A team of Kent State University researchers is developing technology designed to help Ohio manufacturers evaluate artificial intelligence for quality inspection while maintaining control of sensitive manufacturing data.
The project, SecureMFG-AI: A Licensing-Ready Secure AI Collaboration Workflow for Ohio Manufacturing Quality Inspection, received a $249,641 Ohio Third Frontier Research Incentive award through the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The project is focused on developing a secure and auditable AI collaboration workflow that could ultimately be licensed and commercialized for use by industry.
Younghun Chae, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor of computer science at Kent State University at Stark, is leading the project. He is joined by two Kent State co-principal investigators: Jong-Hoon Kim, Ph.D. and Jungyoon Kim, Ph.D. Chae leads the project’s security, governance and integration efforts; Jong-Hoon Kim leads the manufacturer-facing quality-review workflow and industry validation; and Jungyoon Kim leads the AI, data pipeline and defect-detection evaluation.
“Our goal is to give manufacturers a way to evaluate AI-based quality-inspection technologies without giving up control of their sensitive data, AI outputs or approval decisions,” Chae said. “This award allows us to bring together expertise in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics and intelligent systems to address a real-world challenge facing advanced manufacturing.”
The team’s initial focus will be image-based defect detection, a process in which artificial intelligence analyzes images of manufactured products to identify potential defects. The broader goal is to develop a licensing-ready platform that can support future industry evaluation and commercialization.
The project represents an opportunity to connect Kent State research with the needs of Ohio’s manufacturing industry while creating opportunities for student engagement and applied learning.
Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in areas such as AI development, system integration, data preparation, testing and technical documentation.
“This is an excellent example of how research at Kent State can address challenges facing industries throughout our region and the state,” said James Hannon, dean and chief administrative officer at Kent State Stark. “Dr. Chae and his colleagues are bringing together complementary areas of expertise to develop technology with real potential for Ohio manufacturers. We are proud that this work is being led in part by one of our faculty members and that it creates opportunities to connect our students and university with an important part of Ohio’s economy.”
The Ohio Third Frontier Research Incentive program supports research and development intended to advance commercialization in Ohio. The SecureMFG-AI project is funded through June 30, 2027.
“This project brings together three researchers with complementary expertise to tackle a problem that no single discipline can solve on its own,” Chae said. “Secure AI requires us to think about not only how well an AI system performs, but also how data is protected, how decisions are trusted and how the technology can be integrated into real manufacturing environments.”
For Kent State Stark, the award further demonstrates its role in connecting university expertise with the region’s strong manufacturing base.
“Advanced manufacturing is an important part of Northeast Ohio’s economy, and the technologies transforming that industry are creating new opportunities for our students and faculty,” Hannon said. “Research like SecureMFG-AI demonstrates the value of partnerships among higher education, researchers and industry and the potential for those partnerships to drive innovation in Ohio.”
The next step for the project is completion of a memorandum of understanding between Kent State and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, followed by the project setup and funding process.
Pictured: James Hannon, dean and chief administrative officer, Kent State Stark, and Younghun Chae, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor of computer science at Kent State University Stark.
