The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, being the globe’s largest trade show for wireless technology, attracts numerous manufacturers who display their most recent devices and innovations.
This year’s exhibits aim to impress attendees with incredibly lifelike human-like robots, phones whose colors can change, intelligent contact lenses, and much more.
'Ambient audio' in phone conversations
Mobile equipment builder Nokia and operator Vodafone say their "3D spatial sound" will offer users "truly immersive audio" on phone calls, with the person on the line sounding as if they are in the same room.
While present calls utilize just one audio channel to convey voices, the advanced system enables sounds to appear as though they're coming from various directions.
Referred to as "Immersive Video and Audio Services" (IVAS), this technology necessitates smartphones equipped with dual microphones.
This, coupled with the requirement for a speedy 5G connection, suggests that the technology might take multiple years before it becomes widely available to most consumers.
High-fidelity robot
Dressed in a black gown, with a red jacket and long brown hair, the ultra-realistic humanoid robot Amira is showcased by the Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat.
Although Amira replicates human characteristics with great accuracy, her motions still appear noticeably sluggish and disjointed.
Elliott White from Engineered Arts, one of the robotic creator’s companies, mentioned that the machine can be linked to various generative AI “large language models” enabling communication with individuals.
Remote driving
At MWC, numerous connected vehicles could be seen on display, yet attendees had the opportunity to remotely operate a car located 3,000 kilometers away in Finland from the GSMA Congress organizer’s booth.
The configuration — consisting solely of a steering wheel and several displays — was developed by the Estonian company Elmo. They have equipped the vehicles with a specialized control system as well as numerous cameras, working together with Nokia.
Chameleonic smartphone
A Chinese company called Realme has created a smartphone whose color alters with the external temperature.
The 14 Pro series has a body design inspired by a seashell and embedded with thermochromic pigments. These pigments change color to blue at temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius (61°F) or turn white as the temperature rises.
The company behind the smartphone acknowledges that this ornamental feature won’t be trendy for long.
"Due to regular usage, the feature that changes color based on temperature sensitivity will eventually become less effective," according to Realme.
Smart contact lenses
The Dubai-based start-up Xpanceo plans to incorporate advanced functionalities such as an "enhanced reality" screen, health tracking capabilities, and wireless charging into a bendable contact lens.
Models standing at their booth demonstrate proof-of-concept examples for every feature that co-founder Roman Axelrod states they aim to integrate into one singular prototype device "by the end of 2026."
For now the devices are relatively clunky, with a large metal coil needed to receive the wireless power to light up a single pixel on one demonstration lens.
Axelrod mentioned that those components would be made smaller with the use of "two-dimensional materials... just one atom thick."
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Solar-powered laptop
Chinese PC builder Lenovo has built solar panels into the lid of its Yoga Solar laptop to extend battery life.
Lenovo claims that its 84 solar cells can supply power to the device even without being directly under the sun.
The laptops will include a power management system designed to regulate when the solar panel activates.
Lenovo stated that this innovation enables the solar panel to capture sufficient direct sunlight within 20 minutes, which can then be used to support up to one hour of video playback on the computer.
"Cat Eye" for detecting cataracts
Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica has teamed up with startup Edgendria Innovacion to develop their "Cat Eye" tool.
Individuals can perform an eye examination on their own to assess if they have a cataract severe enough to necessitate surgery.
An image of each eye taken with a basic photograph is processed using an AI-driven system for detecting the condition.
This indicates that doctors can "assign specific duties to their staff members so they can step in at appropriate times, thus optimizing their time usage," according to Telefonica.