From this Monday until Thursday, there will be much talk about the Mobile World Congress (MWC), with the arrival of a new edition at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona, but it is often difficult to understand what is really shown inside. It is taken for granted that one can try the latest models of the most cutting-edge mobile phones, although lately it is no longer just that, and more and more virtual reality glasses, robots, and various gadgets are starting to appear. With the aim of translating what the latest technological innovations presented at the fair are for, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) foundation has opted this edition to apply them to something everyone knows: the five senses. The pilots presented at its stand allow testing technological solutions through experiences, but all of them have industrial applications, whether in the video game sector, commerce, or health.
The technological route proposed by MWCapital starts with smell. Through an avatar created with just a photograph, different spaces of the city are explored, discovering in each of them an associated smell, without entering into controversy. Walking along the beach, one smells the sea breeze, and on La Rambla, a flower stall presents its best products. But one also goes to Camp Nou, where one steps on its field and feels the freshly cut grass; to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, with incense and candles as protagonists, or to Petritxol street, as it could not be otherwise, opening the stomach remembering its chocolate, although churros are not included in the experience.
This first leg was created by Puig, who already brought it to the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE). Air Parfum, a company of the Puig group, has developed a machine that allows smelling different products without one becoming dazed and no longer being able to distinguish them. Although here the device is shown to see what the city smells like, it is designed for stores that sell perfumes. It has also been tested in the art world through a collaboration with the Prado Museum that allowed smelling a Rubens painting, in which a skunk that also stank was drawn.
With the sense of smell overcome, one moves to taste. According to the olfactory profile of each user, determined by the smells they have liked, they are given a chocolate bonbon to taste, which can be acidic, sweet, or spicy, made by Casa Cacao and the Roca brothers, attempting to satisfy the hunger that has been awakened on Petritxol street. It's not just about tasting a bonbon; it's complemented by virtual reality glasses that accompany the explosion of flavor, with colored lights that expand when one takes the first bite. It is estimated that a total of 2,000 bonbons will be produced throughout the Mobile.
With the nose and mouth adapted to digital environments, it's time for touch. Taking advantage of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Olympic Games, one can put themselves in Antonio Rebollo's shoes and be encouraged to repeat his lighting of the Olympic torch. This is achieved with virtual reality glasses that convey the stadium atmosphere, but, especially, with haptic sleeves that allow one to feel the pressure of the bow and arrow thanks to electrical micropulsations.
The Malaga-based startup Owo has developed this technology with pieces of clothing that allow reproducing sensations such as being hit by a ball, suffering an insect bite, and even a gunshot. It is used in multiple sectors, especially video games, being applied to Fortnite or League of Legends, but also in the military, to train soldiers, or in healthcare, facilitating mobility for blind people.
The startup Owo has developed pieces of clothing that allow reproducing sensations such as being hit by a ball and suffering an insect biteWhether or not the cauldron has been lit, the route is completed by dancing a bit at the old Maddox nightclub in Platja d'Aro, or with Izal at their last concert at the Palau Sant Jordi.Again with virtual reality glasses, the experience manages to turn anyone into another member of the band and you can even smell the typical concert beer, avoiding the sweat that also characterizes them. WithThe Woman in Green in the background, one believes they are singing it while watching how the fans completely surrender, the security personnel checks that everything is going well, and the band's manager records a video for posterity.
The view, present in the different stages of this route with virtual reality glasses, becomes the protagonist of the last one, allowing to modify the colors and intensity of fireworks over the Sagrada Família and demonstrating that, if all technology were presented this way, the Mobile would not feel like something that is only for a few suited men.
First day of absolute full house
Since early Monday morning, the Mobile has filled the corridors of Fira de Barcelona, reliving the images of pre-pandemic years and leaving behind the masks that were still mandatory in the last edition. Returning to occupy the eight pavilions of the fairground, the congress has demonstrated its strength with floods of attendees, among them, Asian congress members who have returned after three years of absence. A success that had already been detected in the previous days in the city, with full hotels and VTCs everywhere. What has caused surprise among attendees have been the queues for the cloakroom and restaurants, as well as the high prices of the menus. The return to normality has also meant the return of protests at the doors of the MWC, saving itself from the taxi drivers' strike but with the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat Urban Guard demanding better conditions.