Jan 10 2018
Insights and a first look at cutting-edge products from Taiwan’s top innovators — ITRI, AEON Motor, GEOSAT, Robotelf, and Taiwan Main Orthopedics—were the highlights of yesterday’s press conference at CES 2018, organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Taiwan’s foremost trade promotion organization.
Credit: The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)
These breakthrough products have the potential to dramatically improve people’s work and everyday lives and include a highly intelligent robot for serving the entire family, a drone of the future, a smart navigation motorcycle dashboard, cutting-edge surgical glasses and intelligent vision systems for the science of robotics.
“With the rise of AI and IoT, Taiwan is shifting to an innovation-driven economy. To accelerate innovation, TAITRA provides an integrated platform for Taiwanese startups to expand their global reach. We’re an Accelerator+. We’re also a “Smart Integrator,” said TAITRA President and CEO, Walter M. S. Yeh. “You can see this shift to an innovation-driven economy in COMPUTEX’s focus. For the second consecutive year, COMPUTEX 2018 will highlight two featured exhibits: SmarTEX and InnoVEX. InnoVEX, the leading startup show in Asia, is building a networking platform for global startups. The theme for InnoVex 2018 is “Finding the Right Fit.” It’s all part of COMPUTEX’s mission to help startups find their strategy partners.”
The 2018 press conference featured addresses from TAITRA’s President and CEO, Walter M. S. Yeh and Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology Deputy Minister Yu-Chin Hsu highlighting the Silicon Island’s evolution in the information and communications technology industry, from its early prowess in hardware technology to creating some of today’s most cutting-edge AI, robotics, and IoT innovations.
These Taiwanese ICT companies/organization generated a lot of buzz with the unveiling of their new products at the conference.
1. Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
ITRI International Center General Director Sean S. H. Wang discussed the megatrends in digital transformation and introduced ITRI's efforts in hardware-software integration and intelligent system development. At this year's CES, ITRI will display two CES 2018 Innovations Awards Honorees: a Scrabble-playing robot that can interpret the visual world and learn from experience, and a portable detector that can determine whether pesticide residues are within a safe range when washing fruits or vegetables. More AI applications ITRI is showcasing include a city video surveillance system and smart battery solutions.
2. AEON Motor
AEON demonstrated its engineering and research prowess as CEO Tony Lin unveiled details of the company’s CROXERA Smart Motorcycle Dashboard, which he described as not only the evolution of dashboards but as the revolution of UX. The stylish dashboard is the first to give motorcycle riders turn-by-turn display and voice navigation. It also offers IoT-related functions such as accident detection, reporting, and a full dynamic digital interface.
3. GEOSAT
GEOSAT showed off its portable all-wing drone, Pterosaur, that can take off by hand-throwing or catapult, depending on terrain, wind, and operation conditions and the only one with a parachute to ensure a safe landing. Chairman & CEO Lo, Cheng-Fang Ph.D. noted that Pterosaur weighs only 2.2kg and has a flight time of over an hour, making it one of the best in its class.
4. Robotelf Technologies
Another CES 2018 Innovations Awards winner, and one that garnered smiles at the conference was Robelf, a next-generation AI robot with a warm personality and rich expressions. Wei Chun Luo, sales representative, explained that Robelf was designed for serving families—it talks like a friend as it patrols your home, plays with kids, and makes life easier for elders.
5. Taiwan Main Orthopedics
Taiwan Orthopedics explained how its mixed reality smart surgical glasses are the future of surgery. CEO Min-Liang Wang, Ph.D., demonstrated how the new surgical glasses can assist in orthopedic surgery, making surgery easier and faster for both surgeon and patient.
A large audience of media and industry representatives participated in the event, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities. At least 82 attendees from 12 countries were present. Meanwhile, a global audience of 20,333 joined in, watching the livestream online.
Throughout CES 2018, 200 Taiwan exhibitors will present their latest innovations. The TAIWAN EXCELLENCE Pavilion will showcase 40 innovative products from 20 companies honored by the TAIWAN EXCELLENCE Awards. More than one-fourth of the showcased products highlight the latest technologies in AI and IoT. TAIWAN EXCELLENCE symbolizes exquisite, innovative Taiwan products selected by experts and awarded by the government of Taiwan. Winners include products that excel in R&D, design, quality, and marketing. Exhibitors include: Acer, Asus, AEON Motor, Delta, D-Link, GEOSAT, MSI, GIGABYTE, In Win, and ROBOTELF, among others. The TAIWAN EXCELLENCE Pavilion is at Booth 20212 South Hall 1 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.