#25 NOV 2016
Special

STORY

Festival for Creative Collaboration
beyond Industrial Boundaries

KES (Korea Electronics Show) 2016

As the nation’s largest exposition dedicated to electronics and IT, the Korea Electronics Show 2016
was held with the theme “Where the Creative Things Are!” for four days from October 26th
Showcasing a wide array of state-of-the-art home appliances, ICT, semiconductors, display, IoT,
and convergent products combining IT and cultural elements, the event served as a well-prepared festival for the latest technologies.

IT and convergence to present future-oriented lifestyles

First launched in 1969, the KES has become Korea’s largest exposition that showcases the latest IT and electronics technology of the nation. In 2016, the event was held simultaneously with other IT-related events such as the Semiconductor Exhibition and Korea Display Exhibition. With a large group of participants from Korea’s leading businesses and SMEs to educational institutions to individual researchers, the KES 2016 presented a convergence of state-of-the-art electronics and IT achievements, the future of high technologies, and future-oriented lifestyles.
In particular, a number of large companies such as Samsung, LG, and Chevrolet installed experiential booths where visitors could directly operate electronic products and understand the latest ICT developments. Among others, what attracted the most visitors was the exhibition for virtual reality experience, which enabled the participants to enjoy a variety of sports and entertainment content provided through a virtual reality service.
Another notable exhibition was dedicated to experiencing a smartphone equipped with the world’s first wide-angle front and rear cameras; television sets blurring the boundary between furniture and electronic appliances; and innovative business based on IoT platforms across all industries for smart home, healthcare, environment and energy, and smart cars.
The four-day event was accompanied by a range of seminars, consultations, and academic conferences, serving as a venue for collaboration of IT and convergent technologies and for encouraging exchanges and establishing networks among Korean and international experts and interested parties.

 

A feast of the latest ICT achievements showcased by ETRI

At the KES 2016, ETRI demonstrated 12 of the latest ICT convergent technologies and commercialized products for technology transfer. Among its outstanding achievements, ETRI exhibited: (1)LASA (light adaptable, space adaptable), a low-power adaptive display technology to provide optimal image quality with the switching of spontaneous emission and reflection modes depending on the ambient light; (2)a cloud-based virtual desktop to enable users to access their PC environment anytime, anywhere; (3)next-generation high-speed communications technology called Zing, which is designed to instantly transmit large volume of media content within a short distance; (4)a smart green operating system and virtualization technology to efficiently reduce energy consumption and costs; (5)software technology for IoT data hierarchy analysis with an aim to swiftly analyze real-time data and respond to the results in IoT environments; and (6)software technology for automated control of smart services and (7)a software platform for aviation and railway safety, both to allocate best resources to each application by monitoring the system status.
In addition, ETRI displayed commercialized products for customized technological support for small businesses, which is a part of ETRI’s program for win-win collaboration and shared growth with SMEs. The displayed products are: (1)an optical transmitter/receiver; (2)G-Scan, an overhead barcode scanner to realize automated logistics; (3)TIPN solutions; (4)TeraONE, an integrated platform for real-time big data; and (5)a packet optical transmission network that incorporates the transmission network, circuit network, and packet network functions into a single platform.

 

Collaborative efforts to best utilize the present and position for the future

At the KES 2016, “Win-Win Day for Large Businesses and SMEs” was held with an aim to promote the shared growth of both large and smaller businesses, by supporting SMEs to explore new markets with the large companies’ networks and infrastructure. A total of 180 companies and venture startups participated in the event and demonstrated their novel and interesting technologies based on their innovative experiences. Consultation services were also provided with respect to producing a range of products, parts, and software as well as to establishing smart factories, providing specific solutions for shared growth, and collaboration.
Sonictier, a company that developed, jointly with ETRI, audio processors and codec to complete 3D sound technology, demonstrated to the visitors the meaning of shared growth and cooperation between researchers and SMEs. Specializing in 3D cinematic sound with an ambition to become the next Dolby, Sonictier is growing into a leading innovator in the sound industry to offer realistic sound technology for all mediums, from cinema to home theater to mobile devices such as laptops.
The KES 2016 certainly provided a glimpse into the future era powered by ICT and crafted by innovative information technologies. The convergence of multiple technologies and transboundary collaboration among industries at KES 2016 not only allows us to see a future we are dreaming of, but also invites the participants to have a deeper understanding of today’s electronics industry.