Tomorrow's world: Shops replaced by posters, self-driving cars and clothes that detect illness could all soon become reality



The Connected City was set up at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

It was set up to showcase how the future of cities, cars and homes will look

Display included smart bathroom mirrors, networks of self-driving cars, supermarkets replaced by posters and clothes that can detect illness

It featured a mixture of existing technologies and concept ideas

Other ideas include smart stadiums, changing rooms and toothbrushes



In our future we will start each day checking transport and weather reports on our interactive bathroom mirrors.

A smart car will then not only drive us to work, it will know the best route to take, how to avoid traffic lights, know what meetings we have, and show emails on its dashboard. What’s more, every car will ‘talk’ to each other to avoid a crash.



We'll then buy our lunch using our phones, and try on clothes using a 360-degree, 3D mirror in shop changing rooms.



The technologies and concepts were on display at the GSMA Connected City stand during this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, illustration pictured. These included smart bathroom mirrors, networks of self-driving cars, supermarkets replaced by posters, and clothes that detect illness

These are just a selection of technologies and concepts that were recently on display at the 'Connected City' during this year’s Mobile World Congress.

The connected mirror is a concept designed by Oral B.The firm added a motion sensor to a sink and when a person waves their hand in front of it, the interactive mirror is enabled.



By swiping their hand up or down, cards scroll through a menu in the same way they would on a smartphone. These cards could be customised to show traffic and transport routes, news, weather, videos, and more.

Oral B also unveiled its SmartSeries electric toothbrush that links to a phone via Bluetooth. If the user brushes too hard, the phone receives signals from the brush and displays an alert.



BMW, Qualcomm, Audi and AT&T all had connected cars on display at the show in Barcelona, and each had slightly different features.



For example, Qualcomm's Mercedes was fitted with a touchscreen dashboard that showed directions, tyre pressure and other car diagnostics, speed and fuel consumption, and was connected to internet radio.



The connected mirror, pictured, is a concept designed by Oral B.The firm added a motion sensor to a sink and when a person waves their hand in front of it, the interactive mirror is enabled. By swiping their hand up or down, users can scroll through a menu in the same way they would on a smartphone

BMW, Qualcomm, Audi and AT&T all had connected cars and systems on display at the show in Barcelona, and each had slightly different features. This AT&T demonstration shows smart traffic management

Deutsche Telekom demonstrated a parking system. pictured, that guides drivers to nearby parking spaces. The scheme is being trialled in Pisa. It maps the city for available spaces and guides drivers to the location using an app. The fee can also be paid using the phone

Currently in the testing phase with China Mobile, Huawei has developed a system for scooters, using AllJoyn technology, that automatically calls an insurance company following an accident

Qualcomm also demonstrated a system where directions can be virtually laid on top of the road ahead using a Heads Up Display, as well as a collision avoidance system involving cars that 'talk' to each other to send data about speeds and routes.



In its model car, Qualcomm additionally showed off a touchscreen display that can link with a mobile phone and mirror whatever is on the phone's screen.



It has its own interface that shows the speed and rev counter, can be used to control in-car entertainment, and reveals any problems with the car.



For example, clicking the diagnostics button will show the pressure of each tyre as well as how that compares to the recommended Psi for that car.



BMW's ConnectedDrive vision took this a step further by turning the car into a personal concierge - driving its owner to their destination, showing emails on a display, connecting to the owner's calendar and automatically taking them to their next meeting - taking the fastest route possible avoiding traffic.



These systems are similar to CarPlay, announced by Apple last week. Apple has teamed up with a number of car manufacturers, including Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Honda to fit cars with software that connects to iPhones running iOS 7 software.



Elsewhere in the Connected City, and currently in the testing phase with China Mobile, Huawei showcased a system for scooters, using AllJoyn technology, that automatically calls an insurance company following an accident.



Apple's CarPlay uses Siri voice commands to control entertainment and other in-car features. Researchers from Texas Transportation Institute recently found that using voice controls to send text messages while driving - on software including Apple's Siri - is just as dangerous as texting with fingers

The agent can then geolocate the driver using GPS, assess the situation in real-time via video streaming, and send or receive any necessary insurance documents.



The AT&T and BMW demos additionally featured speech recognition and 4G-enabled systems, while Deutsche Telekom (DT) demonstrated a parking system that guides drivers to nearby parking spaces.

The DT scheme is being trialled in Pisa. It maps the city for available spaces and guides drivers to the location using an app. Sensors on parking spaces will check whether they are vacant or occupied and forward this information to the app.



The fee can also be paid using a phone.

