Samsung Electronics today announced that Dr. Bongsu Shin (co-first author) at Samsung Research¹ published a paper titled “Actuating Compact Wearable Augmented Reality Devices by Multifunctional Artificial Muscle” in the world-renowned journal ‘Nature Communications.’

This project was carried out in partnership with the Ajou University’s team of Mechanical Engineering, led by Professor Je-Sung Koh (corresponding author) based in Korea. The joint research team developed an artificial muscle actuator that can be applied on augmented reality (AR) glasses and naturally fit haptic gloves.

With the increasing popularity of the metaverse, actuator and sensor technologies are evolving rapidly to create even more immersive experience in virtual worlds. Actuators and sensors integrated into wearable devices must be compact and lightweight as the devices are worn by users and often require mobility. The conventional actuator had certain limitations as to the realization of more advanced functionalities, as thin form factor and high-power density would be difficult for conventional types to achieve.

The research team suggests an artificial muscle actuator that resolves the challenges in practical engineering, which are limited to conventional types such as electromagnetic actuators. An artificial muscle actuator can function as a small-scale, high-power actuating system with a sensing capability for developing wearable devices such as multi-focus AR glasses and naturally fit haptic gloves. The research team designed a shape memory alloy (SMA)-based lightweight and high-power artificial muscle actuator, the so-called compliant amplified SMA actuator (CASA). The newly developed version is lightweight (0.22g) but durable enough to lift a weight that is 800 times heavier than itself.

“This new actuator that we suggest is lightweight, compact yet powerful in terms of force-to-weight ratio. It is significant that the new actuator has overcome the limitations of the conventional actuators, while bringing the potential for its expanded applications ranging from robotics to wearable devices,” Dr. Bongsu Shin at Samsung Research said. “We anticipate that the outcome of our latest research will be the core hardware technology for more immersive and interactive experience for the next generation.” 

The team also demonstrated how the actuator enables image depth control. Binary depth switching is adopted to reduce vergence accommodation conflict (VAC), which can cause visual fatigue to some of AR glasses users, by directly adjusting distance between the display and the optical system of the AR glasses prototype based on the focusing distance of the object to be projected.

Furthermore, non-vibrating mechanotactile outputs are important to generate natural and expressive tactile sensations on skin through haptic devices. To convey the sensation of a large skin deformation, haptic devices require actuators with a high force-to-weight ratio and a large displacement. Combining multiple actuators in the limited area of the haptic device prototype also enables more expressive tactile experiences.

CASA triggers an action to an object with pressure and measures pressure without a sensor by using a characteristic of the artificial muscle of which electrical resistance varies in response to outside pressure. The haptic glove prototype equipped with CASA is so slim and pressure-sensitive that it has the potential to be applied to telehaptics which recognizes expressions made by the tactile writing system and converts them into electric signals.

¹ Samsung Research, acting as Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.

Nicknamed “Samsung city”, the company’s booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center is packed with innovations that bring its “Together for tomorrow” vision to life. From new Bespoke Home appliances to lifestyle-catered displays, to the latest addition to the Galaxy family, there’s just so much to see in Samsung city.

Check out the photos below for a peek at the exciting future that Samsung is showcasing.

Welcome to Samsung City

Samsung’s CES 2022 booth showcases products, technologies and initiatives that are helping the company realize its “Together for tomorrow” vision.

Before heading inside, CES attendees register to enter Samsung’s booth at designated kiosks.

Taking Connected Home Experiences to the Next Level

An exhibit demonstrates how seamless connectivity enables Samsung devices to team up to simplify home management.

Screens Everywhere, Screens for All

CES attendees admire MICRO LED’s best-in-class picture quality, made possible thanks to 25 million micrometer-sized LEDs that individually produce both light and color.

Samsung’s newest MICRO LED is available in a choice of three sizes: 89, 101 and 110 inches.

Samsung’s 2022 Neo QLED lights up the booth with vibrant visuals – and attracts a crowd in the process.

Samsung’s new portable screen, The Freestyle, was designed to allow users to transform any space into a screen.

The Freestyle hangs over a dining table, projecting playful animations in which tiny characters rush to deliver 2D meals to 3D plates.

“Game on”: An exhibit invites attendees to experience how The Odyssey Ark, a new 55-inch curved gaming screen, takes immersion to the next level.

A cardboard tree and other creations highlight the expansion of Samsung’s award-winning Eco-Packaging program.

Make Your Home Your Own With Bespoke

Samsung’s Bespoke lineup of home appliances now features a wider variety of customizable devices, including French Door refrigerators, ranges, and over-the-range microwaves.

The Bespoke Home lineup also includes vacuum cleaners and air purifiers.

Adding More Choices and Colors to the Galaxy Lineup

Visitors to Samsung’s booth take a closer look at the company’s latest mobile innovations.

The newest addition to the Galaxy family: the Galaxy S21 FE.

Attendees view a demonstration of how the Galaxy Z Flip3 Bespoke Edition is customized.

Transforming Cars Into Multipurpose Spaces

An interactive exhibit showcases Samsung’s new vision for in-vehicle experiences.

The demo showcases a scenario in which information on road conditions and other factors is presented to drivers and passengers in real time.

Attendees observe how the vehicle analyzes information on the surrounding area and connects to various services to make the driving experience more enjoyable.

An attendee tests out a technology that monitors a driver’s condition and helps them relax to ensure that they have a pleasant ride.

Personalized & Intelligent Future Home

Samsung’s booth also includes a live demonstration of the new Samsung Bot i and Samsung Bot Handy.

The Samsung Bot i is an interactive robot that simplifies tasks like video conferencing.

The Samsung Bot Handy is a manipulation robot that can assist with a variety of household chores.

The video below introduces viewers to Samsung’s booth at CES 2022. At the booth, the company showcases a scenario in which information on road conditions and other factors is presented to the driver of a vehicle in real time.

In the scenario, the vehicle uses cameras and sensors to analyze its surroundings, then harnesses augmented reality to present road conditions and other information to the driver within their field of view. The driver is then able to make use of that overlaid information to ensure they enjoy a drive that is both convenient and safe.

In the enactment, the driver not only gets details on the vehicle’s speed and status, but is also provided with an arrow-based navigation service, forward collision warning icons and blind spot alerts when switching lanes. Directions, icons and insights are projected directly onto the road, as well as onto surrounding vehicles and lanes, to allow the driver to clearly and conveniently view the important information.

The vehicle in the scenario also analyzes information on the surrounding area and connects to a range of services to make the driving experience both straightforward and enjoyable. For example, if passengers want to grab a coffee, the vehicle utilizes map information and AR to inform them of where there are cafés nearby. The passenger is then given the option to navigate through the menu and place their order from the comfort of their car. The vehicle in the enactment also adds a realistic element to virtual calls by allowing users to manage their meetings with AR.

Check out the video below to learn more about what the future of in-vehicle experiences holds.

Samsung Electronics has long recognized the significance of these advanced technologies, and has been actively pursuing innovation in these fields. Expert researchers are working hard at Samsung Research’s¹ 14 R&D centers and 7 global AI centers all over the world in order to prepare for the future, innovate for users and create the next generation of cutting-edge technologies and services that the Samsung Electronics’ legacy is built on.

In this relay series, Samsung Newsroom is introducing tech experts from Samsung’s R&D centers around the globe to hear more about the work they do and the ways in which it is directly improving the lives of consumers.

The first expert in the series to be introduced is Sergii Lytvynenko, Head of the Visual Intelligence Team at Samsung R&D Institute Ukraine (SRK). Sergii has been working for SRK for more than decade since he first joined as a SW Engineer. Read on to hear more about the groundbreaking work Lytvynenko and his team undertake at SRK.

Q: Can you please briefly introduce the Samsung R&D Institute Ukraine and the kind of work that goes on there?

Our R&D center is located in Kyiv, situated in the heart of Ukraine. Since its inception in 2009, SRK has been focused on and has deep expertise in the AI, Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) and Security domains. SRK is composed of prominent industry professionals and is currently working on the study of intelligence security, computer vision, context-aware intelligent services, and more. Also, as part of industrial-educational cooperation initiatives, SRK actively co-operates with local universities and schools.

Q: What are you and the Visual Intelligence Team working on at the moment?

