PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Kyoungchul Kong

Also known as Kyoung-Chul Kong, Kyungchul Kong, 공경철

Kyoungchul Kong is a mechanical engineer whose wearable robots have grown into research on physical AI at KAIST. After degrees at Sogang University and a 2009 PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, he became a Sogang professor in 2011 and founded the wearable-robot company Angel Robotics in 2017. He won a bronze medal at the inaugural Cybathlon in 2016 and a gold medal in the powered exoskeleton race in 2020, and his team's WalkON Suit F1 took gold at the 2024 Cybathlon. In July 2026, KAIST and NVIDIA announced a joint physical AI center, with Kong as co-director and lead of a human motion foundation model. He is a KAIST professor and, since October 2026, the CEO of Angel Robotics.

Now at
KAIST and Angel Robotics
Badges

Timeline

  1. 2004–2011

    Sogang degrees and a Berkeley PhD

    He earns a B.Eng. in mechanical engineering and a B.S. in physics at Sogang University in 2004, then an M.S. there in 2006. In 2009, he completes a PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Masayoshi Tomizuka, and stays as a postdoctoral research fellow until 2011.

  2. 2011–2018

    Professor at Sogang University

    He joins the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Sogang University as an assistant professor in 2011. He serves there as an associate professor from 2015 to 2018.

  3. 2016

    WalkON Suit and Cybathlon bronze

    His team announces WalkON Suit 1 in 2016, the first model of an exoskeleton series for people with complete paralysis. He wins a bronze medal at the inaugural Cybathlon and the Young Researcher Award of the IFAC Mechatronics TC in 2016.

  4. 2017–2019

    Angel Robotics and KAIST

    He founds Angel Robotics in 2017, a start-up that turns wearable robots into products. In 2019, he joins KAIST as an associate professor and receives the Prime Minister's Award for his contributions to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

  5. 2020

    Gold at Cybathlon 2020

    In 2020, his WalkON Suit wins gold in the powered exoskeleton race of Cybathlon 2020, and he also receives a bronze medal. WalkON Suit 4 raises walking speed to 3.2 km/h, and Angel Legs is a commercialized wearable robot for rehabilitation by 2020.

  6. 2024

    WalkON Suit F1 wins gold

    His team enters WalkON Suit F1 in the 2024 Cybathlon, and the exoskeleton takes gold in the Exoskeleton Race. The suit walks to a user seated in a wheelchair, installs itself around the user and helps them stand.

  7. July 2026

    A physical AI center with NVIDIA

    In July 2026, KAIST announces a Human Physical Intelligence Technology Center with NVIDIA in its mechanical engineering department, with Kong and Jeong Kim as co-directors. Kong leads development of a human motion foundation model that learns large-scale human movement data for wearable robots and humanoids.

  8. October 2026

    Back as Angel Robotics CEO

    In October 2026, the board of Angel Robotics appoints him CEO again, after he led the company from 2017 until October 2024 and through its KOSDAQ listing. He is a KAIST professor and directs the Human-Physical Intelligence Joint Research Center co-founded with NVIDIA, and KAIST's AI College gives physical AI, robotics and human augmentation as his research areas.

Career

  1. Since 2026KAISTCo-Founder, Co-Director
  2. Since 2017Angel RoboticsFounder, CEO
  3. 2011–2018Sogang UniversityAssistant Professor, Associate Professor
  4. 2009–2011University of California, BerkeleyPostdoctoral Research Fellow

Education

  1. 2009University of California, BerkeleyPhD
  2. 2006Sogang UniversityB.Eng., B.S., M.S.

From the biography.

  1. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Kyoungchul Kong. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.
  2. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  4. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes KAIST. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Kyoungchul Kong yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Wearable Robots in Reality - Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago mie.uic.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Kyoungchul Kong - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Kyoungchul Kong - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology pure.kaist.ac.kr. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. KAIST Exoskeleton Walks and Puts Itself on to Disabled - Wearable Technologies wearable-technologies.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Novel front-loading exoskeleton gets paralyzed patients up and walking - New Atlas newatlas.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. KAIST, Nvidia to set up physical AI technology center to develop human motion model - Digital Today digitaltoday.co.kr. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Angel Robotics Appoints Founder Kyoungchul Kong as CEO - StockHub stockhub.kr. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. Faculty | AX - KAIST AI College aicollege.kaist.ac.kr. Checked 21 October 2026.