KAIST and Nvidia are moving to develop a "human motion foundation model" that learns human movement and physical intelligence for use in controlling wearable robots and humanoids.

KAIST said on Saturday it will establish the Nvidia AI Technology Center (NVAITC) for joint research in physical AI with Nvidia.

The two organisations will set up a Human Physical Intelligence Technology Center in KAIST’s mechanical engineering department and pursue joint research. KAIST’s Human Physical Intelligence Research Center will serve as the core research base. The research center was established around the lab of Professor Kyungchul Kong (공경철) in wearable robots and the lab of Professor Jeong Kim (김정) in biorobotics. Kim and Kong will serve as co-directors.

The goal of the cooperation is to secure core next-generation physical AI technologies by combining KAIST’s accumulated human motion data and robot control technologies with Nvidia’s AI technologies and global research network.

The two organisations will first build a human motion foundation model that learns large-scale human motion data to understand, predict and generate human movement. They plan to use it as a foundational technology to help wearable robots and humanoids accurately identify a user’s intentions and movements and respond naturally.

The technology is expected to be applied to wearable robots that support rehabilitation and daily life for patients with walking disabilities, as well as humanoids, motor function analysis and digital healthcare.

Kong will lead development of the human motion foundation model based on accumulated human motion data and robot control technologies. At Nvidia, Charles Chung (찰스 청), NVAITC senior manager, will participate to provide technical advice and developer technical support.

They will also run research and education programmes using Nvidia Omniverse and a digital twin platform. Through a "student ambassador programme" selecting 5 to 10 KAIST students, they plan to support lectures and mentoring by Nvidia experts and joint projects.

The two organisations will form an operating committee to review research goals and achievements every six months. They will hold an international symposium each year inviting researchers from South Korea and abroad.

KAIST President Choong-sik Bae (배충식) said, "We will combine KAIST’s accumulated human-centred research with Nvidia’s AI infrastructure and physical AI technology to realise physical AI that better understands and helps humans."

Charles Chung, NVAITC senior manager at Nvidia, said, "We expect this research, which implements human movement with AI, to open new possibilities for physical AI."