Yesterday differed drastically than our hike the day prior. We spent our time visiting two prominent countries in Korea: Hyundai and TK elevator.

A few months ago, my team and I researched Hyundai Smart Sense for a pre-departure assignment. Hyundai Smart Sense is a series of automated car safety features that require minimal input from users. For example, we emphasized features such as smart cruise control that would use radar distance sensors to detect if a car ahead was farther than three feet away or if the car should stop and reevaluate in thirty seconds. The duration of our presentation was spent explaining similar features. Further, I was excited to your Hyundai given I’d had some prior knowledge of their technologies.

While the tour of Hyundai did not specifically reference Smart Sense, smart systems in general were evident throughout the facilities. For example, in the press shop, there were autonomous transportation vehicles that would mobilize different car components based on a color coordination system. Similarly, as we moved into the welding area, the machinery automatically bolted the hood onto the cars’ bodies. Sensor technologies were then used for quality assurance. The amount of human labor required was minimized, thus reducing potential for error given the redundant nature of such tasks. Furthermore, the time spent at Hyundai was an excellent example of how smart systems can be integrated into businesses to boost workplace productivity. This is significant because it emphasized the applications of technologies I could potentially develop as an electrical engineer. 

After touring the Hyundai facilities, we ventured into our next company visit at TK elevator. Smart systems were also evident in TK at several points. For example, when we first arrived, our tour was partially delivered by a robot that could sense what part of the room it was located in and relay information to guests accordingly. Other technologies at TK included unconventional elevators such as those that can move both vertically and horizontally and twin elevators, which are operated by a single control. At the end of our tour, I was honored to be interviewed by TK employees for a press article about my experience there as an American university student. The TK elevator company will definitely continue to ‘rise’ as an industry leader. 

Finally, our day ended with trying mandu, Korean dumplings, for dinner and shopping. As the trip will soon come to a close, I plan to make the best of every moment I have these last couple of days here.