In a mock-up shop in the Connected City, pictured, photos of products were placed on posters with NFC tags. Users could then hold their phones up to the tags to add those items to a shopping basket. They could then pay for their shopping and send their order to a warehouse for collection

KT, formerly Korea Telecom, also demonstrated its augmented reality changing rooms at GSMA's Connected City. It lets shoppers try on clothes and accessories virtually. The 360-degree mirrors create a 3D image that can be viewed from every angle and sent to the shopper's phone as a photo

Meanwhile in the retail section of the GSMA Connected City, companies including Weve and Aimia - which manages the Nectar card scheme - demonstrated smart shopping posters and voucher wallets.

In their mock-up shop, photos of products were placed on posters with NFC tags. Users then held their phones up to the tags to add those items to a shopping basket.



Smart: The world's first smartphone toothbrush tells its users where they have gone wrong

They could then pay for their shopping and send their order to a warehouse for collection.



A real-world example could be ordering shopping at a bus stop before picking it up from a store near their home.



A company who has already developed a similar system is Powatag, which launched this week in New York.



PowaTag lets shoppers walk up to an item, billboard, screen advert or retail display and purchase the product with a touch of their smartphone screen.



Powatag can also be used with radio and TV adverts. When a advert plays, shoppers can buy the product being advertised through the Powatag app using the phone's built-in speakers.



In another area of the Connected City's retail section, KT (formerly Korea Telecom) demonstrated its augmented reality changing rooms. They lets shoppers try on clothes and accessories virtually.



The 360-degree mirrors create a 3D image that can be viewed from every angle, and this image can be sent to the shopper's phone as a photo. Shoppers will also be able to order products in different sizes, for example, while still in the shop.



KT additionally unveiled its g-manual - a medical app that gives tailored information about medicines, possible diseases and other health information based on a person's genome saved in their smartphone.

If there are two or more similar medicines to treat the same illness, KT's personalised service finds which medicine will have the greatest effect on that person's individual genome.

A company who has already developed a retail system similar to those on display in Barcelona is Powatag. PowaTag, pictured, lets shoppers walk up to an item, billboard, screen or print advert, or retail display and purchase the promoted product with a touch of their smartphone screen

In the sports arena, the 'D-Shirt', pictured, by French company Cityzen Sciences was demonstrated with a team of basketball players. It is made from a special fabric woven with sensors which record a wearer's heart rate, GPS location, route, speed and altitude

The D-shirt connects up to an app, pictured, that monitors all aspects of your jog. Here the app is shown in French - listing a user's journey duration, distance, heart-rate, calories burned, speed and level of fatigue

In the sports arena, the ‘D-Shirt’ by French company Cityzen Sciences was demonstrated with a team of basketball players.



It is made from a special fabric woven with sensors which record a wearer's heart rate, GPS location, route, speed and altitude.

The shirt is made from a Smart Sensing fabric woven with integral micro-sensors which send information to a small detachable transmitter on the back of the shirt. This in turn sends transmissions to a smartphone via Bluetooth.

Transmissions can only be made up to 10 metres away from the phone, so if it is left at home the data will sync when the runner returns. If the runner or their personal trainer takes the phone with them, it means they can monitor the run in real-time.



In its model car at Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm demonstrated a touchscreen display that can link with a mobile phone and mirror whatever is on the phone's screen, pictured

The Qualcomm car also has its own interface that shows the speed and rev counter, can be used to control in-car entertainment and will reveal any problems with the car. For example, clicking the diagnostics button will show the pressure of each tyre as well as how that compares to the recommended Psi for that car

The phone can store and analyse data from the fabric, showing the person’s route and how fast they are going. The app provides a summary at the end of each session, showing your route, time, speed, heart rate and number of calories burned.

It means you can record your progress during the run and view a summary of your performance on your return.

It allows a friend or personal trainer to monitor you at a distance during a workout - a feature which may be attractive to marathon runners.



Elsewhere in the sports area, Deutsche Telekom unveiled its plans for a Smart Stadium. The system takes information from all parts of a stadium, using seat sensors and cameras for example, to recognise trouble spots.



Elsewehre in the sports arena, Deutsche Telekom unveiled plans for a Smart Stadium. It takes information from seat sensors and cameras to recognise trouble spots. These plans follow last week's announcement that EE has partnered with Wembley Stadium, pictured, to give fans event details, stadium and travel information

This information can be used to manage traffic flow in and out of the stadium, and reduce the amount of time people have to wait to get a drink or food during breaks.



Fans can additionally use an app to get detailed information about the game or to find out about the current traffic situation around the stadium. Deutsche Telekom claimed the system can reduce energy costs by 10 percent.



These plans for a smart stadium follow last week's announcement that EE has partnered with Wembley Stadium to make the London venue 'fully connected.'

