To better understand this opportunity, the team at Lux Research, a provider of tech-enabled research and advisory services for technology innovation, analysed the market landscape to understand where and how this technology will drive future growth in their new report, “Metamaterials Market Forecast”.

Metamaterials are assemblies of multiple elements formed from a composite of materials that often include various metals and plastics.

The report, released on Wednesday in Boston, reveals how metamaterial designs (made up of a combination of materials) enable devices to achieve much higher performance and efficiency than conventional offerings. Metamaterials are being deployed for telecommunication antennas, electromagnetic sensors like radar and lidar, vibration damping, energy harvesting and wireless charging. Critically, these metamaterial devices all use combinations of standard, existing materials. Moreover, advances in manufacturing technologies, from 3D printing to lithography, now enable startups to cost-effectively manufacture these devices at scale.

“Metamaterials enable electromagnetic and acoustic performance characteristics that no conventional design can match, and are finally becoming practical to manufacture and use,” said Anthony Vicari, an analyst at Lux Research and lead author of the report. “These performance advantages are especially valuable in communications antennas, as well as sensors such as radar and lidar. With the imminent rollout in 5G network infrastructure and devices, and the subsequent projected growth in connected and autonomous vehicles, metamaterials are becoming viable at just the right time to see rapid growth in these new markets.”

The report provides a detailed technical and market landscape, as well as market forecasts across key application segments.

Key takeaways include:

• Metamaterial devices offer smaller size, greater energy efficiency, and more precise directionality and control. In many cases, metamaterial devices are not much more expensive to produce than conventional devices. As a result, once metamaterial options reach the market, conventional offerings are likely to become uncompetitive.

• The 5G segment will grow rapidly in the early 2020s with the rollout of new network infrastructure. Growth in the sensor market, especially for automotive, will take off in the late 2020s.

• The startup landscape has more than doubled in size in the past few years, reflecting accelerating innovation in this space and a larger underlying ecosystem of research groups familiar with the technology.

• Key early metamaterial antenna patents are set to expire in the 2024-2028 timeframe. At that point, the analysts expect to see a rapid increase in the number of companies developing metamaterials, like the explosion of activity 3D printing experienced after early patents expired between 2005 and 2008.

• Metamaterials are a design-driven trend and build on the current momentum in design software and additive manufacturing. As a result, expect rapid technology adoption at the speed of software, not the slower pace typical of new material innovations.

The Handan Public Security Bureau announced the use of three types of traffic robot police in a ceremony held on Wednesday. Equipped with intelligent cameras, the robots can spot traffic violations, give offenders verbal warnings and take photos of incidents. The robots were developed using big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and laser-based navigation.

The road patrol robot, which resembles a traffic police officer in a yellow uniform and white hat, can identify drivers and take photos of illegal behaviour through its automatic navigation system, as well as give reminders to jaywalkers.

The customer service robot is designed to provide information and answer questions from the public at vehicle registration centres. The robot automatically reports security risks and suspects to police.

The small, portable, remote-controlled traffic robots can help manage the scene at a road accident by giving visual and audible directions to passing drivers.

The robots will be programmed with additional functions to help with vehicle management and traffic management, and will be on duty 24/7. In recent years, e high-tech innovations have been increasingly applied in daily police work in China.

The event was called “VST ECS IoT & Security Solution Day” and was also backed by Dell, D-Link, HIP, FreeWave and Nutanix.

Its purpose was to present information about IoT Trends and IoT for Manufacturing 4.0, all of which draw on the trendiest innovations and conform to the digital Economy policy of the Thai government.

The event also received cooperation from the partners of the company, with independent software vendors (ISV) such as AMR Asia, E-ideas, i-Bitz and Zenalyse sharing knowledge on smart city solutions, smart manufacturing and education, smart security and smart factory, including with a booth display the solutions.

VST ECS Group is a leading ICT distributor in Asia Pacific.

LG’s UltraFine displays “deliver amazing image quality when connected to a Mac or iPad Pro”, the company said. Designed to enhance productivity, the LG UltraFineTM 5K delivers powerful all-around performance and the latest connectivity options. With Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C support, the monitor works with the latest Mac notebooks and desktops, as well as iPad Pro. LG’s 5K monitor allows users to configure a versatile Mac workstation with video, audio and data transfer through a single cable. And thanks to 94 watts of power, the UltraFineTM 5K can also charge any USB-C compliant host such as Mac or iPad.