Our team is currently conducting fundamental research into the AI, Computer Vision and Computer Graphics domains. The main mission of our team is to transform research advancements into holistic user experiences, thereby enhancing the quality of people’s lives, simplifying their daily routines and delivering positive emotions and immersive experiences.

To do so, we are collaborating closely with various teams in other countries by conducting advanced research in our focal domains and working with different business units by contributing our core technologies to Samsung products.

Q: Your team covers two major technological domains – Computer Vision and Computer Graphics. How do these technologies contribute to innovating new user experiences?

Last year, we undertook extensive work on the Smart Trainer solution, which enables a totally new level of home fitness experiences. Through the USB camera connected to the Samsung Smart TV, the system can track your activities, keep track of the exercises you do and even offer recommendations on your form accuracy, all thanks to AI. We are now very happy that Samsung TV users can enjoy this feature in their homes.

Q: How are you incorporating the key technologies from your focal domains into your current projects, such as AR Glasses?

These days we are performing advanced R&D to tackle major challenges in the computer vision and graphics areas for AR Glasses. On the vision side, we are working on the essential solutions required for AR, including Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), Depth Estimation, Environment Understanding and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). On the graphics side, we are conducting research into low-latency rendering for AR and Game Performance optimization.

▲ Visual Intelligence Team at Samsung R&D Institute Ukraine

Q: As well as AR, your team contributes to S Pen technology development. Can you give us a bit of background into the development of this technology?

One of our focal R&D areas and core solutions is handwriting recognition technology for S Pen enabled devices, which is being deployed and spread to Galaxy line up. While working on our handwriting recognition solution, we also developed a rich patent portfolio, thus contributing to Samsung’s core technology development.

Q: In what ways do you think the optimized S Pen technologies your team created for the Galaxy Z Fold3 will complement users’ experience of the device?

Galaxy Z Fold3 is a really unique product. Its large, flexible display expands the boundaries and opens up new possibilities for users to serve as a true productivity companion for daily business and education. Within this context, S Pen and handwriting recognition and low latency become of crucial importance and we are taking the very best of the conventional pen and paper to deliver those same types of experiences to the digital screen.

Q: In what ways do the technologies your team contributed to Galaxy Z Fold3 set to enhance the quality of users’ lives and simplify their routines?

We deployed our AI Based Point Prediction solution to minimize the latency input of S Pen in order to make the writing and drawing experience feel more like that of pen and paper. Furthermore, handwriting recognition technologies make digital writing smarter, easier and more enjoyable. Users can transform their notes to printed documents, recognize tables, diagrams, embed links, undertake math problems and more, simpler than ever before. Experiences like this are what make a real difference in our daily lives.

Q: What do you see as the main technology trends right now?

These days, we recognize Visual Modality as the next big thing: how to transform a note into a smart note, how to make a video into a smart video, and how much useful context information we can extract from these processes. For this technology, AR opens up tons of possibilities, as well as challenges to be resolved. For example, “Digital Eyes” that would fully explore an environment for a user and provide well-organized contextual information could totally change our lives.

Another big trend right now is HCI. Here we think multi-modal interaction, which is a crucial part of HCI, would be essential. Multi-modal interactions are user-machine interactions that encapsulate vision, language and knowledge, and this technology can help a Samsung device understand the world in which it’s situated.

Q: What has been your most memorable achievement at SRK so far?

June 2021 was a really special month for us as we won the CVPR (Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition) 2021 Chart Question Answering Challenge. CVPR is the world’s biggest conference on computer vision and AI. We are really proud of what we achieved.

Q: Visual intelligence technologies are crucial when it comes to innovating new mobile experiences for users. In what ways do language-related technologies also contribute to these experiences?

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is one of the most challenging research areas. We really wish that every single person around the world were able to use and experience our solutions, and to achieve this, language expansion and support are of crucial importance. In S Pen Handwriting recognition, we are continuously working to extend the language coverage. Our solution now supports more than 80 languages, and more are on the way.

An interview with Lukasz, a natural language processing expert from Samsung Research Institute Poland can be found in the following episode.

¹ Samsung Research is the advanced research and development (R&D) hub of Samsung’s Consumer Electronics (CE) Division and IT & Mobile Communications (IM) Division.

The demonstration, held at the ‘Korea International Circuit’ racetrack, was made possible by Samsung Networks’ end-to-end 5G mmWave solutions, including 5G New Radio (NR) base stations. The same equipment has been in commercial operation in the United States since the first half of this year.

While the racing car moved at approximately 130 miles per hour (210Km/hour) on the track, the trial verified the stable performance of live downloads, uploads and handovers between 5G cell sites on the racetrack. Download speeds reached up to 1Gbps, demonstrating the capacity for multi-gigabit downloads on a 5G device inside a racing car, using 200MHz bandwidth of 28GHz spectrum.

5G’s high speeds, instantaneous communications, and seamless handovers allow for a more effective and safer way to transfer video to and from cars accelerating up to 130 miles per hour (200~370Km/hour.) The companies were able to use this live video streaming capability to broadcast multiple views of the race in real time over SK Telecom’s live broadcasting solution, T Live Caster 5G.

The test showed that the mmWave technology can unlock the full potential of 5G, for delivering innovative uses cases and business models, such as new entertainment experiences in motor sport events. For example, cameras built into the cars’ cockpits will be able to stream real-time video data from each car over 5G wireless links, allowing viewers to enjoy vivid scenes of the race from the driver’s point of view. Through VR, AR and 360 degree video streams, racing fans will be able to enjoy the immersive experience of feeling as if they are inside an actual moving car.

“5G already opened up a new horizon when the first commercial service started in the first half of 2019 across Korea and the U.S.,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is at the forefront with global operators in bringing 5G benefits to consumers, industries and societies by helping them deliver 5G commercial networks. This trial is a great example of taking a user experience and the racing industry to new heights.”

“5G commercial service means much more than just faster speeds. It is a vital engine in transforming digital landscapes to bring enhanced and new business models that had only lived in our imagination,” said Park Jin-hyo, Chief Technology Officer and Head of ICT R&D Center of SK Telecom. “We will continue to work closely with Samsung in pushing the limits of legacy technology and maximizing the power of the 5G network.”

In September 2017, Samsung achieved the world’s first 5G handover at 118 miles per hour (190Km/hour) and 1Gbps speed download in a vehicle moving at 127 miles per hour (205Km/hour) in Korea (Link). Based on these achievements, Samsung has advanced network innovation through a comprehensive series of real-world use cases powered by 5G in partnership with global operators, helping to overcome the limits of legacy technology.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom is the largest mobile operator in Korea with nearly 50 percent of the market share. As the pioneer of all generations of mobile networks, the company has commercialized the fifth generation (5G) network on December 1, 2018 and announced the first 5G smartphone subscribers on April 3, 2019. With its world’s best 5G, SK Telecom is set to realize the Age of Hyper-Innovation by transforming the way customers work, live and play. Building on its strength in mobile services, the company is also creating unprecedented value in diverse ICT-related markets including media, security and commerce.

For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or sktelecom@bcw-global.com

The Galaxy Note10’s predecessor had provided hardcore gamers with all the tools they needed for the best mobile gaming experiences, but with the Galaxy Note10, users will be able to discover a device optimized for both heavy and casual gamers. In order to bring fun new gaming experiences to users, Samsung has been working hard to create exclusive experiences with leading mobile games, including joining forces with the incredibly popular Candy Crush Friends Saga.

Bringing Hungry Yeti to Life with the Galaxy Note10 and S Pen

Candy Crush Friends Saga is bringing one of its iconic characters, Hungry Yeti, to life in-game with a new augmented reality feature for Android users. Thanks to Samsung’s new partnership with Candy Crush Friends Saga, users of the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ will be able to access exclusive bonus in-game AR interactions with their S Pen while playing.

Players need simply point their device at a flat surface to see Yeti come to life on-screen and in-room. By feeding this beloved character of the Candy Crush franchise daily, players can earn gifts which they can then use in-game when matching  and switching candies. Users with a Galaxy Note10 or Note10+ are able to unlock even more fun in-game features with the S Pen’s Air actions; shaking the S Pen will activate the Yeti dance.

