Kookmin University research team’s paper accepted for presentation at international robotics conference

A Kookmin University research team has developed a new technology that helps artificial intelligence (AI) better understand 3D environments when objects are hidden from view or visual information is limited. The university said Friday that a paper detailing the technology has been accepted for presentation at the 2026 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) set for Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in Pittsburgh. The team was led by Lee Seong-won, professor at the university’s School of Electrical Engineering. The team included Kim Jun-ho, a senior majoring in electrical engineering. Kim is the first author of the paper titled “RayOcc: Occlusion-Agnostic Ray Occupancy Estimation via Gaussian Mixture Intensity,” which proposes a robust AI-based method for estimating the occupancy of 3D spaces, helping overcome visibility limitations in complex environments. The university noted that the technology addresses challenges in 3D spatial understanding — essential for autonomous driving and robotics systems — and demonstrates the potential to overcome uncertainties