Designed to meet the needs of creative designers, photographers and videographers, the LG UltraFineTM 5K is “a superior wide-screen solution that delivers precise detail and colour”, the company said. It boasts a P3 wide colour gamut and 500-nit brightness for optimised images, with no calibration required. The monitor’s 218 pixels per inch (PPI) result in more than 14.7 million pixels that render lifelike images and razor-sharp text for viewing multiple windows and tools simultaneously. The built-in camera, microphone, and stereo speakers provide a rich multimedia experience.

LG UltraFineTM 5K is designed for next-level convenience, with adjustable height and tilt for user comfort. Compatibility with macOS Mojave 10.14.6 and iOS 12.4 enables users to control brightness and volume directly from the Touch Bar or keyboard on MacBook Pro.

“The first LG UltraFineTM series was well received by creative professionals for its exceptional performance and convenience,” said Jang Ik-hwan, head of LG’s IT business division. “Ease of use, seamless integration, and stunning screen quality make LG UltraFineTM monitors a great choice for Apple users.”

The company also expects to generate revenue growth of over 100 per cent by the end of this year and take in Bt2.5 billion next year.

Nuttapon Boonpinon, managing partner at N-Squared eCommerce, said that the expansion plans for Indonesia and Vietnam would build on its operations in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.

“I think that Indonesia and Vietnam have high potential for growth for the running of an  online business. The firm therefore will join hands with local partners to develop online shopping to support the market,” said Nuttapon.

He said that the firm now distributes products from more than 60 brands with more than 20,000 items. Around 30 per cent of the product items are from its own brand, with the rest from partners brands such as Tefal, Kleenex and Huawei. The firm expects that next year it will have over 100 partner brands. The firm now has more than 1 million shoppers using its  HomeHuk platform.

The firm offers products to the market via https://nsquared.asia under four main categories:  home and living, home appliances, health and beauty, and others such as sports and food and beverage products.

“The e-commerce market in Asean still has a significant opportunity for growth. Currently, e-commerce sales account for only 3 per cent of the overall retail market, compared to China with 30 per cent and the USA at around 10 per cent,” said Nuttapon.

To support e-commerce market, the firm has also developed proprietary tools and technologies made for the Asean market, including having an omni-channel, enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that streamlines order fulfilment, stock management, and customer database across multiple platform. The firm also uses Big Data to understand consumers’ behaviour.

He said that the firm by the end of this year expects to generate revenue of around Bt1.4 billion, marking growth of around 100 per cent from last year. In 2020, the firm expects to reach revenue of Bt2.5 billion.

Chakarin Komolsiri, assistant director general of the Department of International Trade Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce (DITP) said the event – also known as the 6th BIDC 2019 – comes under the concept of “Digital Co-creation”.

It is intended to create opportunities for entrepreneurs to meet with local and international business partners as well. The event will showcase the readiness of Thai entrepreneurs, Chakarin said.

“The BIDC will highlight capability, promote quality development of digital entrepreneurs, stimulate economic growth in line with the government policy Thailand 4.0, and create opportunities in the business of digital content industries including animation, games, characters, e-learning, computer graphics, virtual reality, including new technologies and education,” Chakarin said.

Chakarin said business matching will be a highlight of the BIDC 2019, opening an opportunity for new entrepreneurs to partner with around 40 international companies from 12 countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Finland, Poland, Spain, Hong Kong and Malaysia. These companies includes Walt Disney Company, CCTV Animation of China, Bandai Namco Studios, and Grasshopper Manufacturing.

“The business matching serves as a key mechanism to fuel growth on a continual and sustainable basis. BIDC 2018 recorded many successful business matches with a business value of Bt850 million. BIDC 2019 is expected to support growth in the overall digital content business.” Chakarin said.

He said that the department has collaborated with the private sector to create a digital content ecosystem and drive digital content in Thai market. “The department also has a role as a facilitator to drive the digital content industry in the country via business matching with both local digital content creators and international business. It also creates activities to support digital content industry, both in the domestic and international sphere, in terms of co-production. It now promotes co-production in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea,” Chakarin said.

He said that Thailand has more than 140,000 digital content creators and over 30 courses related digital content with around 3,000 students who graduated with digital content skills each year.

“We have a strategy to drive digital content by developing a digital content ecosystem, starting with leveraging courseware, developing students, business matching and conducting activities to support digital content supply chain,” said Chakarin.

He added that for the past five years, the DITP has organised business matching activities. “Thailand’s readiness to align with the government’s Creative Economy policy and its goals toward Thailand 4.0 have helped the process,” said Chakarin.