K-Pop superstars and Candy Crush superfans Lisa and Jisoo of BLACKPINK were invited to the King HQ in Stockholm to be the first to try out the new feature on the Galaxy Note10. “We are big fans of Candy Crush,” enthused Lisa while visiting the King’s office. “While we are on tour, we spend a lot of time in transit and in hotel rooms, which is when we tend to play a lot.”

“Candy Crush Friends Saga has the cutest characters, and we’ve always loved Yeti,” continued Jisoo. “It was a lot of fun to see Yeti come to life and to dance with him. We really loved the moment when Yeti gave us a gift!”

Check out the videos below to see Lisa and Jisoo experiencing the Hungry Yeti AR feature for themselves and taking on the Candy Crush Friends Saga dance challenge!

“With technology advancing at such a fast pace, the Galaxy family of smartphones feature next-generation accessories such as the S Pen and are optimized for the best gaming experience possible,” said Thomas Ko, VP Global Head of Service Partnerships at Samsung Electronics. “This is why we wanted to team up with King to offer an exclusive augmented reality experience using the S Pen in Candy Crush Friends Saga, the latest game from the hugely popular franchise. We can’t wait for players to beat their high scores on Galaxy devices!”

The new Hungry Yeti AR feature is available for Android and Galaxy Candy Crush Friends Saga players¹ on level 25 and above from August 30^th. S Pen Air action interactions for the Hungry Yeti AR feature are available exclusively to Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ users.

© 2019 King.com Ltd. King, the King crown logo, Candy Crush Friends Saga and related marks are trademarks of King.com Ltd and/or related entities.

¹ The Hungry Yeti AR feature is available on the following Samsung devices: A3, (v8.0+), A5, A6, A7, A8, A8+, A30, A40, A50, A60, A70, A80, J5, J5 Pro, J7, J7 Pro, Note8, Note9, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, S9, S9+, S10e, S10, S10+, S10 5G, Tab S3, Tab S4, Tab S5e, Note10, Note10+.

The 5G SA Core, jointly developed by Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom, not only supports technologies including network slicing and function modularization based on 3GPP standards, but also offers additional functions that operators have been using since LTE, include billing, subscriber management and operational convenience system. The interoperability assessment is the final stage for verifying the validity of 5G SA data transmission, signifying that the SA system is ready to be launched for commercial service.

Both companies implemented several cutting-edge technologies in the 5G SA Core that has been used for the interoperability. The technologies include Data Parallel Processing technology that performs QoS and transmission control simultaneously; Data Acceleration technology that classifies and distributes similar traffic types; and Path Optimization technology that automatically delivers data traffic to Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) platform.

“The fundamental structure of 5G SA is built on a completely new configuration, successfully delivering the most optimized 5G service to customers and enterprises across numerous industries,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Maintaining Korea’s leadership in network innovations through continuous investments in next-generation technologies is important to Samsung and SK Telecom, and the companies will continue to collaborate on developing and commercializing 5G SA.”

“Along with the initial phase of NSA rollout, we have been continuously focusing on researching and developing the SA technology in order to provide customers a differentiated service quality with innovative products, which will be launched in the first half of next year,” said Park Jin-hyo, Chief Technology Officer and Head of ICT R&D Center at SK Telecom. “By strengthening bilateral collaboration with Samsung, SK Telecom will drive and lead highly innovative 5G technologies and solutions.”

Once 5G SA is commercialized, data processing efficient will be improved by threefold, allowing efficient control for supporting massive data traffic. Moreover, 5G SA system is highly optimized for emerging next generation services such as Autonomous driving, Smart Factory, Smart Farm, and AR/VR.

For the past five years, the two companies have been collaborating on LTE and 5G development, which ultimately led to this successful 5G SA Core interoperability test. Some of other accomplishments include the commercialization of Virtualized LTE Core and Packet Optimization system; and they have completed the development of 3GPP Rel. 15 based SA Core in July last year, and successfully launched 5G NSA commercial service in April this year.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom is the largest mobile operator in Korea with nearly 50 percent of the market share. As the pioneer of all generations of mobile networks, the company has launched the fifth generation (5G) network on December 1, 2018. The company is not only leading innovations in the field of mobile network, but is also creating unprecedented value in areas such as media, security and commerce. In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, SK Telecom will inspire the world, building a future beyond expectations. Building on its strength in mobile services, the company is also creating unprecedented value in diverse ICT-related markets including media, security and commerce. For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or sktelecom@bm.com

Visualize Your New Room

Samsung’s AR service, Bixby Vision¹, acts as a visual guide, allowing you to see more with your smartphone camera. The home décor function of the Galaxy S10’s Bixby Vision can show you how your home might look with new home appliances and furniture, virtually positioning them wherever you wish to see them. To enable the function, simply open up Bixby Vision, select the home décor function from the apps menu and point your camera to the area where you want to place home appliances or furniture. After choosing an appliance or piece of furniture, the object will appear wherever you tap on the screen. You can choose sofas, rugs, tables, fridges, or any other home product that you want, and virtually place them wherever you like.

The discovery doesn’t end there: Bixby Vision offers even more services that allow you to visualize your new appliances and furniture from the comfort of your own home. The AR service can apply a 3D effect to key Samsung home appliances, allowing you to see how doors open, for example. Collaborating with U.S. online furniture company, Wayfair, Bixby Vision’s home décor function runs automatically whenever you encounter 3D content on the website within the Samsung Internet app, enabling you to see what the product would look like in your room without leaving your house.

“We are planning to increase the types of home appliances and furniture that support the home décor function,” said Martin Lee of Product Strategy team at Samsung Electronics.

Check for the Right Fit

With the Galaxy S10 5G, you can make speedy assessments of an object’s dimensions without frantically searching for the tape measure. Using the 3D Depth Camera on the Galaxy S10 5G, the Quick Measure app shows you the height, width and length of the object captured by your camera. This feature makes it easier for you to buy a mattress that fits your bed frame, or a set of chairs that are the right height for your kitchen table.

¹ Service availability and content provider may vary by country and device.

Consumers in South Korea will be the first to get their hands on the world’s first 5G smartphone. A monumental release not just for Samsung but for the mobile industry as a whole, the Galaxy S10 5G allows users to unlock an entirely new mobile experience – one that combines bar-raising display, camera and performance innovations with support for the next-generation telecommunications standard, 5G.

How will putting the power of 5G into consumers’ hands change the way we enjoy things like AR, VR, 8K video and cloud-based content? To answer those questions and more, Samsung Newsroom spoke with Albert Hoseong Kang, of Samsung Electronics’ Innovative Product Planning Group.

Creating a Faster Future

The Galaxy S10 5G opens the door for users to access unprecedented speeds – up to 20 times faster than 4G.

As Kang explained, 5G speeds will fast-track the development of cloud-based services, make the idea of buffering videos a thing of the past, and change the way we create content and enjoy our favorite multimedia. “Downloads and uploads speeds will be dramatically reduced, which means more people will be watching and shooting high-definition content,” said Kang.

5G will also revolutionize gaming, sports, and other entertainment. “When 5G networks are implemented, response speeds will be drastically shortened, which means you’ll experience real-time responsiveness with most types of content,” said Kang. “Delay times will be virtually eliminated during sports broadcasts, and games like first-person shooters and racing games, which could be difficult to enjoy due to mobile devices’ technical limitations, will be taken to a whole new level.”

This also includes cloud-based games, or games that may be played in real time via a cloud server. Cloud-based games don’t have to be downloaded to your phone, don’t take up storage space, and don’t require individual updates. They do, however, require fast and stable network speeds, which makes them difficult to fully enjoy when connected to 4G networks. But with its 5G network support, the Galaxy S10 5G will allow users to experience graphics-intensive cloud-based games in all their glory.

The launches of 5G networks will also lead to more utilization of AR services. The Galaxy S10 5G’s innovative 3D Depth Camera works by measuring the length of time it takes for an infrared light signal to bounce off subjects, and uses that data to enhance AR services, generate Live Focus bokeh effects when shooting videos, and measure objects’ size – as well as the distance between them – with Quick Measure.

“The Galaxy S10 5G’s 3D Depth Camera will help bring about a variety of useful services,” said Kang. “All of these innovations are the results of careful consideration of how to deliver more value – and new multimedia experiences – to 5G smartphone users.”

