Professor

Sungmin Woo completed a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering through a dual degree program in 2006 from Stony Brook University in New York, USA, and Ajou University in South Korea. In 2008, he earned a master's degree from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea and worked at LG Electronics' Mobile Communications Division. He was selected for LG Electronics' doctoral degree dispatch program and obtained his doctoral degree in 2020.

From 2008 to 2020, during his tenure at LG Electronics' Mobile Communications Division, he played a crucial role in leading the development of mobile camera system algorithms, contributing to LG Electronics' camera technology. He pioneered the Laser AF technology in the industry and introduced innovations such as a camera system with shake-free photography based on exposure control and the mobile industry's first hybrid AWB using AI.

The "Laser AF" system he developed in 2014 was the world's first mobile Active Focus Control system using ToF sensors, implemented with his own ideas and techniques to complement Phase Detection-based Auto Focus (PDAF) functionality. This technology adopted a very cost-effective approach compared to competitors who were investing heavily in customizing PDAF sensors for autofocus. Despite its low cost, it achieved a competitive advantage in accuracy, performance, and market impact compared to rival companies. Even today, competing cameras that can't utilize PDAF with over 100 million pixels still employ "Laser AF", particularly Chinese manufacturers.

Starting from September 2020, he has been employed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Communication Engineering at the Korea University of Technology and Education. His current research interests include multi-spectral signal processing, depth estimation, stereo vision, image and video processing, and machine learning. Here is a brief summary of the technologies he led the development of during his career at LG :

- AI Action shot (LG V60, 2020)

- Dual-pixel AF, Saturation-prevention Auto Exposure (LG V50, 2019)

- Hybrid DNN-AWB, DNN deflicker (LG V40, 2018)

- Laser AF (LG G3, 2014, https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20140618017011)

- Optical Image Stabilizer, Multi-point AF (LG G2, 2013)

- Fast AF (Google Nexus 4, 2014)