A real virus locks hi-tech boffins into their virtual world
‘Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?” ran a classic antiwar slogan from the 1960s. Now it’s a case of, “Suppose they gave a technology revolution and nobody came?”
That’s thanks to the cancellation of Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest mobile technologies launch pad, scheduled for Barcelona this past week. More than 2,800 companies had hoped to showcase their latest hi-tech products.
The organisers, the GSM Association, had also hoped to present a united front of operators, manufacturers and innovators who would lead the world into a future defined by 5G, the fifth generation of wireless connectivity. But the promise of unimaginable speed and functionality was brought coughing down to earth by an invisible virus.
The technology void left in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic has been difficult to fill, even for major organisations such as Ericsson and Huawei, which went ahead with independent launch events. For small exhibitors, who often pour their entire marketing budgets into the one opportunity to shine, it has been a disaster. Their hopes of fame, fortune or at least having a shot at being the next big thing, have been dashed.
But all is not lost. One of the side events of MWC, an independent exhibition called ShowStoppers, intended to highlight a sample of the best of MWC for the world’s media, has turned itself into a virtual event.
“We would be shaking hands today in Barcelona,” said Steve Leon, who has been running ShowStoppers events around the world for 25 years, “but this is an unusual year.” Ironically, a high proportion of the highlighted exhibitors were due to
Innovators find a way around cancellation of major mobile technologies congress
demonstrate medical technologies and solutions. In keeping with the coronavirus crisis, then, the focus here is on the medical hi-tech of ShowStoppers:
● Aroma Bit has developed a silicon-based smell sensor that enables “dog-equivalent ultra-high smell resolution”. Its sensor or “e-nose” promises “objective smell monitoring” for food, plants, transportation, home appliances and health care.
● Biodata Bank has been developing a wearable device with a sensor and algorithm that estimates core body temperature and warns of impending heatstroke.
● Bisu goes further than other health trackers — literally down the toilet. The Bisu Body Coach is a smart urine analyser that gives users personalised advice for improving their health.
● Astem makes portable products that use near infrared ray technologies to measure blood flow changes by just touching the skin. One is being tested by a bus company in Japan to detect the sleepiness of professional drivers.
● Oral-B may not be a new name, but it says its latest hi-tech toothbrush could change the dental game. It’s called the iO and uses artificial intelligence and 3D tracking to transform brushing.
● DreamGP makes 3D foot-measuring machines. It creates insoles and custom shoes, based on foot-shaped data, to improve walking and sport performance.
There is an irony lurking in the virtual showcasing of these innovations. If any do become the next big thing, it demonstrates that physically being there is no longer as important as virtually being everywhere.