Optimized Inside and Out

The Galaxy S10 5G was designed for consumers who want it all, and optimized to take full advantage of the incredible speed, power and connectivity that comes with 5G networks.

To maximize users’ immersion when viewing high-quality HD video and other digital 5G content, Samsung equipped the device with a 6.7-inch, edge-to-edge display – the largest in the Galaxy S10 line. To enable users to spend more time streaming, playing and doing, and less time charging, Samsung incorporated a high-capacity 4,500mAh battery, as well as support for Super Fast Charging of 25W.

When the time came to decide upon an optimal storage setup, Samsung focused on usability, carefully considering how smartphone users will utilize their devices in the 5G era. This ultimately led to the decision to equip the Galaxy S10 5G with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of baseline storage – the largest baseline storage in the Galaxy S10 line.

The Galaxy S10 5G has a futuristic feel to it, which, as Kang pointed out, extends to the design and color of the device. When refining the design, he explained, “We tried to create the impression that using a 5G smartphone is like using the smartphone of the future.”

Some of these enhancements included making the side metal frame thinner than on the other Galaxy S10 models, which makes the Galaxy S10 5G more comfortable to hold, and offering the phone in its own unique range of colors¹: Crown Silver, Majestic Black and Royal Gold. The Crown Silver model features a prismatic color treatment, which means that its color changes depending on the angle of the light.

Driving 5G Innovation

As Kang explained, developing the first smartphone optimized for 5G wasn’t easy. Because 5G phones had never been developed before, the process required venturing into unknown territory.

“Since it was the first time, we needed to overcome a number of technological barriers,” said Kang. “We also faced difficulties developing new hardware and software.”

To overcome those barriers, the company drew from its long history of developing industry-leading mobile innovations.

“Although it was our first time developing a 5G device, we have a wealth of experience when it comes to developing technologies for new telecommunications standards,” said Kang. “The know-how we accumulated during the shifts from 2G to 3G and from 3G to 4G enabled us to gather valuable insights into the market for 5G devices and their users.”

When it came to testing and refining the device, the development team leaned on their company’s leadership in 5G network solutions. As Kang explained, “Samsung has already developed a wide array of end-to-end solutions for 5G services – ranging from network equipment to processors, memory semiconductors and handsets – which made testing easier.”

According to Kang, Samsung’s ultimate goal for these solutions, and for the Galaxy S10 5G, is to “create a world where anyone can enjoy 5G,” and create an environment in which cloud, AR, VR and ultra-high definition video services can truly flourish. “We will continue to provide new experiences that deliver the promise of the 5G era by working with our partners and strengthening our leadership in this area,” said Kang.

The Galaxy S10 5G’s Korean release is just the beginning. Soon, Samsung’s groundbreaking 5G phone will be released in markets around the world to help usher in the 5G era.

¹ May differ by region and carrier

Re-Imagining Street Art

Samsung invited over 80 journalists, influencers and partners to the celebratory opening of the exhibition at the pop-up gallery of famous New York street artist ELLE, one of the top street artists in the world. Facilitated by AR, ELLE’s works extended beyond the walls they lay, with visitors able to walk right through the art. Samsung installed Galaxy S9+ smartphones with the specially-designed “re:imagine street ARt app” in the gallery for users to experience the fascinating combination of urban art and augmented reality. Additionally, Samsung lifestyle TV The Frame provided detailed displays of ELLE’s collages.

“We created ‘re:imagine street ARt’ so that everybody can experience Samsung technology in new and exciting ways. Here in Berlin, we’re showing that technology is not only about consumption and lifestyle, but also about culture and creativity. Using our mobile devices, we make a colorful world accessible which wouldn’t be possible without this technology” said Martin Börner, Deputy President at Samsung Electronics GmbH.

Captivating Visitors

Tim Renner, an author and renowned music producer as well as former Secretary for Cultural Affairs of the city of Berlin, was the host of the evening. Together with 3D motion designer Robert Werner, he discussed with the audience how the digital world can transform classic art forms. Artists Pichiavo, Mario Mankey, Tape That and exhibition partner The Dixons were also in attendance.

Guests were impressed with the digital edge Samsung brought to the street artists’ work. “The Art Labs offer a new approach to art and allow the visitor to perceive both the space and the surroundings. It is a forward-looking concept for immersing oneself in the art world with the help of VR. The possibility to move around in the art environment and to engage with it in a playful way inspired me,” said Instagrammer Michael Koller (herr_pola_roid).

Street Art and AR Take Berlin

Passers-by could also discover further Street Art and AR combinations outside of gallery. ELLE and Innerfields had designed large Samsung murals in the city center of Berlin, which would animate as soon as visitors pointed their smartphone camera and the “re:imagine street ARt” app at them. Moreover, famous Berlin sights such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag building, the Victory Column and the Berlin Cathedral could be experienced in full interactive “Street ARt” splendor with the help of the app. “It’s exciting to see the new perspectives opened up by the interplay of technology and art,” said Melina Grundmann from media company Deutsche Welle.

More information about the artists and their works is available at: http://www.reimagine-streetart.de

Galaxy S9 and S9+ users can create AR (augmented reality) avatars of Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff. To start animating messages as one of your favorite Disney Frozen characters, just open the Galaxy S9/S9+’s AR Emoji mode, tap the plus icon on the right-hand side to access the Galaxy Apps Store and download the Disney Frozen pack.

AR Emojis are a fun and versatile way to personalize communications with friends, harnessing expressions through facial recognition technology, and are shareable across all platforms. The Disney Frozen AR Emoji pack is now available for download on the Galaxy Apps Store. Be sure to stay tuned for more AR Emoji releases from the collaboration coming soon.

With the update, after users snap a selfie to generate their AR Emoji, they’ll be able to easily make detailed adjustments to their AR Emoji’s hair, ears and facial features. This means that, for instance, when a child creates an AR Emoji, they’ll be able to adjust the shape of their face so that it more closely mirrors their own. And if you feel like your AR Emoji’s eyes, nose, lips, cheeks or other facial features are in need of a touch-up, the new My Emoji Editor function offers simple tools to fine-tune these distinguishing characteristics.

The update also enhances AR Emoji’s face-tracking function with a 65-percent increase in ‘landmark detector’ points. This will ensure that features such as your eyes and mouth are tracked more precisely. And thanks to the update’s frame rate boost, your AR Emoji will be able to mimic your movements in a manner that’s smoother and more natural.

^*Availability may vary depending on market.

The smartphones’ camera app update, now available in the ‘My apps’ section of the Galaxy Apps store, has expanded AR Emoji’s library of pre-set expressions from 18 to 36. Samsung also plans to add 18 more expressions in the coming months, which will bring the feature’s total number of emotion-capturing sticker options to 54.

Once users have downloaded the update, they’ll be able to access and share the new AR Emoji stickers directly from the keyboard, or copy and paste them from the Gallery app into their favorite messaging platform.

Get a sense of what the new AR Emoji stickers look like in the sample conversation below.

Samsung Newsroom recently conducted a series of interviews with various members of the team behind the company’s latest flagship. Check out the roundup of quotes below to learn more about the insights that shaped the Galaxy S9.

Providing a Single, Intuitive Experience

“[When designing the Galaxy S9,] we focused on enhancing the end-to-end user experience. For the camera, that involved ensuring easy-to-use Super Slow-mo video functionality, with immediately accessible videos that could be directly uploaded to social media through one intuitive process.”

Encouraging Self-Expression with AR Emoji

“‘Communication’ today has come to mean ‘self-expression’. We wanted [the AR Emoji feature] to provide the most personal emojis possible, which would capture users’ individuality with innovative AR technology. The My Emoji feature, which resembles the user’s own facial features, allows users to communicate their emotions in a way that’s uniquely personalized.”

Utilizing the Camera to the Fullest

“We will continue to strive for perfect, professional-quality images. But more importantly, our aim is to make it easier for users to fully utilize our sophisticated camera technology. Our goal is to develop a camera that always produces the best pictures for all users, without requiring them to tinker with settings.”

Producing an Exclusive Sound Experience

“Samsung partnered with HARMAN and Dolby Atmos to craft speakers that are richly satisfying in both sound quality and volume. Through our extensive research and development process, we found that immersive sound can bring a whole new experience to smartphone users who frequently view premium content on their devices. The Galaxy S9’s speakers are the culmination of Samsung’s ongoing efforts to foster peerless multimedia experiences.”