“Thailand also has a digital content hub both in the areas of animation and online games in the Asean region. The digital content industry in Thailand last year was valued at Bt30 billion and this year is expected to have a value of Bt33 billion, with growth from last year of around 10 per cent.”

Nop Thamvanich, a representative from the Thai Digital Content Industry Association, as the industry representative, said: “The BIDC 2019 represents a synergistic collaboration with all sectors, both government and industry.”

Thai Digital Content Industry Association has supported members by being an intermediary between the government and entrepreneurs in linking both parts to drive the Thai digital content industry to grow sustainably.

For example, businesses can incorporate futuristic AI technology and virtual reality, which will mark innovations in many industries.

According to DEPA, the digital content industry in Thailand this year will be valued at Bt29.358 billion, beating the Bt27.005 billion posted in 2018. The animation industry is forecast to grow by 9 per cent in 2019, while the games sector is also forecast to grow by the same amount.

In addition, Issari Damrongpitakkul, head of Stickers Line business, said this year is the first year that Line has become a part of the Bangkok International Digital Content Festival 2019. “To drive and strengthen the industry, Line Creators Market team has invited speakers who can share experiences.”

GIV also predicts technology trends up until 2025, including 5G coverage, artificial intelligence deployment, home robot adoption, and a big increase in smart assistant use.

Here are 10 key GIV predictions for 2025:

1. Living with bots: Advances in material science, perceptual AI, and network technologies are powering the uptake of robotics in a variety of home and personal scenarios. GIV predicts a 14 per cent global penetration rate of home robots.

2. Super sight: The convergence of 5G, VR/AR, machine learning, and other emerging technologies will let us see beyond distance, distortion, surface, and history, opening up new vistas for people, business, and culture. GIV predicts that the percentage of companies using AR/VR will increase to 10 per cent.

3. Zero search: As data-driven and sensor-equipped appliances and devices begin anticipating our needs, information will find us. Future searches will be button-free, personal social networks will be created effortlessly, and industry will benefit from “zero-search maintenance”. GIV predicts that 90 per cent of smart device owners will use intelligent personal assistants.

4. Tailored streets: Intelligent transport systems will connect people, vehicles, and infrastructure, creating zero congestion, rapid emergency response, and other functions that will make life smoother. GIV predicts that 15 per cent of vehicles will have “Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything” technology.

5. Working with bots: Already transforming many industries, smart automation will take on more hazardous, repetitive and high-precision tasks – a boon for safety and productivity. GIV predicts there will be 103 robots in industry for every 10,000 employees.

6. Augmented creativity: Cloud AI will cut the cost and barrier of entry to scientific experimentation, innovation, and art, opening up a goldmine of creative potential that’s available to all. GIV predicts that 97 per cent of large companies will have deployed AI by 2025.

7. Frictionless communication: AI and big data analytics will create seamless communication between companies and customers and break down language barriers. Accuracy, understanding and trust will underpin tomorrow’s communications. GIV predicts that enterprises will fully use  86 per cent of the data that they produce.

8. Symbiotic economy: Companies across the planet are adopting digital tech and smart applications on unified access platforms. This means greater collaboration, resource-sharing, stronger global ecosystems, and higher productivity. GIV predicts that every company everywhere will be using cloud technology and 85 per cent of business applications will be cloud-based.

9. 5G’s rapid rollout: 5G is here and it’s landing far faster than any previous wireless generation – the potential for individuals, businesses, and society is enormous. GIV predicts that 58 per cent of the world’s population will have access to 5G.

10. Global digital governance: Advancements in digital tech must be balanced by shared data standards and principles for data use. GIV predicts that the annual volume of global data will reach 180 ZB (1 ZB = 1 trillion GB).

“Human exploration will never stop,” said Kevin Zhang, CMO of Huawei ICT Infrastructure. “We should set our sights beyond what we see now and look to the future, shifting from innovation to invention. We’re seeing rapid changes to life, work, and society as every industry adopts AI, 5G, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies. Huawei is committed to building digital platforms, user experiences, and intelligent technology that power ubiquitous connectivity in every scenario. It’s our mission to offer every person, home and organisation an intelligent future and the benefits of new opportunities for growth,” he added.

The South Korean tech giant revealed it will start production of the industry’s first mobile image sensor with over 100 million pixels, dubbed as ISOCELL Bright HMX.

The sensor boasts 108 megapixels, which enable mobile devices to offer a resolution equivalent to that of a high-end DSLR camera, according to the company.

