Professor Ho Young Kim and the ant simulation robot at the VinFuture 2025 event

On the morning of December 2, VinFuture Science Week 2025 opened with an inspirational lecture session on future breakthrough technologies.

Professor Ho Young Kim, Seoul National University (Korea) brought a surprise when he introduced a new generation of robot research based on “spontaneous physical intelligence”.

His research simulates how ants cooperate with each other to move in groups and how plants grow based on environmental conditions. Based on the principle that ants can form bridges, floating rafts, or overcome obstacles by interacting with neighboring individuals, he developed Linkbot – a small finger-sized robot model that moves by vibration and has a structure that helps them link together into chains. When working alone, they move randomly, but when connected, Linkbot’s collective structure creates a clear and purposeful direction of movement.

He said that by simply changing the “connection angle” between the robots, the system can demonstrate many different behaviors: blocking gaps, passing through gaps, going quickly in narrow channels, following the edge of a wall or wrapping around objects to pull and push in different directions.

Linkbot’s behavior formation mechanism is completely based on physical interaction, without the need to program separate routes for each robot. The research team is discussing with a business in Korea to apply Linkbot to collect plastic waste on the water thanks to its ability to self-bag and collect trash in groups.

Besides simulating insects, Professor Kim’s research also recreates the physical intelligence of plants – creatures that do not have muscles but still have precise development directions. Many plants produce a “tip growth” structure, growing only at the tip of the still soft cells, while the stem underneath has hardened. This mechanism helps the plant’s roots or pollen tubes overcome dense environments without breaking, and redirects itself when it comes into contact with obstacles.

From there, he created a robot material with a core that solidifies when exposed to water, creating a hard body but keeping a soft head to continue growing. Robots can “grow” like plant cells, squeezing into small gaps that traditional robots easily get stuck in. The research team is talking with a chip manufacturer to apply this principle to clean clogged pipes in factories.

Sharing on the sidelines of the event, he said that with landslide incidents that have occurred in Vietnam recently, or earthquakes… these robots can completely be applied for rescue and relief. Thanks to its small advantage and the ability to move through small gaps… in many different directions, the robot will provide maximum support to rescuers.

According to Professor Ho Young Kim, Vietnam is very strong in the manufacturing industry and factories always have a large amount of components and goods that need to be stored in warehouses. “Link-bot robots can be used to move those packages, collect them, unpack them, and then transport them to another area. “The special thing is that you don’t need to control each robot individually. They work in groups, coordinate with each other, create their own maps or formations, and then work together to lift – carry – move objects or packages.

Talking about the possibility of technology transfer, he said, “This research has been published, scientists can refer to it.”

Robotic skeleton and artificial muscles support recovery after stroke

As the next speaker, Professor Raymond Kai Yu Tong from Hong Kong, introduced research on robots to support rehabilitation, helping restore movement for patients after stroke.

Professor Tong’s research team developed “Hand of Hope”, a robotic skeleton capable of sensing nerve-muscle signals and interpreting the user’s movement intentions. Equipment to support hand and finger movement recovery and nerve retraining process. During the research, the team expanded to devices that support many different parts, including the wrists, ankles and large muscle groups.

According to Professor Tong, the core principle in the research is that the robot only operates according to the patient’s “intention”, meaning the device only moves when the brain sends out a signal to move. This approach aims to reactivate healthy neural networks, helping the brain relearn motor function instead of just creating passive movement.

The artificial muscle system in the study uses soft materials, with a light weight of about 100 g but generates a force equivalent to 20 kg. The team simulates the structure of human muscle activity, controlling each fiber bundle to create complex movements such as flexing and extending the wrist, pronation, and supination of the forearm. These are the operations that stroke patients often find the most difficult to recover from.

Lab tests show that, using this technology, patients many years after a stroke can still significantly improve their ability to grip, rotate their wrists, and perform fine movements such as holding a glass of water or holding a phone. The rate of patients achieving progress is about 80%.

Professor Tong said that the research team will expand technology to support children with congenital movement disorders. Some cases reported being able to stand and walk after continuous training with artificial muscles. The long-term goal of the research team is to build a flexible, lightweight, and individually tailored biomedical robot ecosystem, helping patients recover many body parts after stroke and other neurological injuries.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability. Each year there are nearly 12 million new cases and more than 7 million deaths. Although medicine has made significant advances, restoring neurological and motor function after stroke remains a challenge, leading scientists to seek approaches beyond the framework of traditional therapy. Accordingly, this technology is bringing a lot of hope to stroke patients who are unable to move.