9th KGCCI Innovation Awards: Showcasing Innovation Excellence in Korea and Germany

(Seoul, November 10, 2023) The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) awarded Continental Korea, dob Studio and Nuvilab as innovators of the year at the ‘9th KGCCI Innovation Awards’ on November 9 at the Banyan Tree Club and Spa Hotel in Seoul.

Officially supported by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the KGCCI Innovation Awards, initiated in 2015, are to support companies that create value in the Korean market through innovative products, processes, and technologies, while also promoting new business collaborations between Korea and Germany. This year’s event was sponsored by Deutsche Bank, Eppendorf Korea, Henkel Korea, Robert Bosch Korea, Siemens Ltd. Seoul, BASF, Merck Korea and Start2 Group.

The selection and evaluation of candidates were based on four criteria: △Degree of innovation △Proven market success △Influence on company △Benefit for society by a panel of six Korean and German judges.

Holger Gerrmann, Chairperson of KGCCI and CEO of Porsche Korea, emphasized the significance of the awards, saying, “It’s remarkable to see many innovations in diverse industries. This showcases the wide range of Korean-German business relations and underscores the importance of innovation in driving progress and prosperity in both countries.”

2023 KGCCI Innovation Awards Winners

Continental Korea was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Business’ category for its “Digital Guardian Angel.” It is a cloud service that analyzes the positions, directions, and speeds of pedestrians and vehicles on the road, providing real-time notifications to users about potential risks related to traffic safety. In industrial settings, it offers collision risk analysis data by utilizing the location information of workers and heavy equipment. The effectiveness of the service has been proven in various domestic and international environments. It not only ensures a secure pedestrian environment for road users who are at risk but also provides analytical data for the efficient establishment of the city's next-generation cooperative intelligent transportation system. Additionally, in logistics warehouses, it is anticipated that a significant reduction in industrial accidents can be achieved by revamping the work environment.

dob Studio, Inc. was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Digitalization’ category. It develops virtual face creation, editing, and synthesis technology based on generative AI, and has built an efficient pipeline so that anyone can easily create virtual face content with self-developed application software. Its main service is a solution that helps companies create virtual humans suitable for their products and brands and apply them to marketing. It has produced virtual influencer content for a number of companies, including KT, KB Kookmin Bank, YG PLUS, and LG Electronics, and entrusted the management of social media channels to some companies. It is involved in producing commercials and TV programs using celebrity face IP. It has restored the deceased K-pop singer Lim Yoon-taek and produced a TV commercial by restoring the face of famous Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung from 50 years ago.

Nuvilab was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Sustainability’ category. AI Food Scanner, the main product of Nuvilab, is a dataware solution enhancing nutrition, carbon footprint and inventory management for the food service industry that incorporates display, stereo sensors, and all-in-one computer system. Contactless scanning without weight measurement ensures a seamless food service experience while the scanner identifies what kind and how much of food is given, in taken, or leftover from food trays and bins in real time. Powered by advanced vision AI technology, plate and kitchen waste data is analyzed to provide customized intelligence solutions for diners and operators, from fork to farm.

YoungMin Park, Project Management Manager of Continental Korea, winner in the ‘Innovation in Business’ category, shared his delight, stating, “We are delighted to announce the technology and value of our digital safety assistant, which represents Continental's new business model, and to receive recognition through this award.” He further added, “As a top priority in achieving Continental's Vision Zero, we will collaborate with Korean companies to help protect vulnerable road users and prevent industrial accidents.”

Yongjoon Kwon, CEO of dob Studio, recipient of the ‘Innovation in Digitalization’ award, said, “I am very happy that this award has recognized that dob Studio's virtual face graphics technology can be used in advertising and social media content, especially emotional content that warms the world. We will continue to strive to become a company recognized for its world-class technology and warm content when it comes to facial graphics.”

Kim DaeHoon, CEO of Nuvilab, winner in the 'Innovation in Sustainability' category expressed his honor and commitment, saying, "We are honored to receive this award in recognition of the AI food scanning solution, which enhances the efficiency and sustainability of the food services." He also highlighted, "Food industry is the largest single market, but it is a sector that has seen little digitization. Nuvilab will continue to spread our innovation by introducing technology that meets the needs of the food services with customer-centric products."