“An exhibition directly focused on next-generation technology.”
This is an evaluation by KAIST professors of CES 2023, the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA. Eleven professors from this university attended the 'CES 2023 Discussion Webinar' hosted by the Korea Economic Daily on the 6th and explained technologies to pay attention to at this year's event. The event was presided over by Ahn Hyeol-sil, director of the Korea Economic Daily’s AI Economic Research Institute and editorial writer.
Three-dimensional (3D) sensor technology for autonomous driving was chosen first. Professor Park Yong-hwa said, “This is a phase in which image/AI-based methods, which analyze secured images using artificial intelligence (AI), and physics-based methods are competing with each other.” Physics-based methods recognize objects by emitting light toward the subject. 3D Lidar and TOF (time-of-flight) sensors have this structure. Although the accuracy is high, the equipment is large and expensive.
The hot topic in the healthcare market was ‘differentiation’. Professor Park Soo-kyung said, “About 40% of the companies participating in the exhibition focused on differentiating technology implementation,” and added, “They are trying to win consumers’ choice with new functions, designs, and data in a saturated market.” There were also evaluations of home appliance companies that put strengthening connectivity at the forefront. Professor Seunghyeop Yoo said, “Participating companies competed with technology that makes connection between home appliances simple and uncomplicated.”
There were also observations that interest in Web 3.0, Metaverse, and blockchain has grown. Professor Park Seong-hyuk said, “Blockchain companies have entered the central hall of the exhibition,” and analyzed, “Market interest in this field has increased.” Professor Woo Woon-taek said, “As a result of analyzing CES 2023-related content posted on Twitter, there were a lot of mentions of metaverse and virtual reality (VR).”
Some experts pointed out that companies' attitudes toward 5th generation (5G) mobile communication technology have changed. Professor Seongmin Kim said, “At this year’s CES, there were many places that promoted digital experiences based on 5G,” and added, “We went one step further from focusing on the 5G technology itself and started discussing the utility of 5G.”
Suggestions and orders for domestic companies continued. Professor Gong Gyeong-cheol said, “It was disappointing that it was difficult to confirm the business vision of domestic companies in the robotics field.” Professor Jaesik Choi said, “In the AI field, the challenge will be how domestic companies can increase their global influence.” The full webinar video can be found on YouTube.
