Being the globe’s premier event for wireless technology, the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona brims with exhibitors displaying their most recent devices and innovations.
This year’s exhibits aim to impress attendees with incredibly realistic 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 call systems utilize just one audio channel to convey voices, the advanced system enables sounds to appear as though they are coming from various directions.
Labeled 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 it may be several years before the majority of users have access to this technology.
High-fidelity robot
Dressed in a black gown, with a red jacket and long brown hair, the highly lifelike human-like robot Amira is showcased by the Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat.
Although Amira replicates human characteristics with great precision, her motions still appear noticeably sluggish and disjointed.
Elliott White from Engineered Arts, one of the robot’s developers, mentioned that the machine can be linked to various generative AI “large language models,” enabling it to engage with humans.
Remote driving
At MWC, numerous connected vehicles could be found 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 casing of its 14 Pro series, designed to resemble a seashell, incorporates thermochromic pigments that change to blue at temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius (61°F) and turn white when it heats up.
The company behind the smartphone acknowledges that this merely ornamental feature won’t be relevant for long.
“As a result of regular usage, the temperature-responsive color-change feature will eventually become less effective,” according to Realme.
Smart contact lenses
A Dubai-startup called Xpanceo is working towards integrating advanced functionalities such as an “enhanced reality” screen, health tracking capabilities, and wireless charging into a bendable contact lens.
Models showcased at their booth demonstrate proof-of-concepts for various features that co-founder Roman Axelrod states they aim to integrate into one 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
Lenovo, a Chinese PC manufacturer, has integrated solar panels into the lid of its Yoga Solar laptop to enhance battery longevity.
Lenovo claims that its 84 solar cells can supply power to the device even without being directly exposed to sunlight.
The laptops will include a power management system designed to determine when the solar panel should be utilized.
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 a PC.
“Cat Eye” for detecting cataracts
Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica has teamed up with start-up 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 disease detection.
As stated by Telefonica, this implies that doctors can delegate specific responsibilities to their staff, enabling them to step in at appropriate times and utilize their time more effectively.