu Hang He, Email: hey6@unlv.nevada.edu
Date Last Modified: 06/18/2018

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is a world-renowned university in research and development. I am deeply impressed with their advanced level of research whenever I talk with a student at Hubo Lab or around campus. For example, a PhD student at the Hubo Lab showed me an electrical motor that they are developing. They were able to improve the torque efficiency of the motor from the industry 50% to 95% with their design. They are planning to build a new humanoid robot using these new motors and utilize torque control instead of position control. Another PhD student is working on online full body motion control of Hubo 2.

Here is a photo of FX-2, a giant human riding robot, developed at Hubo Lab. Both DRC-Hubo and FX-2 was part of the torch relay ceremony during the 2018 Winter Olympic in South Korea.

KAIST is also a very beautiful campus, with parks and scenic routes all over the campus.

This week, I visited the KAIST International House. I met Grace while I was relaxing in the lobby. Grace speaks English very well, she helped many foreign students with information and coordinate those students with KAIST staff members who volunteered to teach Korean. I told her that I am interested in learning some Korean language and Korean culture. She immediately set out to find a staff member who will volunteer to teach me even though I will only be staying for 2 months. I am touched by her hospitality and willingness to help.
\ I met Mr. Yoonsoo Kim, he is the deputy director at Global Leadership Center at KAIST. He volunteered to teach me some Korean during my stay at KAIST. We sat down and introduced each other. He is enthusiastic about teaching me Korean and learning about American culture. We plan to start the lessons next week.

The food in Korea is amazing, period. I love the variety of food I was able to experience during my first and second week of stay. The photo above is a spicy beef stew with noodle. The members of Hubo Lab invited me to lunch with them. We visited a restaurant right outside the KAIST campus. The meal was delicious and surprisingly cheap. Even the regular meals in the cafeteria offers a wide selection of dishes to choose from. Some Korean foods are similar to the Chinese cuisine, which is why I find myself able to enjoy every meal.

This is the first time I travel outside of United States in 10 years. I was worried about living in a dorm in a foreign country without knowing how to speak the language. However, after 2 weeks, I found myself settling into a daily routine and adjusting to the culture and living condition. The culture shock I experienced here is much less than when I first move to United States from China. I found many similarity between Korean and Chinese culture.

During the first week at Hubo Lab, I was given a brand new Intel Nuc kit because my laptop is not powerful enough. With the help of Hubo lab members I was able to install memory, SDD, ubuntu OS, Xenomai, QT, and Choreonoid on the PC. The Xenomai, QT and Choreonoid will allow to simulate Hubo 2 on the computer. I also learn how to add new features to the PODOGUI.