Refining Design Based on User Feedback

“The Galaxy S8 was applauded for its smooth, continuous design. When developing the Galaxy S9, we listened closely to input from users on ways to make that design even better. We decided to adjust the placement of the fingerprint sensor and the side buttons, and made the barely there bezels even slimmer. To create a more seamless look, we crafted the bezels and screen in a deep black, which allows them to blend together nicely and helps conceal the iris sensor, and we also equipped the device with thicker, more durable glass.”

Developing an Efficient UX That Empowers
Users’ Self-Expression

“We designed the Galaxy S9’s UX (user experience) with an emphasis on efficiency, because the easier it is to manage your device, the better your experience will be. And because smartphones are a representation of the user’s personality, we strived to make the UX as customizable as possible in order to foster users’ creativity and self-expression – and that includes the device’s wide spectrum of sound effects.”

Partnering to Make AI More Convenient

“We’ve greatly enhanced Bixby through partnerships that have enabled customized services in different countries, and we’re constantly exploring new Bixby features that can help make people’s everyday lives easier.”

Redefining Smartphone ‘Satisfaction’

“The basic features of smartphones have been refined to the point that consumers are largely satisfied. What matters is not how diverse the features offered are, but whether each feature delivers a high level of satisfaction. At this point, we need to think about the next phase for smartphones, which will involve delivering innovations that really resonate with the new generation of users.”

Staying Ahead of the Game

“[Going forward,] it will be important to stay a step ahead in innovative features, as well as time them to the market appropriately to grab consumers’ attention. We plan to continue exploring dynamic visual features, in addition to working on integrating new technologies like AR (augmented reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) into our devices.”

To learn more about this fun and unique new feature, we sat down with members of the AR Emoji’s design team, Wonhyung Cho and Hye-Bong Kim, from the Global Product Planning Group, and Hoik Hwang and Jiyoun Kim, from the UX Design Group.

Hoik Hwang, Hye-Bong Kim, Wonhyung Cho and Jiyoun Kim (from left)

Q. What was the inspiration behind the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji feature?

Wonhyung Cho: People are communicating more and more through their smartphones, sending messages to each other throughout the day. Many of us are also looking for new ways to express a range of emotions in the short messages we send each other, and in this context, emoticons and emojis have become one of the most popular ways to express ourselves. As a next step, we wanted to go further and blend the emerging technology of AR with emoticon and emoji tools for a new form of visual communication.

Q. What makes the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji special?

Cho: We thought for a long time about what the word ‘communication’ means today and it became clear that a large part of communication is ‘self-expression’. As a team, we wanted to make the feature as personal as possible by capturing our unique emotions, using an innovative technology like AR. In creating a My Emoji which captures your own distinct facial features, AR Emojis can provide a truer form of self-expression.

Hye-Bong Kim: The camera uses facial recognition technology to analyze a photo of your face and map more than 100 facial features. Using these data points, a 3D modeling form specialized for the contours of the human face creates a 3D My Emoji and 18 My Emoji stickers which reflect your unique facial features.

Q. How have users reacted to the feature?

Cho: AR Emoji has generated a lot of curiosity – it’s such a fun feature and many people want to see how their My Emoji looks.

Hoik Hwang: For everyone, the question is not ‘does this look like me?’, but rather ‘does this look like I want it to?’ AR Emoji actually creates two types of My Emoji: one that is realistic and one that is more like a cartoon. Some people like the first kind, while others prefer the second.

We want AR Emoji to be the best it can be. A close resemblance to the user isn’t the only thing we considered when developing the feature. Our goal was for creators to be able to use the AR Emoji to express themselves, however they want to look.

We’re currently working to allow users to make their My Emojis better express the mood they want them to.

Q. When it came to UX design, what was your key consideration?

Jiyoun Kim: AR Emoji uses the Galaxy S9’s camera, so we wanted to integrate it with the camera’s UX. From start to finish, the user’s journey while creating their My Emoji and My Emoji stickers has to be simple and engaging.

Then we thought about how people might want to use the feature to express themselves in their daily lives. AR Emoji offers a new way tell our stories and because of that we felt that making it available across many platforms was important.

We created 18 stickers, which each communicate a different emotion. They can be stored in your smartphone Gallery application, can be used freely in your different applications and messaging services and are available as both PNG and GIF files.

Q. How did you go about designing the 18 My Emoji stickers?

Hwang: Our goal was to create emoji stickers that would communicate the same emotions across the world – and would mean the same thing in any country. We read a lot of research as we tried to categorize human emotions and to determine what the visual representations of fundamental human feelings – things like joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure – should be.

In time, the number of stickers will increase to 54 so that even more emotions will be expressed using the emoji stickers.

Q. Did you encounter any difficulties while designing AR Emoji?

Hwang: AR is an innovative technology and the AR field is quite new. We collected data from people around the world, interviewing them to discover their needs and ensure that the feature delivered on those needs.

As a team, we continue to collect this data so that we can make AR Emojis even better. User feedback helps us discover not only what consumers really want, but how we can make adjustments to this new technology.

Q. Can you elaborate on your experiences working with Disney to create the Mickey and Minnie Mouse AR Emojis?

Hwang: Like lots of people, I grew up with Mickey Mouse. I never thought that I would be working on a project like this with Disney when I grew up. When we first started I was really excited and couldn’t stop thinking, “Is this really happening?”

Throughout the project, we engaged in a great deal of knowledge sharing with Disney. For example, there’s a feature known as Blend Shape that allows the feature to recreate 75 basic user facial expressions – for example, if you combine two different facial expressions, you will produce a completely new one – explaining how this feature worked was time-intensive. But by working together, we were able to create these unique Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse AR Emojis.

Q. As AR Emoji designers, can you share some tips for creating an AR Emoji?

Jiyoun Kim: First, you need to be in a place with plenty of light – the brighter the better – like when you want to take a selfie. Make sure your face is not hidden by your hair or any other objects. Position your face fully inside the circular frame on the screen and take a photo. Just relax and be natural. After your My Emoji has been created, you can make manual adjustments to skin tone, hair style and color, clothing and other features, to your liking.

Q. Do you have any advice for making the most of the feature?

Hwang: I have seen videos where people create stories by recording their own voice for the dialogue, and use AR Emojis to act out the parts, which are really fun to watch. It’s a new and innovative way to use My Emoji. You can use them to present something your own behalf and remain almost anonymous at the same time.

Hye-Bong Kim: You don’t have to make just one AR Emoji. You can make several characters, as the mood takes you. Give your My Emoji a hairstyle you want try or a funky outfit you would never normally wear. Create AR Emojis of family or friends and share them with each other.

We like to make a game out of changing the hair styles and other features of the My Emojis, then guessing which one belongs to which team member, which is quite amusing.

Q. Can you suggest how users can get the most out characters like Mickey Mouse?

Cho: They are perfect for creating your own cartoon or animation. Since they are designed to mirror human facial expressions, you can make your characters express a range of emotions and make up a whole story using them.

Samsung Newsroom recently sat down with members of Samsung’s Global Product Planning Group – Nayoung Kim, Taihoon Kim, Joohyun Kim and Jonathan Min – who discussed the process of developing a device that’s more powerful, personal and in tune with how we use our smartphones today.

(From left) Taihoon Kim, Jonathan Min, Nayoung Kim and Joohyun Kim, of Samsung’s Global Product Planning Group, helped shape the Galaxy S9’s design.

Q. What inspired you to develop the Galaxy S9’s ‘visual communication’ features?

Nayoung Kim: Current mobile trends are being dictated by Generation Z, but they are very selective. In our research, we took a close look at how Generation Z are communicating, as well as what kind of apps and functionality they most enjoy. We eventually uncovered an increase in the use of visual forms of communication. For example, members of the social media generation will often use emoticons rather than texts, and they enjoy sharing fun images. So, to cater to this preference, we focused on adding new functionalities to the camera.

Q. Could you elaborate on the camera’s development process?

Nayoung Kim: When designing the camera, our team focused on three key points. It needed to be capable of recording dynamic video – the type of content that the younger generation loves to consume; it needed to be able to capture low-light photos, which should be a fundamental feature of any camera; and it needed to be easy to use and offer fun new features, like AR Emoji.

