[CES2022] Clapping and Dancing... The K-Technology Experience Zone Packed Without a Spot to Step

Offline Event Highlights Held After 2 Years

'Vegas Loop' providing transportation convenience with Tesla vehicles at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States, where CES 2022 is being held

'Vegas Loop' providing transportation convenience with Tesla vehicles at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States, where CES 2022 is being held

[Las Vegas, USA = Asia Economy reporters Kim Heung-soon and Lee Ki-min] On the 6th (local time), at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition 'CES 2022' was held, where Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, rode the Boring Company's futuristic transportation system, the Vegas Loop. When boarding Tesla's Model X, Model Y, and others displayed at the exhibition entrance, the driver operates the vehicle through an underground parking structure. The interior consists of a tunnel structure that allows only one vehicle to pass through. It is a form of moving by vehicle through the underground of the exhibition hall divided into three zones: West Hall, Central Hall, and East Hall. Drivers operate the vehicle to the destination set by visitors and frequently shuttle between underground and ground spaces. The approximately 1.3 km section, which takes nearly 20 minutes on foot, can be covered in just one minute, attracting continuous foot traffic from visitors. A CES official at the information booth, seemingly accustomed to frequent questions, provides detailed information about the boarding area.

AR-based future vehicle driving experience space at the Samsung Electronics booth participating in CES 2022
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

The Charm of Offline Events, Crowded Experience Zones
Samsung AR Car Experience Zone Packed with Visitors
Cheers for Robot Dog Spot’s Synchronized Dance

As CES resumed offline events after two years, the attention of visitors who came to the site was mainly focused on 'experience zones' where they could see, hear, and experience. The booths operated by domestic companies were no exception. Among the Samsung Electronics booths bustling with crowds day after day, many people gathered in the space introducing augmented reality (AR)-based driving information technology. Sitting in a chair designed like a car interior, visitors can see AR-based route guidance and driving information through a display. The futuristic driving information, considering the era of autonomous driving, vividly simulated unexpected situations such as automatic speed control in urgent scenarios, including the appearance of animals, as well as route guidance reminiscent of actual roads.

Hyundai Motor’s booth, which did not showcase any cars at the exhibition, was also crowded on the second day of the opening. Due to the crowd surrounding the booth, it took about 40 minutes to enter, but almost no one left their spot. This was to watch Hyundai’s bipedal and quadrupedal robotics technology and futuristic mobility, which became the biggest topic on the opening day of CES 2022.

Three robot dogs 'Spot' are performing a synchronized dance to BTS music at the Hyundai booth in the CES 2022 exhibition hall. [Image source=Yonhap News]

When three Boston Dynamics robot dogs 'Spot' danced on stage to BTS’s song ‘Ionic: I’m On It,’ people either mimicked Spot’s movements or cheered along with the music. Then, as demonstrations of the small mobility platform ‘Mobed,’ equipped with the ‘Plug and Drive Module (PnD Module)’ application and the ‘Drive and Lift Module (DnL Module),’ and personal mobility unfolded, people were mesmerized, continuously pressing camera shutters and video buttons. Some visitors exclaimed ‘Incredible!’ while watching the mobility devices perform 360-degree rotations and crab walking.

Visitors are touring the SK Group booth themed "A Carbon-Free Life, Your Partner on the Path" at CES 2022, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA.

The booth jointly organized by SK Group along with SK Telecom, SK Inc., SK Innovation, SK Hynix, SK E&S, and SK Ecoplant also attracted attention with its interactive experience space. SK set the theme of this CES as ‘A Carbon-Free Life, a Companion Walking the Path with You’ and designed the exhibition space like a forest path inspired by Indungsan Mountain in Chungbuk, where they have long been engaged in afforestation projects. A large oak tree model that reduces carbon was installed in the center. Visitors enjoy leisure like in a recreational forest and take photos on simple chairs placed around the oak tree. The booth also offers visitors opportunities to directly participate and contribute to carbon reduction. Visitors learn and experience various carbon reduction methods that can be practiced in daily life, and are awarded green points, which are converted at a rate of 1 dollar per 1,000 points and donated to a campaign to save mangrove forests in Vietnam. After touring the booth, visitors can participate in an eco-friendly game designed like a casino. An SK official said, "There is great interest in participatory experience spaces."

Doosan Robotics showcased a robot drum performance at CES 2022, where the drummer is playing along with electronic cymbals connected to a collaborative robot.
[Photo by Doosan]

Doosan Group’s booth featured a collaborative robot drum performance prepared by Doosan Robotics. This performance, held every 30 minutes, showcased a collaborative robot shaped like a human arm playing cymbals and delivering lively rhythms alongside a drummer, drawing applause and cheers from the audience at the end. Doosan also demonstrated remote control technology for small construction equipment, receiving enthusiastic applause from visitors. The method involved live streaming the operation of a compact track loader in Denver, about 980 km away, controlled by a joystick equipped with the next-generation MaxControl system operated by a worker at an excavator displayed at the Las Vegas exhibition hall. Seeing the remotely located equipment move as if it were one body, cheers erupted not only inside the booth but also from spectators outside.

Table 'Anvita' for Virus and Droplet Protection Introduced at CES 2022

Contactless Innovative Technologies Created by COVID-19 Also in the Spotlight

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest technologies that prevent viruses or enable contactless medical services also attracted attention. A representative example is the virus and droplet blocking table ‘Anvita’ introduced by the Korean company Vision Semicon. Anvita is a table designed in dome and parasol shapes, where air is blown upward through cross-shaped lines. Even when dining or chatting at the table, droplets or viruses in the air are drawn upward into the inlet, similar to the principle of an air curtain blocking contaminants. It can be installed in unmanned restaurants or cafes, drawing interest from buyers and visitors.

In a corner of the exhibition hall, a remote medical booth developed by the U.S. medical device company OnMed also offers COVID-19 PCR testing. Results are delivered within 30 minutes, making it useful for those about to depart the country. However, since it is a paid booth costing $160, few actually underwent testing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.