Story ______ 2017 Korea Electronics Show and ETRI’s New Achievements
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Future Convergent Technology for
Coexistence and Innovation
Presenting New Future Lifestyles
2017 Korea Electronics Show, the nation’s largest IT and electronics exhibition, was held with the theme “Opening Future with Convergence and Innovation.” Marking its 48th anniversary, KES 2017 presented a glimpse into a future that will be led by innovation and convergence, by introducing industrial convergent technologies representing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as IoT, digital devices, and virtual reality technology.
At the exhibition, ETRI demonstrated its recent core ICT technologies and achievements of commercialization at small businesses to which ETRI provided technical support. First of all, ETRI introduced e-paper technology that enables necessary information to appear on a display by injecting electricity into a display that is as thin as real paper. As e-paper consumes little power and operates without a power supply, it can be connected to various IoT devices. In particular, since few companies in the world produce e-paper film as commercial products, ETRI’s technology has significant competitiveness in terms of commercialization. Once commercialized, e-paper technology can be employed for media ad posters, notice boards, media magazines and books, electronic price indication, and mobile devices. Also introduced at the show was 3D printing electronic device technology. Whereas existing printing circuit boards are manufactured as semiconductors, the new technology involves production with 3D printers. From IoT and wearable devices available in various shapes from prosthetic arms to implantable electronic sensors, high-quality products will be able to be manufactured and used in a range of industries including bio-ICT devices, automobiles, and aerospace.
ETRI’s Technology to Ensure a Transition from Mega to 5G
ETRI’s offshore broadband wireless data communications system ensures stable maritime wireless data services with large capacity between ships on the sea and between ships and shore. By providing ship-ground information in real time and offering remote monitoring of devices on the ships from the shore as well as technical assistance, the technology is expected to open an era of data communications that connect everything not only on the shore, but also at sea. Meanwhile, at a time the world’s population is rapidly aging, many participants introduced new bio-health technologies at KES 2017. ETRI also released bio-health technology to ensure early diagnosis, prevention, and prediction of diseases. The technology can ensure customized health management services by analyzing interconnectedness among bio-signals including electrocardiogram, skin conductance, and pulse waves, and by verifying infectious and contagious diseases based on a field gene analysis to enable early diagnosis and prediction of possible complications. In addition, ETRI introduced its location-based logistics recognition technology to ensure warehouse automation. Mobile RFID readers are used to verify logistics and UWB tags are attached to goods susceptible to loss to track logistics and location data in real time by connecting smart devices with modules integrating location recognition technology. Lastly, ETRI’s UHD multimedia distributed streaming technology promises future ICT functionality to offer UHD multimedia streaming service to a large number of viewers at a low cost.
Win-Win Technology for SMEs
KES 2017 displayed a number of products made through novel ideas, not only from large established businesses, but also from SMEs. As a government-funded research institute, ETRI also released commercialization achievements at SMEs to which ETRI provided technical assistance. Gooroomee web-based video communications service features next-generation high-quality visual communications to enable online calls, meetings, and education without installing any programs on the browser. With minimized network cost, the quality video communications service can now be offered at a reasonable cost. The mobile hotspot network onboard device is a mobile wireless backhaul system that provides gigabit links on mobile vehicles such as subway, high-speed trains, and buses, which will mitigate disconnection of wireless communications service on public transportation. Also, vehicle-detecting geomagnetic sensor and monitoring technology uses the magnetic field of the Earth to detect vehicles. As this can also be used for sensors to detect parking spaces, the technology has emerged as a core space-management sensor to expand the parking control systems concentrated to indoor parking lots to outdoor parking garages as well. The optical transmission module designed for data centers converts electric signals into optical signals at fiber-optic communication devices to send signals through optical fiber, or converts received optical signals into electric signals again. At a time when data traffic is exploding due to cloud service and big data, the technology promises remarkable performance in terms of efficient management and operation of data centers that process data traffic. Lastly, the integrated management system for optical fiber distribution frames enables smart line management in real time when configuring optical communications networks. This system operates based on optical connectors, optical adaptors, and optical distribution frames based on electronic tags. This technology is anticipated to be used for smart systems within communication stations and for communications equipment involving frequent line movement and much labelling work.
Showcasing diverse industrial technologies for the future, KES 2017 introduced the latest products representing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and featured technological innovation to be available in everyday lives, in reflection of the theme “Opening Future with Convergence and Innovation.” ETRI’s technologies released at the exhibition also suggested the future era to be delivered by its ICT achievements and appealed to many visitors and participants.
