Smart Tech Korea draws thousands of visitors on first day

[Photo by Lee Seung-hwan]

Thousands of visitors flocked to a technology event in Seoul on Wednesday to experience information and communication technologies (ICT) such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, which are increasingly becoming a part of daily life.

The three-day Smart Tech Korea 2024 event, the country’s largest business tech show, kicked off on Wednesday at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul.

The event is hosted and organized by Maeil Business Newspaper, MBN, and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, with sponsors including the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Over 400 companies set up more than 1,500 booths at the 2024 edition, surpassing the previous year’s record for the largest scale.

The event, themed “Connect the Future,” includes specialized exhibitions such as the Smart Tech Show, AI & Big Data Show, and the Global Supply Chain Innovation Expo (GSC Korea) that focus on materials, parts, and equipment.

Experiential zones where visitors can directly and indirectly experience various AI technologies were popular, reflecting the current avid interest in AI.

Acoustics inspection company LOAS showcased a range of robots and drones for industrial equipment diagnostics. Its autonomous robots can travel 40 kilometers in 3-4 hours on a single charge and detect anomalies by listening to factory noises. The system immediately notifies staff at headquarters if an abnormal noise is detected.

Robot dogs also made their debut, with GhostRobotics Technology and KRM’s Vision 60 mimicking the movement of a large dog. It can travel 10 kilometers at a speed of 3 meters per second on a single charge and is designed to carry objects weighing up to 10 kilograms.

AutoStore presented a cube-shaped warehouse automation system, demonstrating robots that move items within the warehouse to enhance storage efficiency. FRT Robotics attracted attention with its wearable equipment with which factory workers can exert an additional force of up to 15 kg when they wear it on their waists and backs.

42Maru introduced a generative AI-based Q&A chatbot and retrieval-augmented generation technology that allows individual companies to build their own AI, while U2SR captivated visitors with its AI-based drone detection solutions.

The event’s keynote session in the morning featured Pranav Mistry, chief executive officer of Two Platforms, Han Jae-kweon, professor at Hanyang University, and Thales Teixeira, former professor at Harvard University’s business school, who discussed the future changes brought by generative AI.

A robot session followed in the afternoon, where digital transformation strategies through robot technology were discussed. Various robot companies participated in the event’s 2024 edition, along with the Embassy of Israel in Korea, which introduced advanced Israeli robot technology.