Drones, 'rugged' phones and VR calligraphy glasses at Mobile World Congress

On Monday the world’s largest tech fair, Mobile World Congress (MWC), kicked off in Barcelona. 

More than 100,000 attendees are expected to fill the halls of the Fira de Gran Via during the four days of the congress.  

MWC is an international event that prides itself on welcoming people from 200 countries around the globe.  

One of the countries with the strongest presence at this year’s fair is China, with more than 300 companies, or over 10% of all companies, attending.

Two-seater drone

Tech enthusiasts and industry professionals attending the MWC are used to seeing new trends and technologies - just last year Alef Aeronautics unveiled its prototype of a flying car.
But this year, the Chinese car company Xpeng, took it a step further, showcasing what looks like a flying car but is actually a drone big enough to carry two people.

With futuristic, metallic colors and design, two sets of twin propellers, and doors that open upward, the invention looks like a bird from a sci-fi movie, although it is not yet fully capable of migrating as traditional birds are known to do, as it can only fly for twenty-five minutes at the moment.

But once inside, the surprisingly comfortable seats invite you to lean back and enjoy the view from above or look at the control panel that can be connected through Wi-Fi and controlled from the ground.

Phones for “rugged” situations

If flying away in your two-seater drone isn’t enough, in another pavilion, the Chinese phone manufacturer Ulefone offers its latest phones that can withstand even the harshest of situations and climates, in its “rugged” collection.

Weighing in at around 500 grams, these phones can be submerged for an extended period of time, withstand extreme cold and heat, and feature an AI-powered thermal camera and night vision.

Although primarily aimed at outdoor people, a staffer at the stand told Catalan News that some customers have bought the company’s rugged phones for their survival kit in case of an apocalypse.    

Calligraphy glasses

Another big hit at this year’s MWC is smart glasses. From virtual and augmented reality glasses to smart glasses for mountain biking enthusiasts, glasses that do more than just help people see clearly can be found around the fair.

One particularly interesting pair is on display at the stand of the Japanese tech company NTT docomo.

The square-shaped black glasses are integrated with speech and a screen that shows you how to do a task. During the MWC, attendees can practice writing Japanese calligraphy while wearing the glasses.

An NTT docomo staffer told Catalan News that a calligraphy session is not the end goal of the smart glasses, but that they are meant to be used as a training device for different groups of people, such as the elderly, although the final model is still being polished.

Regardless of what tech enthusiasts are interested in, it is clear that the trade show is a hotspot for new and creative ideas.

This year’s edition of the Mobile World Congress takes place from March 3 to March 6.