△ Schematic illustration of the Medical Foot Scanner and Foot Mapping system

Professor Jae-Hyung Cho (Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea / Director of the Catholic Smart Healthcare Center, Division of Endocrinology, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital) developed the “Medical Foot Scanner and Image Analysis System,” which was selected as a Winner at the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2025, one of the world’s top three design awards, gaining international recognition.

Originating in Germany, the Red Dot Award is a prestigious global design competition that evaluates innovation, usability, and social contribution. This award highlights the fusion of engineering creativity and medical insight to develop a patient-centered, innovative medical device—an achievement that strengthens the global competitiveness of Korean medical technology.

Professor Cho developed the system to enable early diagnosis and management of diabetic foot ulcers. The Medical Foot Scanner features 360° full-directional and multi-angle imaging from all perspectives, using internal mirror reflections and a rotating image system to reconstruct detailed 3D models of the foot. This allows for precise analysis of subtle anatomical changes.

The technology received high acclaim not only for its technical sophistication but also for its elegant and user-friendly design, earning the Red Dot Award at the ceremony held on October 15 at the Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore.

Professor Cho stated, “This Red Dot Award is more than a design accomplishment—it demonstrates that integrating engineering creativity with medical insight can elevate the precision of patient diagnosis. We will continue working to bring meaningful innovations to clinical practice.”

The research team aims to enhance the early diagnostic accuracy of diabetic foot ulcers by analyzing foot images of both healthy individuals and diabetic patients through Foot Mapping and region-based machine learning. Future plans include conducting clinical applications with patients visiting Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital and building a cohort to develop an AI-based diabetic foot ulcer diagnosis and prediction system using collected data.

This research was supported by the 2024 Global Physician-Scientist Training Program of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI). The project, led jointly by POSTECH and The Catholic University of Korea, aims to foster physician-scientists who will lead the national biohealth industry by integrating medical science and engineering technology. The Red Dot Award recognition reflects the international acknowledgment of these collaborative achievements.

△ Professor Jae-Hyung Cho, Division of Endocrinology