The father of the cellphone was there. So was Huawei and a host of other Chinese tech companies. Tens of thousands of visitors also flocked to the MWC tech fair to be dazzled by the latest advances in AI, smartphones, robotics and much more.
The metaverse got a lot of attention at the show, also known as Mobile World Congress, as companies cash in on the hype surrounding new virtual worlds for work and play.
SK TelecomB次元官网网址檚 virtual reality air taxi flight simulator was one of the most popular demonstrations, with long lines to take a virtual ride. There were robot dogs to remotely inspect infrastructure and holograms for virtual learning, along with speeches from wireless industry executives and backroom schmoozing with government officials.
Some 80,000 people were expected to attend the worldB次元官网网址檚 biggest wireless trade show, which wraps up its four-day run in Barcelona on Thursday.
HereB次元官网网址檚 a look at some highlights:
SCROLL AND FOLD
While MWC smartphone launches donB次元官网网址檛 get as much attention as they used to because innovations have slowed, devices with nifty screens took the spotlight.
Motorola added the wow factor by unveiling a phone with a screen that rolls out. Double tap your fingers on the side, and the display automatically extends from 5 inches long (13 centimeters) to 6.5 inches by unscrolling from the bottom.
MotorolaB次元官网网址檚 owner, Chinese tech brand Lenovo, also showed off a laptop with a rolling screen, which took about 19 seconds to unscroll to its fully extended position. The company said theyB次元官网网址檙e concept devices and unlikely to hit the market anytime soon.
Other brands including Samsung and ChinaB次元官网网址檚 Oppo and Tecno also released their latest folding designs.
Phones with foldable screens have drawn attention from consumers, but B次元官网网址渨hether that interest then translates into sales is a different question,B次元官网网址� said Gerrit Schneemann, senior analyst at GfK Boutique. B次元官网网址淔or the next few years, I think theyB次元官网网址檒l still be a real niche market in the overall smartphone market. Growing, but still B次元官网网址� relatively speaking B次元官网网址� relatively small.B次元官网网址�
AI CHAT GLASSES
Artificially intelligent chatbots like ChatGPT have taken the tech world by storm, and U.K. startup XRAI Glass is joining the fray with augmented reality glasses.
The companyB次元官网网址檚 virtual assistant app was designed to work with smart viewer glasses to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing better understand whatB次元官网网址檚 happening around them. Speech is transcribed from other people nearby and the subtitles are displayed onto the lenses or an attached smartphone.
Now XRAI (pronounced X-ray) has integrated OpenAIB次元官网网址檚 ChatGPT technology into its app and glasses setup.
B次元官网网址淧eople can ask questions such as general knowledge or recipes or anything they like,B次元官网网址� CEO Dan Scarfe said. B次元官网网址淥r they can actually ask questions of their conversation. So, `Hey, XRAI, can you please summarize this conversation?B次元官网网址� Or, `Hey, XRAI, what was the name of the town that we were just talking about?B次元官网网址滲次元官网网址�
For those with hearing loss, it can be helpful to have an AI assistant recap a conversation in which multiple people were talking, the company says.
DIGITAL HUMANS
People might feel better interacting with AI chatbots if they had human faces. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the thinking at D-ID, an Israeli startup, which launched a new interface for its B次元官网网址渄igital humanB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� essentially an online avatar that can work with AI-chat systems to hold conversations.
B次元官网网址淲e had the chatbot in the past. They didnB次元官网网址檛 work,B次元官网网址� said CEO Gil Perry, because they could only answer specific questions with specific answers. Now, B次元官网网址渓arge language models are bringing huge improvements to traditional chatbots.B次元官网网址�
Generative AI systems like ChatGPT can create readable text and hold conversations based on what theyB次元官网网址檝e learned from so-called large language models B次元官网网址� vast databases of digital books, online writings and other media.
Perry demonstrated by asking a question to the chatbotB次元官网网址檚 face on his laptop, whose response was eerily lifelike. He said safeguards would prevent D-IDB次元官网网址檚 technology from being used maliciously.
B次元官网网址淭he idea here is not to replace anyone and not to convince anyone that what theyB次元官网网址檙e seeing is true,B次元官网网址� Perry said. ItB次元官网网址檚 just that humans are B次元官网网址渦sed to communicating with faces.B次元官网网址�
REMOTE CONTROL CARS
At German mobility startup VayB次元官网网址檚 display, a driver was steering a car around a course marked with pylons. But the car was 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) away in Berlin.
The companyB次元官网网址檚 technology enables cars to be driven by remote B次元官网网址渢ele-drivers.B次元官网网址� So far, so standard.
The twist is in VayB次元官网网址檚 business model, which is a cross between taxi service and car rental. When a user hails a ride, a tele-driver will steer one of its electric cars to the pickup point for the customer, who will take over the driving duties. At the destination, the car will be taken away by a remote driver. No need to park.
The company says itB次元官网网址檚 the first in Europe to be allowed to operate cars on public streets without a human driver inside. It has 20 certified tele-drivers so far and plans to launch the service soon in Germany and the U.S.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e talking, you know, hopefully months,B次元官网网址� CEO Thomas von der Ohe said.
One of the main goals is to rid city streets of cars that are parked and not used for most of the day.
The service will be B次元官网网址渁 big step to start creating an alternative so people donB次元官网网址檛 buy the second car or the third car maybe in the near future,B次元官网网址� von der Ohe said. B次元官网网址淎lso not the first car. B次元官网网址�
AUGMENTED REALITY EXPERIENCES
Software company Amdocs demonstrated AR technology that could be used for B次元官网网址渘ext-generation immersive experiencesB次元官网网址� for both fans and security staff at big-ticket sports games.
For example, soccer fans attending a match in person could buy a package of extras for their AR glasses, including exclusive replay videos and live stats shown on their lenses to B次元官网网址渁ugmentB次元官网网址� their game experience.
The same glasses also could be used as an extra tool for security staff at the game, with additional safety features including a security database.
In a simulation at MWC, guards were alerted to rowdy fans trying to climb the gates. A known soccer hooligan was flagged on the database, his face and details flashing up on the lenses.
Users, viewing the scene from the guardB次元官网网址檚 perspective, scanned the crowd as the glasses picked out faces before identifying the suspect so he could be apprehended B次元官网网址� an unsettling display bordering on Orwellian.
By Cassandra Allwood, James Brooks And Kelvin Chan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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