Samsung has been working closely with Xiaomi for its development, the company said indicating that the partnership is expected to continue.

Image sensors are a part of Samsung’s logic chip business. The company has been accelerating efforts to catch up with Japanese rival Sony in the sector.

“We are very pleased that the picture resolutions previously available only in a few top-tier DSLR cameras can now be designed into smartphones,” said Lin Bin, co-founder and president of Xiaomi. “As we continue our partnership, we anticipate bringing not only new mobile camera experiences but also a platform through which our users can create unique contents.”

The HMX sensor, in particular, can absorb more light in low-lit settings owing to its pixel-merging Tetracell technology to produce bright and clear photographs.

It can also produce clearer photos with its smart-ISO mechanism that intelligently adjusts the level of amplifier gains according to the illumination of the environment.

In bright environments, the mechanism selects low-ISO mode for vivid colors, while switching to high-ISO mode in dark settings.

Samsung is scheduled to start mass production of the latest image sensor this month.

With artificial intelligence transforming industries and businesses, South Korean companies are embracing the technology in their recruiting processes.

Ranging from tech companies to financial firms, the country’s popular employers have increased the use of AI-powered recruitment robots in determining employees’ job qualifications and personal characteristics.

One of the latest companies to join the fray was major mobile carrier KT. For its recruitment slated for later this year, KT announced Tuesday it would use an AI algorithm to screen candidates’ job resumes.

“To ensure objectivity in the recruiting process, we are seeking to analyze candidates’ resumes with (an) AI algorithm. It will determine how qualified the candidates are and whether there is plagiarism in the resume,” KT said in a press release.

While AI algorithms are mostly being used at the initial phase of recruitment, various companies have been expanding the scope of AI-powered recruitment to make the hiring process fairer.

According to local AI software company Midas IT, the number of companies using AI for job interviews increased to 140 in August, compared with 45 companies during the same period last year.

Recently, the military announced a plan to adopt an AI system to recruit junior and noncommissioned officers. In June, the Army began a trial service for AI-based job interviews, in which machines read facial expressions to determine candidates’ personalities.

The company has also set a new Thai telecom industry record for fastest network expansion over a 12-month period and doubled its customer satisfaction score as a result.

The provider recently set the country’s record for the most cell sites (21,146) added over a year (July 2018  to June 2019). According to a report by the NBTC, the average number of new cell sites added by DTAC in 2017 and 2018 was 10,040 and 9,411 sites respectively, doubling its usual rate of expansion.

“DTAC has rapidly added new cell sites nationwide to respond to customers’ growing demand for mobile internet connectivity. Our customers now consume approximately 400-500 MB per person per day,” said Prathet Tankuranun, the chief technology officer for Total Access Communication PLC or DTAC.

“To keep up with this growth, DTAC has been adding new cell sites at double our average yearly rate. The effects can be felt in our customer satisfaction surveys: DTAC doubled its score between January and July 2019. This is a good sign of improvements in all areas for DTAC.”

The company’s recent moves have resulted in an improved customer satisfaction score and fewer complaints. This is also confirmed in various test results that have been widely published. For instance, Telecomlover has noted that nPerf’s tests of cellular internet connections in Thailand in the first half of 2019 rated DTAC as the operator with the fastest download speeds at 21.04 Mbps, followed by other operators at 19.70 Mbps and 19.65 Mbps.

According to the French network performance measurement company, DTAC also has the highest success ratio for connectivity at 92.88 per cent, followed by other operators at 90.73 per cent and 90.37 per cent.

“Although customers are more satisfied with our network improvements, DTAC is far from perfect and we will never stop improving,” said Prathet in a release on Tuesday.

“In the fourth quarter of this year, we plan to use low-band 900 MHz frequency for mobile services. However, we must solve signal interference issues on 900 MHz spectrum first, which will require a strong collaboration between DTAC, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission [regulator] and other related parties in the telecom industry, such as operators who own adjacent frequency slots.

“We are confident that the signal interference issues will be solved and the 900 MHz spectrum will be in operation within the fourth quarter of 2019. DTAC plans to deploy 900 MHz together with 700 MHz, and we expect that the NBTC will allow us to officially start using the 700 MHz spectrum on October 1, 2020 or any other date specified by the NBTC. DTAC is confident that the low-band 700 MHz spectrum will significantly improve 4G services and enable better coverage as well as providing a path toward 5G,” said Prathet in the release.