MIJ Expands Its Healthcare Platform with “Physical AI”

https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=253914

MIJ Co., Ltd. operates the tinnitus management platform “ETEREOCARE” and its dedicated headset “ETEREO TC Square.” In addition, with the AI edge board “PotatoPi” and its medical device, FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and SoC solutions as its dual pillars, the company is expanding its business areas into healthcare, diagnostics, and defense. This year, the company participated as a partner company in the Defense Venture Center, expanding its defense network, and through R&D investment, it is also preparing smart hearing-assist devices and a bio-semiconductor POCT (point-of-care testing) solution.

MIJ’s flagship product, ETEREO TC Square, is a bone-conduction headset that adheres to the mastoid (the bone behind the ear), reducing the burden on the ear and increasing long-term wear and treatment adherence. The dedicated headset and management web system are linked to manage users’ hearing data and provide personalized tinnitus adaptive sounds. The company plans to complete FDA approval by 2026 to release a global version, and to expand its product lineup with next-generation models based on AI algorithms and hearing-management solutions for military personnel.

MIJ Co., Ltd., headquartered in Chuncheon

MIJ was also included in the “Korea Healthcare Innovation Companies TOP 40” selected by Fortune Korea in July 2025, drawing international attention to its technological capabilities.

Alongside medical devices, the company is cultivating semiconductor IP/FPGA solutions as its second growth engine. Based on 181 IP cores owned by its in-house research lab (high-speed interfaces, audio/video processing, AD/DA, communication protocols, etc.), the company plans to begin selling individual IP licenses and commercializing FPGA modules/boards starting in 2025. It is preparing FPGA modules for video/audio processing for medical imaging and military communication equipment, sensor-interface SoMs (development boards) for bio/IoT devices, AI edge cards for real-time processing of medical data, and embedded defense SoCs equipped with encrypted communication processing. This roadmap also aligns with Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province’s policy direction for the semiconductor and defense strategic industries.

The new product “PotatoPi” is an FPGA-based AI edge platform compatible with the Raspberry Pi form factor, targeting everything from education and maker communities to industrial embedded applications. Equipped with IP cores optimized for AI/ML computation and high-speed interfaces, it differentiates performance in edge AI and IoT gateways, emphasizing stable long-term supply and real-time processing as strengths. The company also plans to build a global open-source ecosystem and expand educational FPGA learning kits.

In its medical device portfolio, the development of a smart hearing-assist device is underway. The company is reorganizing its digital healthcare pipeline around “smart hearing-assist devices,” aiming to release a portable, AI signal-processing and app-connected hearing-assist device to the OTC (over-the-counter) market next year at a reasonable price.

In the diagnostics field, the company is preparing a point-of-care diagnostic platform that combines semiconductor technology with biosensing through its bio-semiconductor POCT solution. The first target is the measurement of glycated albumin (GA), which is used in diabetes management. MIJ aims to develop a silicon-wafer-based biosensor SoC that enables portable POCT devices to check GA levels within minutes using a small amount of blood. The company plans to verify prototypes by 2025, conduct clinical trials with domestic university hospitals, and aims for a market launch in 2027.

MIJ’s fabless–medical device convergence strategy is being pursued at a time when national and regional policies and industrial trends align. As a company headquartered in Chuncheon, it benefits from support by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Kangwon National University, which are fostering semiconductor, bio, and health industries through the RISE program, while the Defense Venture Center provides R&D and market support for defense SMEs. In the defense sector, the company is pursuing development tasks for innovative equipment, including embedded defense SoCs for secure communication processing, hearing-protection solutions for military personnel, and AI- and sensor-based training and diagnostic equipment such as “MedicBall.”

Reporter: Hwangmin Kim, BusinessKorea (pr@businesskorea.co.kr)