Welcome to the Healthcare Robotics Lab (HeRo Lab) webpage. The lab is in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea.
The HeRo Lab focuses on developing actuators, sensors, systems, and mechanisms to advance healthcare technologies in surgery, treatment, and rehabilitation. Our mission is to find robotic and mechanical solutions that will be heroes in the medical field.
Research Areas
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Surgical Robots
Innovative surgical tools and manipulators for improving the accuracy and safety of robotic surgeries
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Implantable Devices
Implantable medical devices for remodeling, assisting, and monitoring organs and other internal structures
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Haptic Feedback
Haptic feedback devices for teleoperated robotic procedures and medical training simulators
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Artificial Muscle
Flexible, compact, lightweight, and efficient actuators for wearable assistive and rehabilitative devices
Lab News
03/17/2025 - Prof. Han presents at SPIE Smart Structures + NDE 2025.
03/01/2025 - Sihan Yang, Taejoon Um, Sumin Kim, Jinwon Yang, Chang Jun Lee, Yong Joo Jeon, and Hoi Yuen (Tammy) Tang join Hero Lab. Welcome!
02/26/2025 - Jeonghyeon Lee receives the Best Master’s Thesis Award. Great work!
02/20/2025 - Prof. Han presents at the 9th SNU-UTokyo Joint Workshop in Mechanical Engineering.
02/14/2025 - Yongjin Kim, Jeonghyeon Lee, and Domin Cho receive the Excellent Paper Award at the Korea Robotics Conference. Congratulations!
02/13/2025 - Prof. Han was selected as a Rising Star of RoboSoft.
01/22/2025 - Prof. Han presents at the 2025 Illinois Robotics & Automation Workshop as part of the Senior Program Committee of ICRA2025.
12/20/2024 - Jungmin Ahn and Yongjin Kim receive the Grand Prize at the SNU Graduate Entrepreneurship Club Demo Day. Congratulations!
12/13/2024 - Prof. Han presents at SNU School of Engineering, School of Medicine, and Hospital Joint Medical Devices Forum.
12/10/2024 - Prof. Han presents at ICBME 2024 as an APBEC young scholar.
12/06/2024 - Taejoon Um and Yong Joo Jeon, our undergraduate interns, receive the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Presentation Award. Great work!
12/01/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Youth Science and Technology Forum on Robot and Machine Systems.
11/29/2024 - Hero Lab participates in SNU Robotics Day, showcasing various demos.
11/27/2024 - Prof. Han and Yongjin Kim present at the HU-SNU Joint Symposium.
11/15/2024 - Prof. Han presents at Kyung Hee University.
11/14/2024 - Hero Lab introduces their research to the participants in the Mexico robotics program.
10/28/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Active Materials and Soft Mechatronics (AMSM) Conference.
10/08/2024 - Jegyeong Ryu receives the Innovation in Haptics Research Grant from IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Haptics. Congratulations!
09/28/2024 - Seong Joo, Jeong Hyeon, Narin, Ho Jung, and Jungmin receive two best poster presentation awards, and Prof. Han receives the best oral presentation award at the Medical Metaverse Conference. Congratulations!
09/25/2024 - Prof. Han participated as a speaker in the Arena Lunch and Debate with Rising Stars at ICRA40.
09/09/2024 - Prof. Han is selected as an MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 (TR35) Asia Pacific. (MIT TR China, DH News)
09/01/2024 - Prof. Han’s Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering Seminar courses begin.
08/28/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the 2024 Promising Researchers Workshop in the Dynamics, Control, and Robotics Division of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers.
08/23/2024 - Prof. Han presents at IMID 2024.
08/21/2024 - The VI Heroes team (Sumin Kim, Taejoon Um, Minjae Lee, and Jeong Hyeon Lee) wins first place in the Student Innovation Challenge at the 2nd Korea Haptics Conference. Congratulations!
08/20/2024 - Sang Hyeon Lee, Seong Joo Byun, Minjae Lee, Taejoon Um, and Sumin Kim present three haptic-related demos at the 2nd Korea Haptics Conference.
08/19/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the 2nd Korea Haptics Conference.
06/30/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Haptic Intelligence Embodied in Artificial Soft Systems Workshop at Eurohaptics 2024.
06/28/2024 - Jungmin Ahn and Yongjin Kim were selected as the runner-up for Best Student Poster at the From Virtual Palpation to Clinical Integration: Exploring the Role of Touch in Medicine and Surgery Workshop at Hamlyn Symposium 2024. Congratulations!
06/28/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the From Virtual Palpation to Clinical Integration: Exploring the Role of Touch in Medicine and Surgery Workshop at Hamlyn Symposium 2024.
06/20/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Women in Biomedical Engineering organized by IEEE EMBS.
06/19/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Women in IES Luncheon at ISIE 2024.
05/30/2024 - Our new case report paper “Open-Mask Respiratory Rate Sensor” has been published online in the Journal of Innovative Medical Technology.
05/16/2024 - Jiyeop and Minjae present their late breaking results at ICRA 2024 Yokohama.
05/13/2024 - Prof. Han is selected as a New Generation Star as part of the New Generation Star Project at ICRA 2024, sponsored by Nokov.
04/29/2024 - Prof. Han receives the APBEC Young Scholar Award for her academic credentials and potential as a future leader in biomedical engineering.
04/03/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Bioengineering Seminar Series at Seoul National University.
03/21/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the 4th International Conference on Embodied Intelligence.
03/01/2024 - Two graduate students, Jun Heon Lee and Sein Song, join HeRo Lab. And Prof. Han’s Intro to Design of Medical Robotics & Devices and Mechatronics courses begin.
01/25/2024 - Yongjin Kim receives the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for his work as a teaching assistant for the Mechatronics course. Congratulations!
01/19/2024 - Prof. Han presents at the Korea-UK Haptics/Medical Robotics Workshop.