Taihoon Kim: The product development process for the Galaxy S9 was quite different from that of the previous years, as team members with different expertise strived to discover the visual experiences of everyday life through their own eyes, and how that might translate to camera functionality. These diverse insights enabled us to develop a camera catering to wide needs.

Q. How did you refine the Galaxy S9’s user experience?

Taihoon Kim: We focused on enhancing the End-to-End scenario of the user experience. For the camera, that involved ensuring easy-to-use Super Slow-mo video functionality, with immediately accessible videos that could be directly uploaded to social media through one intuitive process.

You see this sort of seamlessness with AR Emoji as well. Once you scan your face, you’re instantly given the option to customize your 3D avatar to your liking, and presented with 18 shareable GIFs encompassing a wide range of expressions.

Nayoung Kim: We tested the device’s usability extensively, and in various contexts, to ensure the processes were intuitive and organic, and could work across all aspects of daily life. As example, I brought a prototype of the phone with me when I went sledding with my children. The first-hand experience of recording a Super Slow-mo video of my children rocketing down the hill gave birth to the idea of an auto motion-detect function able to capture those sorts of fleeting moments.

Q. Which Galaxy S9 feature has received the biggest response from consumers?

Jonathan Min: We’ve found that users are very interested in the AR Emoji feature, which we first started working on in 2016. People are used to expressing themselves with emojis and stickers, but this feature allows them to create and express themselves through emojis that resemble their own faces, in a way that’s much more personal.

When we started it was new, so everything had to be built from the ground up, and it was difficult to predict consumers’ feedback. It was also our development team’s first time working on something like this, so it took a lot of trial and error to bring the function to life.

Nayoung Kim: Our most important goal is to provide users with new experiences by launching the product, enhancing it based on the market’s reactions, and continuing to develop innovative features. AR Emoji will continue to be enhanced in ways that reflect consumers’ needs.

Q. Do you have a favorite feature?

Jonathan Min: I personally use AR Emoji stickers the most, whenever I message my friends and family.

Taihoon Kim: I like the Super Slow-mo function the most. It’s not only great for capturing dynamic actions, but life’s little moments as well, such as the signature facial expression of your loved ones. And the Galaxy S9’s ability to display Super Slow-mo clips on the lock screen creates a touching way to enjoy videos of them.

Joohyun Kim: We redefined the design of the Infinity Display to make it even more beautiful and to minimize any ‘distracting’ elements. Subtle adjustments, such as ensuring that the iris scanner is hidden, and that the bezel and display are the same color, helped us deliver a display that makes it easy for viewers to immerse themselves in their favorite content.

Q. Going forward, how does Samsung plan to ensure that Galaxy smartphones remain among the most innovative in the market?

Taihoon Kim: It will be important to stay a step ahead in innovative features, as well as time them to the market appropriately to grab consumer attention. Consumers can experience visual communications features directly themselves, without an explanation. We plan to continue exploring dynamic visual features, given their unique appeal to the young generation of consumers, as well as integrate new technologies like AR (augmented reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) into our devices.

Nayoung Kim: The basic features of smartphones have been refined to the point that consumers are largely satisfied. What matters is not how diverse the offered features are, but whether the features offered to deliver a high level of satisfaction. At this point, we need to think about the next phase for smartphones, which will involve delivering innovations that really resonate with the new generation of users.

Joohyun Kim: Smartphones have become essential to daily life. As product planners, it’s our duty to constantly look for ways to improve on ‘basic’ features – those that we use every day – while also identifying brand new functions.

1. Faster, more transparent machine learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) will dramatically expand within the next 12 months. It is already changing the way people interact with a number of applications, platforms and services across both consumer and enterprise environments.

In the next couple of years, there will be new approaches on two fronts. Firstly, less data will be required to train an algorithm. This means an image recognition system that currently needs 100,000 images to learn how to operate will only need a small fraction of that number. This will make it easier to quickly implement powerful machine learning systems.

Secondly, the technology will become more transparent. Advances in technology will mean researchers will be able to open the black box of AI and more clearly explain why a particular model made the decision it did. Currently, a lot of academia and start-ups are putting much effort into understanding how a machine makes decisions, how the models are learning from the data and what are the parameters of data that influence the models.

Scott Phoenix, The CEO of Vicarious, makes a presentation about human-level intelligent robots at the Samsung CEO Summit last October in San Francisco. (source: www.vicarious.com)

Samsung plans to build an AI platform under a common architecture that will provide the deepest understanding of usage context and behaviors. This is one of the core strategies to make the user-centric AI ecosystem. Samsung NEXT has also invested in various companies innovating in the field, including Vicarious, a company developing neuroscience-based artificial general intelligence (AGI) for robots for simpler deployment with faster training and Bonsai, which develops an AI platform that empowers enterprises to create, deploy and manage AI models, and FloydHub, a start-up that has developed a cloud service for machine learning.

2. New AR and VR form factors and viewing models

Both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly being relied upon to create more immersive worlds where technology enables users to get more hands-on with virtual overlays and environments. In the case of AR, devices won’t remove us from our world, but will rather enable us to have objects appear as if they were really there.

2018 will witness more developers embracing AR, starting to make interesting applications moving beyond the world of gaming. One such example is a furniture company planning to make its full catalogue available in AR. Samsung NEXT has invested in companies like 8i, which provides a platform that enables true 3D (fully volumetric) video capture of people, allowing viewers to walk around as real humans in VR and AR.

8i’s Holo augmented reality application enables digital recreation of people and characters to be seen in the real world through a smartphone camera. (source: www.8i.com)

Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) will see foundational technology improvements in the quality of their displays, sensors, and materials. In 2018, there will be a lot of excitement in the industry in the form of M&A and investment activities. “For VR, we will see more standalone devices, falling between existing HMDs powered by mobile phones, and high-end hardware connected to powerful PCs. This will enable more people to experience the technology in new ways,” said Ajay Singh, Samsung NEXT Ventures.

3. Blockchain to look beyond cryptocurrencies

“In 2017, we saw blockchain technology increasingly applied to develop unbanked countries and communities,” said Raymond Liao from Ventures. “With underpinnings in peer-to-peer transactions, blockchain has the power to democratize transactions by removing the middleman and reducing the needless fees that so frequently hamstring those deprived of banking services.”

Cryptocurrency is the dominant killer application for blockchain up to now. However, we will see blockchain entrepreneurs and decentralization idealists, freshly financed by token sales, marching to either empower consumers against the one-sided data monetization paradigm, or break up enterprise data silos in, e.g., supply chain and healthcare industries.

Samsung’s focus on security will be an advantage for the company as far as blockchain is concerned. The elephant in the room around blockchain is that the entire technology is only as secure as the users’ keys. Samsung’s technology enables enterprise customers to be assured of a certain level of security in how their employees interact with their blockchain-based apps. Furthermore, Samsung NEXT includes in its portfolio companies like HYPR that provides enterprise with enhanced security and user experience using blockchain and Filament that secures Internet of Things (IoT) devices with their blockchain protocol.

4. IoT to put power in the hands of healthcare patients

Healthcare is an industry that is ripe for disruption. We will begin to see the power of IoT in healthcare with the emergence of inexpensive, continuous ways to capture and share our data, as well as derive insights that inform and empower patients. Moreover, wearable adoption will create a massive stream of real-time health data beyond the doctor’s office, which will significantly improve diagnosis, compliance and treatment. In short, a person’s trip to the doctor will start to look different – but for the right reasons.

Samsung is using IoT and AI to improve efficiency in healthcare. Samsung NEXT has invested in startups in this area, such as Glooko which helps people with diabetes by uploading the patient’s glucose data to the cloud to make it easier to access and analyse them. Another noteworthy investment in this space from Samsung NEXT is HealthifyMe, an Indian company whose mobile app connects AI-enabled human coaches with people seeking diet and exercise advice.

HealthifyMe connects patients with AI-based healthcare coaches

(source: www.healthifyme.com)

Samsung is uniquely positioned among tech companies in that it already has a significant business in healthcare. The company has solutions in wearables, hospital screens and tablets, and X-ray and MRI machines. By tying all these solutions together and cooperating with other partners, it will enable patients to manage their health from their own devices.

