■ Transforming the Designs of Next-Generation Global Designers into High-Fidelity Prototypes ■ Full Support for Prototype Manufacturing and Logistics Costs, along with Production-Level CAD and CMF Technical Guidance ■ Providing Hands-On Experience at the Intersection of Design and Manufacturing to Nurture Global Talent Model Solution Co., Ltd. (CEO Hyung-min Yoo), a global innovation hardware platform company of Hankook & Company Group (Chairman Hyun-bum Cho), announced that it has entered into an industry–academia collaboration agreement with ArtCenter College of Design (hereinafter “ArtCenter”), a prestigious U.S.-based design institution, to foster next-generation global design talent.    Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a world-renowned design school with international recognition in industrial design, product design, and mobility design. The institution is known for its practice-oriented curriculum that emphasizes project-based learning and close collaboration with industry.    This partnership was designed to combine ArtCenter’s hands-on, practice-driven design education with Model Solution’s high-fidelity prototyping technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities, enabling students’ design ideas to be realized as product-level outcomes.    The project will be conducted in conjunction with the “3D Modeling 3” course offered by ArtCenter’s Product Design program during the Spring 2026 semester. Course assignments will focus on product categories closely aligned with Model Solution’s business domains, including wearable smart devices, personal mobility, drones, mobile devices, home IoT, and medical devices.    Outstanding design projects selected through the course will be fabricated directly by Model Solution as high-fidelity prototypes with product-level exterior quality and finish. The completed prototypes will be delivered to students at the end of the semester.    Through this collaboration, Model Solution will provide students with opportunities to directly experience real-world manufacturing processes, including in-depth manufacturing reviews based on precise CAD data, application of CMF (Color, Material, Finish) specifications, and implementation of structures and materials designed with consideration for mass production. Model Solution will fully cover all costs associated with prototype production and logistics.    By participating in this program, students will gain hands-on experience throughout the entire process of translating design concepts into physical products with real materiality and completeness. At the same time, Model Solution aims to gain insights into future industries and emerging design trends through collaboration with next-generation designers.    “This collaboration represents a meaningful project that brings together design education and real manufacturing technologies, providing students with a highly realistic industrial experience,” said CEO Hyung-min Yoo of Model Solution. “We will continue to take a leading role in nurturing global talent as a hardware platform company that integrates design excellence with manufacturing expertise.”    Meanwhile, Model Solution continues to expand its initiatives to discover and nurture design talent, including co-hosting the 2026 PIN UP Concept Design Award organized by the Korea Institute of Design Innovation (KIDA). Since 2016, the company has also operated its own design award program, the MOA (Model One Award), through which outstanding ideas from industrial design students in Korea and abroad are realized as high-fidelity prototypes through industry–academia collaboration.    In addition, Model Solution supports the Korea Design Membership Plus program led by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion and participates in the Seoul Design Foundation’s “Company + Young Designer Brand Exhibition.” Through these diverse initiatives, Model Solution remains committed to fostering global design talent and will continue to support the growth and challenges of aspiring industrial designers by leveraging its advanced hardware technologies and infrastructure.  

■ CMF-based robot design competition for medical industry applications ■ KRW 2 million prize and an opportunity to explore the development of the winning design into an actual product awarded to the Gold winner ■ Full-scale realization of “Future Emerging Technologies” under the Group’s mid- to long-term S.T.R.E.A.M. portfolio envisioned by Chairman Hyun-Beom Cho Model Solution Co., Ltd., an innovative hardware platform company and a subsidiary of Hankook & Company Group (Chairman Hyun-Beom Cho), announced that it will co-host the 2026 PinUp Concept Design Award to discover creative robot design concepts for the medical industry.    The PinUp Concept Design Award is a design competition hosted by the Korea Institute of Design Innovation Association (KIDA). Centered on the keywords Insight, Expansion, and Vision, the award aims to identify next-generation designs that will lead future societal change. The 2026 edition is jointly hosted by Model Solution, Fursys, and Yonwoo.    Model Solution joined the competition as a co-host in line with Chairman Cho’s long-standing philosophy of “design-driven management,” which emphasizes the strategic value of innovative design and technology. Through this initiative, the company aims to uncover forward-looking ideas that combine advanced medical robotics technology with emotionally resonant design, achieving both functional excellence and aesthetic value.    Submissions will be accepted through January 31, 2026, and must present CMF (Color, Material, and Finish)-based robot designs applicable to the medical industry. Eligible participants include current students and graduates of industrial or product design programs. Entries may be submitted individually or in teams of up to two members.    The Gold Award winner (one team) will receive a KRW 2 million cash prize, along with an opportunity to explore the development of the winning design into an actual product. In addition, recipients of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards will all receive trophies, certificates, and an official award catalog, as well as preferential consideration during document screening when applying for positions at Model Solution.    “Through this competition, we are pleased to provide a platform where the next generation of global industrial designers can fully express their innovative and creative ideas,” said Byung-Il Woo, CEO of Model Solution. “We will continue to expand opportunities for outstanding talent in the industrial design field through diverse industry-academia collaborations and the operation of design competitions.”    Model Solution is a key affiliate responsible for realizing Future Emerging Technologies (Rising Tech) within the Group’s mid- to long-term portfolio strategy, S.T.R.E.A.M., which was personally conceived and designed by Chairman Cho. The S.T.R.E.A.M. framework is an acronym derived from the initial letters of the Group’s core business sectors.    Meanwhile, since 2016, Model Solution has hosted its own proprietary design competition, the MOA (Model One Award), an industry-academia collaboration project that transforms outstanding design ideas from domestic and international design students into high-fidelity prototype products.    In addition, the company participates as a sponsoring partner of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion’s hands-on design education program, Korea Design Membership Plus, and continues to engage in a wide range of industry-academia initiatives—such as the Company+Young Designer Brand Exhibition organized by the Seoul Design Foundation—to support and nurture global design talent.