The research team led by Professor Ki-Wook Kim of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) developed the virtual reality (VR)-based pain diagnostic system 'SenseFEEL', which was named an Innovation Awards Honoree in the Digital Health category at CES 2026, the world’s largest information technology (IT) and consumer electronics exhibition.

CES is the world’s largest electronics and ICT exhibition held annually in Las Vegas, USA. The Innovation Awards, organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), are a prestigious recognition granted to outstanding technologies and products after a comprehensive evaluation of technical merit, innovation, design, and consumer value.

This achievement is the result of industry–university–hospital–research institute collaborative research conducted as part of the Innovative Future Medical Research Center Development Project (Principal Investigator: Professor Myung-Hwan Ko), supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The research team included the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, JBNU (Professor Ki-Wook Kim, Professor Myung-Hwan Ko), the Division of Bio-Healthcare Engineering, JBNU (Professor Dae-Kyu Kwon), Cybermed Co., Ltd. (CEO Jeong Ho-chun), and BioVillage Co., Ltd. (CEO Choi Dong-hoon), working together to enhance the global competitiveness of regionally based medical technologies.

The award-winning 'SenseFEEL' is a next-generation pain diagnostic system that integrates the QPST100, which performs Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST), with a 3D virtual environment–based Pain Care VR into a single platform.

This technology enables systematic comparison and evaluation of patients’ sensory responses by using real stimuli that precisely control physical inputs such as temperature, pressure, and vibration, alongside VR stimuli that reproduce the same inputs in a virtual environment.

In particular, the system has been recognized for proposing a new diagnostic approach that goes beyond conventional peripheral sensory-stimulus–focused assessments. By quantitatively identifying differences in pain perception under identical stimulus conditions, it allows more precise interpretation of changes in pain processing pathways.

Professor Myung-Hwan Ko of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, said, "This award is recognition in the global market of the digital health technological capabilities held by the Innovative Future Medical Research Center." Professor Ki-Wook Kim stated, "Based on the SenseFEEL technology, we will develop various pain management platforms, including digital therapeutic devices, to contribute to identifying the causes of pain and improving treatment for patients suffering from pain."