Kim Hak-yong, head of the IoT Strategy Research Institute, visited CES 2023 in person and introduced technologies and companies that drew attention at the event, such as ambient, mobility, and display, at the e4ds webinar.

Kim Hak-yong, director of the IoT Strategy Research Institute, appeared as a speaker at e4ds's webinar 'Looking around CES 2023 with Director Kim Hak-yong' on the 17th, explaining technology trends and companies along with videos that allowed viewers to feel the vivid presence.

■ Overseas companies

The overseas companies that Director Kim Hak-yong has focused on are Amazon, Google, and Touchcast.

Amazon and Google have come out with ambient services.

The basis of ambient technology is to control all devices with voice, and it is a technology that allows AI to recognize and judge the consumer's situation and status anytime, anywhere without human intervention.

▲Labrador's mobile shelf displayed at the Amazon booth at CES 2023 (Photo: e4ds webinar capture)

Labrador's mobile shelf on display at the Amazon boothIt presented scenarios such as putting items into the refrigerator by itself and adjusting its height to fit users with limited mobility.

Google showcased technology that allows devices to provide convenience without user intervention, such as music playing from speakers depending on the user's location or playing on the phone without interruption.

Director Kim Hak-yong said that Touchcast's Metaverse Cube was very impressive.

The Metaverse Cube displayed inside the Amazon booth is a scenario that creates a virtual space in reality by surrounding the walls of an offline store with displays.

The virtual space is designed so that employees can sell cell phones, and when a purchase is made, the purchased product can be picked up from an elevator installed in the store.

Director Kim Hak-yong is pushing the boundaries of the commonly talked about VR devices and metaverses within PCs.I placed great significance on the fact that the metaverse was implemented in everyday life.

■ LG Electronics

He then said that among the domestic participating companies, LG Electronics' booth was attractive.

LG Electronics created a large screen with 260 curved displays at the entrance of its booth and broadcast a video titled 'Sunrise.'

He gave a thumbs up, saying that visitors were so captivated by the video that they couldn't leave the show throughout CES except for the last day.

LG Electronics also exhibited many products that emphasized displays within its booth.

LG Electronics' 'Mood Up' refrigerator has advantages in terms of interior design as you can change the door color of the Mood Up refrigerator or add new functions to the product using the LG ThinQ app on your mobile phone, and it has a component that produces sound using the vibration of the panel so you can play music or songs.

They also introduced a wireless TV that does not have a power cord or internet cable. Since the time that the TV can be powered by a battery is limited, it is better to use a wired power supply and only transmit the video wirelessly.

The technology that makes video transmission possible is Wi-Fi 6 eco. Since the maximum transfer speed is 10GB per second, high-resolution video can also be transferred.

Wi-Fi 7 technology is expected to be released in 2024, which will allow for faster video transmission at up to 30GB Bps over short distances.

In addition, LG Electronics also attracted attention with its transparent display technology. Director Kim Hak-yong expressed his idea that if applied to glass windows, indoor spaces could feel like being in a forest or at the beach.

■ Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics' exhibition hall is the most popular company at CES.

Director Kim Hak-yong reported that from the first day, many people gathered in front of the Samsung Electronics booth and lined up to get in.

On the other hand, the exhibition was evaluated as falling short of expectations.

To emphasize sustainability, Samsung Electronics entered CES with the theme of Eco, Green and exhibited the SmartThings Ecosystem.

SmartThings is a smart home platform that aims to create an automated ambient environment by connecting various devices.

The concept may seem plausible, but it is just a facade, except that many companies' products are linked together.

The flaw was that only a scenario was presented and no innovative technology was shown.

Director Kim Hak-yong also did not give high marks to Samsung Electronics' Hub Everywhere strategy, which involves placing Hub devices throughout the home to create a smart home.

In a house of about 30 pyeong, a mesh network can be configured and operated without any problems even with just one device.;

On the other hand, Samsung Electronics not only required both the refrigerator and the TV to be hubs, but also released a separate hub device called the SmartThings Station, which was also priced expensively at 1.3 million won.

Director Kim Hak-yong suggested that there may be a need to change the direction of Samsung Electronics' strategy.

■ Mobility

BMW's Dee vehicle is a representative mobility exhibit at this year's CES. They came out with a car that uses E-ink, an electronic ink, to change the color of its exterior.

Volkswagen also showcased an exhibit that changed the color of its exterior depending on the sound.

Sony Honda Mobility, a new joint venture between Sony and Honda, showcased its electric car, the AFEELA.

AFEELA has installed large displays in the rear seats, along with Pillar-to-Pillar displays that cover the entire dashboard.

This can be interpreted as the intention to take away time spent inside vehicles centered on infotainment in the era of autonomous driving.

Continental also showcased its Pillar to Pillar dashboard.

Realizing that it would be difficult for the driver to control the display on the passenger side, the control panel was installed between the driver and passenger seats.

It's a brown board like wood with a display on it.It's a way for the passenger to turn it on by bringing their hand close to it when needed.

Qualcomm, famous for Snapdragon, also showed off exhibits related to vehicle infotainment, expressing its opinion that mobility will be the future food source.

■ Display

Director Kim Hak-yong predicted that displays will emerge as a hot topic at CES 2023.

This is because LG Electronics' 'Mood Up' refrigerator, the interior and exterior of automobiles from automakers, and infotainment companies all require display-backed technologies.

The same goes for the Metaverse Cube of Touchcast mentioned earlier. To implement this, displays must be installed on every wall in the store.

As interest shifts from mobile to mobility, infotainment technology is naturally attracting attention.

As autonomous driving technology advances, the use of displays in the front seats as well as the back seats is expected to increase, and displays in mobility are expected to continue to develop.