The Gran Via exhibition center seems to have taken a leap in time this Monday with the grand return of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). It had been a long time since so many people were seen parading through its corridors, listening to presentations of new products, or queuing to try some of the latest technological innovations. There were even some who were left out of some talks because there was no room left inside.
The feeling that has been breathed walking among stands and pavilions is that Mobile has truly returned, as it was before, finally leaving the pandemic behind. This year's show has nothing to do with the one held last summer, on a much smaller scale and with little traffic of congress attendees. The GSMA expects to be between 40,000 and 60,000 attendees in this edition, closer to 60,000 than 40,000, and it does not seem that they have been very wrong.
Only the masks reminded that MWC 2022 has not yet fully recovered the old normality. Precisely, one of the queues that formed first thing in the morning was that of congress attendees who arrived at the exhibition center without the mandatory FFP2 required by the GSMA to access the congress.
It had been a long time since so many people were seen parading through the corridors of Fira, listening to presentations of new products, or queuing to try some of the latest technological innovationsOne of the symbols that the coronavirus seemed to be going to eliminate from the daily life of Mobile were the typical accreditations that once invaded the city during the days of the show. The GSMA has replaced them with a mobile application that serves to access the show. Despite being the main technology congress in the world, tradition has won the game against the virtual this time. The Mobile organizers have enabled various spaces where one can print their cover letter ---name and company--- and hang it around their neck.It is not useful for accessing any space, but it facilitates presentations and thenetworking. This is how the congressmen who went to print it in the middle of the morning, like William, saw it, although there were also those who were looking for it to have a souvenir of the hall. The truth is that the problems caused by reading the accreditation on the mobile to be registered in the stands visited or to enter certain places show that sometimes, like paper, there is nothing.
Among much technology, reality always ends up imposing itself at the MWC. This year, the war in Ukraine has been present at the fair. The GSMA announced last week that it was banning Russia's participation in the show, eliminating the stand it was going to have, and invited its companies not to participate.
This Monday, in the pavilion where the exhibitors from the different countries participating in the Mobile are concentrated, there was one, between the Netherlands, India and France, that caught the attention because it had no name or flag. In it, there were Russian companies, which did not say anywhere that they were and only explained the products they had come to present. Russian companies coexist with congressmen who wear a ribbon on their lapels, with the flag of Ukraine. This was the case of a Canadian congressman who wore it for his Ukrainian wife and her family.
Augmented reality glasses, metaverse and robot waiters
If the feeling was of a return to normality, the technological novelties that are presented every year at the MWC could not be missing either. For some time now, virtual reality glasses have been rubbing shoulders with new mobile phones. In this year's edition, these devices also serve to immerse oneself in the metaverse, one of the great protagonists. This is demonstrated by the South Korean SK Telecom, with one of the exhibitors where the most queues are being registered to try its demos. As if it were an amusement park, the company proposes a trip to space, simulating the movements that must be experienced in a spaceship. Those who have tried it say that they don't even notice, even if they are elevated several meters above the ground.
Augmented reality glasses have also been brought by Chinese Oppo. A light device that is added to the frame of the glasses serves to read information as if it were a teleprompter, simultaneously translate what the wearer hears ---only available in Chinese and English--- or identify the place where one is. It also tells you the time. The other novelty that the company has presented at MWC solves one of the big concerns that come with mobile phones: the battery. Its new line of phones allows them to be charged in just nine minutes and, in addition, doubles the battery's lifespan.
Although at the Mobile it seems that covid is a thing of the past, many of the innovations presented still respond to the new needs that have arisen with the pandemic, such as screen disinfectants that eliminate all existing and future bacteria. Chinese Honor sees that the coronavirus continues to be a concern in its country of origin and that some things will remain. For this reason, they have created wireless headphones that allow measuring body temperature, with the aim of controlling how one is doing, explains Juan Pinate, a company spokesperson. "It has become fashionable in China," he remarks. Thus, if one has a cough and the headphones indicate a fever, it is better to stay home and isolate oneself.
Another of the most coveted demos at this MWC is the waiter that Telefónica has put to serve wine at its stand, from Raimat. Macco Robotics is the Seville-based company responsible for developing the robot and the application that allows ordering what one wants, elements that are complemented by Telefónica's 5G connection. This peculiar waiter is capable of providing personalized service, recognizing the user and serving them their usual, and interacting in more than one language.
Damm also participates in the congress with another robot waiter. In their case, as it could not be otherwise, beers are served, ordered by their human colleagues and without using 5G. "Pouring a good beer seems easy but it is not," defends Damm's Digital Transformation Director, Laura Gil. This is the first time they have tested this robot and, for now, the Catalan firm plans to take it to massive events like the Mobile, indicates Gil, to then see what use they can end up giving it.
Another robot also roaming the Mobile is one that fans of Black Mirror will easily recognize. Shaped like a dog, Telefónica is testing it for use in situations of risk to people, such as a fire, to see what is happening and how it can be solved, explains Innovation Manager, Mercedes Fernández. Through 5G, Telefónica controls its steps in the Gran Via exhibition center from its headquarters in Barcelona, Torre 00, at the end of Diagonal.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