5. IoT breaks free from homes and enters the city

In the next couple of years, one should expect to see IoT transform urban environments thanks to the combination of learnings from smart homes and buildings, and the proliferation of 5G. Transformation will happen in waves, starting with innovation that requires fewer regulations. It is expected to impact the daily life of the community in meaningful ways, such as parking solutions, mapping, and bike share schemes.

Samsung NEXT already has various IoT investments including Stae for data-driven urban planning, and Swiftly that provides enterprise software to help transit agencies and cities improve urban mobility.

The company has its own IoT platform SmartThings—an acquisition that came through the Samsung NEXT team. The platform is connected to ARTIK for enterprises and HARMAN Ignite’s connected car platform, creating a comprehensive IoT ecosystem. Based on its progress on IoT, Samsung showcased its vision for ‘Samsung City 2020’ at this year’s CES, which is on its way to realization.

The Samsung Electronics CES 2018 booth showed off its “Samsung City 2020” concept

President Youngky Kim of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics estimates that monthly wireless internet usage will soar to 100GB in the 5G era from the current usage of 10 GB at most in the 4G environment. In other words, users will be able to enjoy wireless internet services including 4K and 8K UHD videos, virtual reality (VR), holograms, and autonomous vehicles to their satisfaction.

Using the 5G technologies that have been developed over the last seven years, President Kim has been committed to deploying 5G networks in many parts of the world. He said, “We will focus on the U.S. where 5G services will launch this year, as well as Korea and Japan – the leaders of 5G commercialization. It is our goal for Samsung’s 5G technology market share to exceed 20% by 2021, and to become one of the top three global network equipment suppliers within the next five years.”

President Kim sat with Samsung Newsroom on 27^th February at MWC held in Barcelona, Spain. The Q&A outlines the types of benefits consumers will be able to enjoy in the 5G era, and Samsung’s competitive edge and business strategies.

Q. How do you think the 5G will make a difference in our lives?

Kim: “4G brought us mobile connectivity so that we can use our smartphones anytime and anywhere. 5G will extend wireless connectivity to cities and factories as a whole. Internet of Things (IoT) will become a part of our lives, and consumers’ monthly wireless internet usage will skyrocket to 100GB. Furthermore, hologram video calls, augmented reality (AR)-based GPS, and autonomous vehicles will be more widely available.”

Q. Almost every participating enterprise at MWC 2018 talks about 5G. What differentiates Samsung from the rest?

Kim: “The telecommunications business is no longer just about expanding network coverage and enhancing performance. Going beyond simple connectivity, we aim to implement an automated and intelligent network that focuses on our consumers. The main task is to develop new services that are virtually latency-free. Samsung will demonstrate its unique competencies to bring 5G services to life, based on the company’s businesses and experiences in networks, mobile devices, TVs, home appliances, semi-conductors, and electronics parts as well as IoT platform.”

Q. For the first time in the world, the 5G network will be commercialized in the U.S. When do you think it will be distributed on a major scale?

Kim: “Countries like the U.S, Korea, Japan are on the verge of jumping into 5G commercialization. Samsung will accelerate the commercialization of 5G by working actively with service providers in 5G adoption-advanced countries. To deliver 5G services seamlessly, “killer applications” must be provided along with the network and user devices.”

Q. Samsung collaborates with Verizon for the commercialization of 5G in the U.S. What meaning does this partnership hold?

Kim: “The U.S. is an early-adopter and has a very large market, of which Verizon is the No.1 operator. In this respect, the partnership is recognition of our technological competencies. The 5G network employs the millimeter wave spectrum, which is a distinctive frequency bandwidth yet to be used for communications. It is therefore crucial that it successfully works out in an in an everyday setting. We believe that coming in first place to let users experience commercial services based on the millimeter wave spectrum will bolster our presence in the 5G market.”

Q. What is Samsung’s strategy to become one of the top three network equipment suppliers?

Kim: “Technological competency is our competitive edge. Samsung has been dedicated to validating 5G technologies and applying the requirements of global standards. Furthermore, we have been committed to developing and demonstrating “world first” technologies over the last seven years. To achieve success in our 5G business, our viewpoints on technologies, products and strategies must stay focused on consumers. I am positive that Samsung has every potential to grow into a top-tier enterprise with our consumer-centric products, services and infrastructure in the global 5G market.”

And now DxOMark—the trusted industry standard for camera and lens image quality measurements and ratings—has just announced that the Galaxy S9+ has earned the top spot in their mobile camera rankings. With a score of 99 points, we’ve earned DxOMark’s highest-ever combined photo and video rating for a smartphone camera. The Galaxy S9+ photo score from DxOMark is 104 points – the highest ever photo score from the organization.

Among all the exciting innovations, two technical innovations did more than any others to push the Galaxy S9+ to the top of the DxOMark rankings:  the Dual Aperture¹ and the Super Speed Dual Pixel Sensor. They work together to help you take amazing photos in any lighting condition and capture everyday epic moments.

If you’ve ever taken a grainy photo at a dimly lit birthday dinner or frowned as your friend’s smile got washed out by bright sunlight, then you know that most of the time we take photos in imperfect light. The Dual Aperture lens automatically adapts like the human eye, and with an F stop of 1.5 it’s the widest lens of any smartphone—delivering the brightest possible pictures in extreme low-light environments. Meanwhile, the Super Speed Dual Pixel sensor goes to work, using its dedicated processing power and memory to combine up to 12 distinct images into one amazing, high-quality photo.

DxOMark’s ranking affirmed the value of these camera innovations with every photo we take—from midnight to high noon. But they’re not the only reasons you’ll want to experience for yourself what the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ camera does to reimagine the way you communicate, share and experience the world.

In Super Slow-mo mode, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ lets you capture 960 frames per second—four times more than the Galaxy S8. While manual capture gives you complete control of the shot, the new Automatic Motion Detection mode will start recording as soon as it senses movement in the frame,. After capturing the shot, music is added automatically and instantly creates three shareable GIFs  to easily share with friends and family.

There are even more ways to personalize what you create and share with the new camera with augmented reality (AR) technology. Using advanced AR technology, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ analyze a 2D image of you and creates a 3D animated AR Emoji, a personalized emoji that’s uniquely you.

AR Emoji messages are saved in a standard AGIF file format, so you can send them to anyone using your favorite messaging app. To create one, it’s as easy as taking a selfie.

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ AR technology also reimagines the way you interact with the world around you. Bixby, Samsung’s intelligence platform, is integrated into the camera and automatically overlays information directly on top of the image the camera is pointing at. With new Bixby features² built right within the camera, you don’t have to go through several steps or applications to get information about local landmarks, read a foreign menu or street sign in 54 different languages with Live Translation³, or shop⁴. If you see a cool product, Bixby will show you shopping options from retailers such as Walmart and Sam’s Club. The new Makeup feature lets you try on different looks and shop for your favorites. You can even point the camera at the meal in front of you, and in conjunction with AI, Bixby can estimate the calories and track them in Samsung Health.

As I hope you can see, we did more than design a new smartphone camera. We reimagined it so you can capture the perfect image in almost any light, capture moments and tell stories in new, creative ways.

¹ Rear camera F1.5 lens. Dual aperture (F2.4/F1.5) on rear wide-angle lens only. Light comparison based on the Galaxy S8.

² Voice command works with a select, growing number of third-party apps; see Apps with Voice in Bixby for a list of compatible apps. Service ability may vary by country. Instant access to Bixby not available while in: video and voice recording, call, Ultra Power Saving Mode, Emergency Mode, Kids Mode, DeX, DeX Station, and Car Mode.

³ Samsung Account log-in and data network (wifi or internet connection) required. Translation speed may vary depending on internet connection and word count. This function is limited to selected languages. For the full list of languages please visit www.samsung.com/galaxy

⁴ Feature limited to select retail partners.

