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Development of Wearable Neuromorphic Heterogeneous Integration Platform for SPAD-fNIRS-Based Pain Signal Quantification

To secure globally leading technological capabilities in wearable neuromorphic biosensing and shift the paradigm of conventional subjective pain assessment to a non-invasive, objective quantification system, thereby

preempting global technological leadership in the field of next-generation medical edge AI hardware platforms and serving as a hub for collaborative research.

KEYWORDKeyword

Biosensors Digital Health Semi & Packaging System Co-design Photonic

OBJECTIVE Objective

We aim to achieve phased objectives in an interconnected manner, centering on the three core capabilities of the SPAD-fNIRS-based pain quantification platform: 'memristor neuromorphic signal processing', 'flexible/3D heterogeneous integration packaging', and 'SPAD-fNIRS sensing platform'. These include developing hardware-friendly pain indexing algorithms, optimizing highly reliable vertical interconnection packaging processes, implementing integrated on-chip unit optodes, and conducting in-vivo validation. Ultimately, by developing a wearable hardware prototype at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 for the integrated system—capable of real-time, low-power computation near the sensor—we intend to resolve diagnostic uncertainties in clinical and chronic disease management environments while drastically enhancing the industrial applicability of high-precision wearable biosensing and its scalability to brain function monitoring.

INTRODUCTION Director's Message





Hello.

I am Professor Kyung Min Kim, the Principal Investigator of the project, "Development of a Wearable Neuromorphic Pain Quantification Platform based on SPAD-fNIRS."


This research aims to overcome the limitations of conventional pain assessment, which has heavily relied on patients' subjective reports, and to implement a next-generation biosensing platform that objectively quantifies pain based on physiological signals.

By organically combining KAIST's neuromorphic semiconductor and flexible 3D packaging technologies with KIST's high-precision optical sensing capabilities, we will successfully deliver a wearable hardware prototype that operates in real-time with ultra-low power consumption.

We will do our utmost to secure core source technologies in the fields of digital healthcare and brain function monitoring through this collaborative research framework.

Thank you.

IMPACT Impact

Through the demonstration of heterogeneous integration packaging for core source technologies and the technology transfer of the integrated platform, this research will accelerate the biomedical industrial application of wearable edge AI technology and contribute to creating a high-value-added new market in the digital healthcare device industry

Furthermore, by securing core patents, we intend to promote technology diffusion into the fields of brain function monitoring and rehabilitation therapy. We also aim to realize social value as a compassionate biotechnology by overcoming the limitations of subjective pain assessment in clinical settings, thereby improving diagnostic objectivity and the quality of medical services for communication-impaired patient groups (such as infants, the elderly, and critically ill patients).

TALENT Ideal Talent

The postdoctoral researcher to be recruited for this project must understand KAIST's memristor/packaging technology and KIST's sensing platform, possessing the integration capabilities to seamlessly bridge the collaborative research between the two institutions at a practical level. As they are required to split their time and spend more than half of the total project period on dispatch between both institutions, strong communication skills and a collaborative attitude to lead joint experiments and data analysis are essential. In terms of values, we aim to nurture a researcher with a proactive growth mindset who seeks to self-improve beyond merely performing assigned tasks, along with a strong sense of responsibility to personally complete a pain-measurement technology that offers practical help to clinical settings.

FACULTY Faculty