An elevator-based automated external defibrillator (AED) system designed to secure critical response time for cardiac arrest patients in high-rise buildings has been commercialized through joint development between a public institution and a small business. The system addresses the limitation of conventional AEDs, which are mainly installed in lobbies and other lower floors, making rapid response to emergencies on upper floors difficult. The new approach installs the device inside elevators.
According to industry sources Tuesday, the Korea Elevator Safety Agency and Good Elevator jointly developed an elevator AED system that installs an AED inside elevators and automatically alerts emergency situations. The case was selected as a top example of the first "Win-Win Honors" of 2026, alongside the smart de-icing system (a process to remove snow and frost from aircraft and prevent icing) developed by Incheon International Airport Corporation and Anse Technology, and the localization of cryogenic liquefied natural gas (LNG) equipment parts by Korea Gas Corporation and Hanil Hi-Tech.
The Korea Elevator Safety Agency found that when cardiac arrest occurs in high-rise buildings, conventional AED placement alone has limitations in securing critical response time. The agency developed the product after determining that installing AEDs inside elevators could significantly improve access to emergency equipment.
The agency provided Good Elevator with more than half of the total research and development costs. It also helped with structural design and resolving safety standards to enable AED installation inside elevators. Based on this, Good Elevator developed a wall-embedded structure and an automatic emergency notification system. A total of 33 units of the product were sold to DDP, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency. At the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, the product received both a gold medal and the top invention medal, earning recognition for its technology.
In the airport safety field, the cooperation between Incheon Airport and Anse Technology produced results. Incheon Airport provided an actual apron as a test bed to advance winter aircraft de-icing operations and invested 5.28 billion won in technology development. Anse Technology developed the world's first smart de-icing management system that combines aircraft detection and automatic guidance functions. After localization, the time required for aircraft takeoff was reduced from 90 minutes per flight to the 47-minute range, and an annual savings of 14.4 billion won in foreign currency outflows is also expected.
In the energy equipment field, KOGAS and Hanil Hi-Tech succeeded in localizing ball bearings for cryogenic LNG pumps. Until now, overseas companies in Japan and Sweden held more than 97% of the market for these parts, leaving the country fully dependent on imports. KOGAS opened its Pyeongtaek LNG terminal as a test bed and provided demonstration costs and technical guidance. Hanil Hi-Tech developed the product using special heat treatment technology that withstands temperatures as low as minus 162 degrees Celsius, achieving a 30% cost reduction compared to imports and shortening the procurement period by four months. It also achieved exports worth 770,000 dollars to the United States, Taiwan, and Poland.