From the latest in VR/AR, IoT, healthcare and more, Samsung selected the seven new startups for investment based on their business potential and contribution to innovation:

• Hyperity – A VR/AR solution to remotely control smartphones and desktops through virtual screens without a physical monitor

• Linkface – A unique VR solution that can detect eye and facial muscle movement and let users directly control VR content

• PIXELRO – A smartphone-based solution to provide a vision correction solution to presbyopia, replacing regular eyeglasses

• BlueFeel – A personal portable air purifier that doesn’t block the user’s mouth, developed as a response to users who dislike the discomfort of regular dust masks

• Defind – A smart shoe matching service that carries out a 3D scan of a customer’s foot to enable them to buy shoes that fit perfectly

• Soft Launch – A social media-based recommendation service for restaurants and stores aiming to combat fake reviews, and developed by employees from multiple Samsung affiliates

• 1Drop – An ultra low-cost blood glucose measurement solution using LED and the camera of a smartphone

A Collaborative Approach

The prospective entrepreneurs were provided with intensive training and preparation on key aspects of running a business with the help of experts before launching their startups. They also engaged in various talk sessions with former colleagues with success spinning off businesses to obtain know-how.

“We have provided the support to establish 32 C-Lab alumni startups over the past two years and based on our valuable past experience, we are planning to build up a more profound and actionable program to nurture employees’ ideas and launch new startups,” said Jaiil Lee, Vice President and Head of the Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics.

C-Lab alumni startups have performed well in recent years, securing additional global funding, increasing company valuation and opening up unexpected business opportunities. For example, 360-degree camera manufacturer Link Flow started as a business for travellers in their 30’s and 40’s, but after being spotted by the security maintenance industry, underwent further iterations and will be unveiled as an official product at this upcoming CES 2018.

Created in December 2012, the C-Lab is an in-house startup incubation program that nurtures a creative organizational culture and innovative ideas among Samsung employees. The spin-off policy was introduced in 2015 and since its inception C-Lab alumni startups have been striving to open a new startup ecosystem.

Kicking off the full slate of presentations, discussions and hands-on labs held at San Francisco’s Moscone West convention center were keynote speeches from Samsung and tech industry leaders. The opening keynote event illuminated Samsung’s efforts to usher in the new phase of IoT that it’s calling “Intelligence of Things”, and showcased the exciting implications for developers and consumers.

Check out the highlights of the keynotes below.

SDC 2017 attendees take their seats before the start of the conference’s keynote event.

DJ Koh, Samsung Electronics’ President of Mobile Communications Business, opens the conference by discussing how Samsung’s leadership in hardware, IoT, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) is bringing the company closer to realizing its vision of an innovative future created through “connected thinking”, where connected experiences are seamless and unified across devices.

During his speech, Mr. Koh announced that Samsung will unite its IoT services – including Samsung Connect, SmartThings and ARTIK – into a powerful, integrated platform called SmartThings, which will go beyond smartphones and ultimately unite the world’s largest ecosystem of mobile devices, appliances, TVs and IoT sensors.

Next, Injong Rhee, Samsung Electronics’ Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Software and Services, discussed some of the user-experience challenges that can arise with screen or touch-panel technologies, and how Samsung’s Bixby interface – which currently features over 10 million active users – alleviates them.

Mr. Rhee also demonstrated exciting ways that users will be able to interact with their connected services in the new Intelligence of Things era. To illustrate this point, he offered attendees a glimpse of Project Ambience – a prototype dongle that may be applied to a variety of electronics to make them Bixby-compatible.

Gilles BianRosa, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer for Samsung’s Visual Display Business, revealed that beginning in 2018, Samsung will offer Bixby-enabled TVs in the US and Korea. He followed up that announcement by discussing the exciting opportunities that the TVs’ Bixby integration and seamless connectivity will create, including intuitive voice controls and multi-device viewing experiences.

Yoon C. Lee, Samsung Electronics America’s Senior Vice President and Division Head of Content and Services, discussed how adding Bixby support and SmartThings integration to Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerators marks a big step – one that will offer developers “tremendous opportunities to develop new content, applications and experiences in areas like food, health, home management, entertainment, and more.”

Eui-Suk Chung, Samsung Electronics’ Executive Vice President and Head of the Service Intelligence Team, offered attendees a peek at Bixby 2.0 – an update of the intelligent assistant that’s even more ubiquitous, open and personal.

Dag Kittlaus, CEO and Co-Founder of Viv Labs, described the exciting benefits that Bixby 2.0 presents for developers. These include the abilities to build services without being limited by domains or interfaces, and make services compatible with any and all electronic devices. Mr. Kittlaus also announced that Bixby 2.0 is currently being introduced as a private beta SDK available to select partners, and is set to roll out in 2018.

Robert Parker, Samsung Electronics’ Chief Technology Officer of SmartThings, elaborated on how the platform’s support for broad integration allows developers to create seamless experiences that utilize the full Samsung device ecosystem, and highlighted how partners like ADT and NVIDIA are harnessing SmartThings to better serve their customers.

James Stansberry, the Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center’s (SSIC) Senior Vice President and General Manager of ARTIK IoT, outlined how Samsung’s ARTIK IoT platform will merge with SmartThings to become an ideal platform for developing enterprise-grade IoT products and services, and introduced new, secure system-on-modules (SoMs) that offer important security enhancements for IoT solutions.

Pranav Mistry, Samsung Electronics’ Senior Vice President of Research, shared some of Samsung’s exciting developments in AR, and discussed how the company incorporates advanced object recognition and spatial understanding software into its smartphones’ cameras to create new ways to interact with the world.

Google’s Vice President of Virtual and Augmented Reality, Clay Bavor, joined Mr. Mistry on stage to illustrate how Samsung and Google’s partnership on ARCore, an augmented reality SDK for Android, is opening the door for incredible AR innovations that will benefit developers and users. A preview of ARCore is currently supported by Samsung’s Galaxy S8, and support for the Galaxy S8+ and Note8 is coming soon.

Attendees examine the wide range of Samsung technologies that empower developers to design connected solutions that enrich daily life.

Created in December 2012, C-Lab is an internal venture incubation program that encourages a creative corporate culture and nurtures innovative ideas from Samsung employees. The program supports the development of inventing ideas from all areas of the business.

The products on display will include a smart aid for visually impaired people, monitorless PC viewing glasses, a VR home furnishing solution and a 360-degree travel experience platform.

Relúmĭno

Relúmĭno is a visual aid application that works incorporated with Gear VR for near blind and visually impaired people which enable them to read books and watch TV with new levels of clarity. It works as a mobile app that when inserted into the Samsung Gear VR can enhance visuals and text so that they can be enjoyed in better quality. The technology even has the ability to remap blind spots by displacing images and uses an Amlser grid chart to correct distorted images caused by metamorphopsia. Relúmĭno enables visually challenged people to watch TV without using the expensive visual aids currently available in the market.

Monitorless

Monitorless is a remote-control VR/AR solution that enables consumers to use devices such as smartphones and PCs without a monitor. The solution consists of a special pair of glasses that resemble regular sunglasses. They are used to view content from other devices such as smartphones and PCs and can be used for both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality functionality thanks to the electro chromic glass featured on the glasses. Monitorless addresses the fact that there isn’t enough AR and VR content currently available and also enables users to play high-capacity PC games on a mobile device.

VuildUs

VuildUs is a home interior and furnishing solution enables users to see what a new furniture purchase would look like and whether it would fit in the room before they buy it. It consists of a 360-degree depth camera and a mobile app for VR compatible devices. First, users connect both devices and scan their home using the camera. That data is used to build a VR version of the user’s home which the user can then enter when wearing a VR headset. They can view items of furniture in 3D, and buy it on the spot if they like how it looks in the room. The solution removes the need for measuring space before buying furniture because it enables them to see whether it would fit in real time.

traVRer

traVRer is a 360-degree video platform that enables users to experience realistic virtual travel before and after a real-life trip. Those using the platform are able to visit landmarks and famous places around the world but with the mood, noises and events captured. Users can switch seamlessly between different videos to go in different directions or see the place at a specific time of day – all without the need to navigate menus for alternative video options.

“We continue to support new ideas and creativity, especially when these traits could lead to new experiences for consumers,” said Lee Jae Il, Vice President of Samsung Electronics Creativity & Innovation Center. “These latest examples of C-Lab projects are a reminder that we have some talented entrepreneurial people who are unafraid to break new ground. We’re looking forward to further exploring novel applications for VR and 360-degree video because there are endless possibilities in this area.”

The C-Lab projects will be exhibited at Samsung Electronics’ booth (4YFN G1 in the Fira Barcelona).