By Jenny Lee WIRED Korea

The largest annual tech trade show took place last week in Las Vegas, and this year’s show ushered in the new decade with some wondrous tech products and wild gadgets, for which tech aficionados fell head over heels.

Fitness wearables, auto-tuning earbuds, a compact gaming PC, an exo-suit that helps workers fight fatigue. The range of gadgetry at the four-day Consumer Electronics Show(CES) was so vast, with more than 4,400 companies flaunting their advanced products before some 170,000 attendees from 160 countries and territories, including tech journalists, industry insiders and analysts.

As with many other CES events in the past, one of the core focuses was mobility, a huge and diverse arena where 5G and Artificial Intelligence are disrupting established industries and enterprises.

Almost every major automaker as well as tech company premiered its own concept of a driverless vehicle, and therefore, CES was a great place to take a glimpse into the future of mobility, which was all about self-driving, ride-sharing, connectivity and electrification.

The WIRED Korea crew met with South Korea’s leading automakers and tech companies on the show floor to see what visions they have for urban mobility.

Flying Taxis On the Horizon

Many big announcements in the automotive sphere came out of this year’s show, but nothing seemed to be bigger than the one from Hyundai Motor Co., which has unveiled, a day before CES opened, S-A1, a prototype of a flying car designed for Uber.

The two companies’ idea is to have a network of aerial taxis in the skies of major cities and their surrounding areas, an initiative introduced by Uber in October 2016 that has already brought together traditional aerospace partners like Embraer, Bell and Boeing subsidiary Aurora.
 

In line with previous designs Uber Elevate has released, the carmaker designed the electrically powered PAV, or “personal air vehicle,” to take off and land vertically, carry up to four passengers on trips of up to 60 miles (100km) at speeds reaching 180 mph (290 km per hour). And it would skip traffic congestion by cruising at altitudes of around 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 600 meters) above ground.

To bring this dreamy concept to life, Hyundai will be in charge of producing and deploying the air vehicles when the ride-sharing platform focuses on providing airspace support services, connections to ground transportation and customer interfaces through an aerial rideshare network. They are currently collaborating on infrastructure concepts to support take-off and landing for this new type of vehicle.

“When manufacturing the S-A1, the four things that we paid most attention to were that it is safe, not too loud, affordable, and that it’s human-centered,” said Keun-seok Lee, a senior research engineer at Hyundai Motor Group’s Strategy and Technology Division.

To facilitate passengers using Uber Air, development of the Hub, which could serve as a ground-based flying taxi air terminal, and the Purpose Built Vehicle(PBV), an autonomous shuttle that can carry them between Uber’s bases, is also underway.

While Uber hopes to have this shared air transportation up and running by 2023, Hyundai expects the launch of commercial operations in 2028 or 2029.

“We are currently working closely with city and country stakeholders including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration,” Lee said. “Once regulatory approvals are secured, we will be launching the vehicles.”

Improving Mobility Experiences with 5G

As 5G implementation is expected to ramp up this year, South Korea’s tech giants are keen on equipping future cars with smart technologies – all for providing connected experiences to drivers and passengers while they travel. 

At CES, Samsung Electronics showcased its Digital Cockpit 2020, a solution jointly developed with its affiliate Harman International which utilizes 5G to allow seamless two-way communications between the car and the environment around it and provide all-new personalized in-car experiences. 

Powered by the Exynos Auto V9 processor, which can simultaneously run multiple applications, the solution incorporates eight cameras and eight displays in and around the car to provide assistance for safer driving – navigation and driving information, notices and alerts to the driver.
 

Particularly eye-grabbing are perhaps the two 7-inch displays – one on the left and one on the right – which replace the conventional side mirrors. What is more, the two displays mounted on the front-seat headrests can let rear passengers access vehicle controls and entertainment content, and the 53.7-inch MicroLED tail display can relay messages and warnings to pedestrians and tailgaters.

Samsung’s virtual Bixby assistant, which has become smarter, can actively support drivers, making real-time options that suit their needs like turning lights and home appliances on at their smart homes.

But to many people’s dismay, this is still just a concept, and asking automakers to incorporate all of these components remains a task for Samsung.

Car Becomes An Extension of Home  

LG Electronics, known for home appliances and TVs, also shared its vision of future transportation at the event, and its focus was largely on making the ride as convenient as it is exhilarating for passengers.

LG’s concept car, developed with the help of automotive seating supplier Adient, is what seems to be a driverless shuttle that offers seats for four people. Marking a significant departure from traditional cars, it does not have an engine nor a steering wheel, but has many fun and interesting features: a facial recognition system (to access the car), a pair of 65-inch OLED displays for multimedia use, fully reclining chairs, motion-detecting snack bars and even clothing-care systems that make coats and jackets smell fresh and keep wrinkles at bay.
 

“We tried to bring our appliances to the car,” said LG’s Kay Lee. “When the era of the fully autonomous vehicle arrives, the car will become an extension of the home, where people can stay connected at all times.”

But whether it will actually be on the road or not is anyone’s guess.

Better Car Performance with Advanced Battery

Although they may not as eye-dazzling as other future car technologies, SK Innovations has brought solutions that would provide better battery performance, lifespan, safety, charging, and also cut down on cost.
 

Hosting a booth at the tech show with its affiliates SK Telecom, memory chipmaker SK Hynix and SKC, a specialty materials company, the leading energy and chemicals company showed off electric vehicle (EV) battery technology, lightweight auto parts and various lubricant products.