Large Taiwanese presence at CES

ROYAL DELEGATION: The nation’s first official delegation to the important electronics show is to be one of the three biggest and is to meet with the Dutch and French groups

By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter





Thirty-two Taiwanese start-ups plan to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month and the nation’s booth at the trade exhibition is to be the third-largest after those of France and the Netherlands, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) told a news conference in Taipei on Tuesday.

The CES, which is to take place from Jan. 9 to Jan. 12, is the world’s biggest annual consumer electronics show, where technology giants and start-ups demonstrate their cutting-edge developments, Chen said, adding that this is the first time the ministry has convened a delegation to join the show.

The start-up teams are to present technologies that connect to five trends: artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, “smart” wearables, “smart” biotechnology and medicine applications, and virtual reality and augmented reality applications, he said.

A woman dressed in a suit with digital sensors yesterday dances with a computer animation in the background at the opening ceremony of the Future Tech exhibition in Taipei organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Taipei Computer Association. Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times

Ministry officials are to host a “Taiwan night” networking event with foreign guests, including delegates from the Royal House of the Netherlands and the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hsu Yu-chin (許有進) said.

The ministry expects a commercial value of about NT$300 million (US$10.1 million) from the teams’ participation in the convention, Hsu added.

Robotelf Technologies Co has been awarded the Robotics and Drones Innovation Award for its home security robot.

Equipped with face recognition and “big data” collection technology, the robot can enhance long-term care services, children’s education and security monitoring, and analyze consumer behavior, the company’s overseas sales representative David Luo (駱威郡) said while demonstrating a beta version on Tuesday.

The robot costs about NT$20,000, less than similar models, which sell for NT$40,000 to NT$100,000 or more, Luo said.

The company is refining its robotics and autonomous systems while expanding its applications, he added.

In related news, a three-day “Future Tech” exhibition organized by the ministry and the Taipei Computer Association opened yesterday and is to run through tomorrow at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 3.

The show features 109 new technologies related to “smart” applications, biotechnology, medicine, electronics and chemical engineering, the ministry said.