Automotive electronics take center stage at CES 2023

Visitors walking around Samsung Electronics’ booth at CES 2023 might not expect to see a sports car.

Visitors experience the Ready Care service at Samsung Electronics' booth at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. [YONHAP]

LAS VEGAS — Visitors walking around Samsung Electronics’ booth at CES 2023 might not expect to see a sports car.

As soon as a demonstrator got into the car, some numbers popped up on a long, slim screen. A camera detects the driver’s eyes, nose and mouth and analyzes them to provide data related to focus and attention in real time.

When the demonstrator turned their head to check the backseat, it sent a warning voice signal “Don’t forget to keep your eyes on the road.”

The Ready Care service, which Samsung developed with U.S. company Harman, is a technology intended to offer safety to drivers by analyzing eye activity, cognitive load, and vital signs in real time.

Samsung purchased 100 percent of the Connecticut-based audio company in 2016.

“I was so surprised to see a vehicle in Samsung’s booth,” said Rachel Mendelson, a visitor from Washington.

“I come to CES almost every year, and the trend of the show is moving to mobility and related technologies.”

Automotive electronics have been one of the biggest focuses of major Korean companies at this year’s CES amid sluggish demand for home appliances and the fast-growing EV market.

LG Innotek's booth was extremely crowded, especially in the area in which a massive mockup of a vehicle is placed. The mockup consists of 16 components Innotek has made. LG Innotek is 41 percent owned by LG Electronics.

A mockup of a vehicle consisting of 16 components made by LG Innotek at CES 2022 [NEWS1]

It also showed off various sensor products including camera modules and radar modules that can detect the direction, speed and distance of objects outside the vehicle.

LG Display, 38 percent owned by LG Electronics, opened a booth specifically focusing on automotive displays.

The lineups include plastic organic light-emitting diode panels, which use elastic plastics instead of glass that offer high quality and can easily bend.

People line up to get into Samsung Electronics' booth at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. [SARAH CHEA]

Also on display was a liquid-crystal display (LCD) made of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon that offers better picture quality than conventional LCDs. It enables higher resolution and higher electron mobility.

LG Electronics recently announced that it will jointly work with Magna International to develop autonomous driving technologies.

The two companies have been building a $100-million EV component plant in Mexico after forming a joint venture in 2021.

The world’s automotive electronics market is expected to reach $400 billion in 2024 and $700 billion in 2028, according to data by Strategy Analytics.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]