It has already been nearly two years since COVID-19. Consequently, Daily life was restricted, and new normal of ‘contact-free’ and ‘social distancing’ emerged. However, 5G powerhouse Korea has become a leading nation in developing and adapting to these contact-less services. Contact-free services with digital technology applied to existing face-to-face-based services are becoming the New Normal. Indeed, the rapid contact-free transition caused by COVID-19 has become a major issue around the world. And it is Korea that is attracting attention as a country that will lead this trend change.
Korea a 5G Powerhouse
To implement leading contact-free technologies and services, 5G networks are needed. South Korea is the world’s first to commercialize 5G. Therefore the title of 5G powerhouse Korea is well deserved. It is currently developing technologies to preoccupy global leadership in the 6G field beyond 5G. With this background, Korea is a country with great potential for revitalizing the contact-free economy and leading the market.
Deloitte is one of the world’s top four accounting firms. It classified the contact-free economy as “consumption within the house” for contact-free lifestyle services. This includes e-commerce consumption behavior, product delivery, or telemedicine. Furthermore, the scale of “consumption within the house” in the Asia-Pacific region was worth $1.2 trillion in 2019. By 2025, it is expected to grow to $3 trillion.
Korea’s Contact-free market
Last year, Korea’s contact-free market was worth 199.6791 trillion won. It is expected to grow 13.5% annually by 2023, reaching 291.9302 trillion won. In its endeavors to proactively respond to the contact-free transformation, the Korean government is focusing on discovering contact-free services close to daily life. For example, healthcare, education, business, living consumption, entertainment, logistics and distribution, information and security, and transportation, and enhancing global competitiveness. The institutions that take the lead in this role are the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency.
Among them, the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (hereinafter referred to as NIPA) is discovering and fostering contact-free services with digital technology applied to face-to-face services through the “Contact-free Service Activation Project for Daily Life” project and supporting them to entering the global market. This year, NIPA supported demonstrations, pilot applications, testing, and commercialization of seven technologies and services, including Contact-free Evaluation, Safe Touch, which is responsive to infectious diseases, Smart Mental Care, Infectious Disease Response Robots, Advanced Lifestyle Platform Services, Leisure and Home Fitness Platforms, and Last Mile Robot Delivery.
Contact-free technology startups
Furthermore, five innovative contact-free technologies and service ideas owned by startups were discovered. They were also advanced and commercialized through cooperation with demanding organizations. Innovative contact-free services discovered in this way include “Realistic Content Experience Platform,” “Customized VR Rehabilitation Program,” “Traffic Accident PTSD VR Digital Treatment Device,” “Integrated Foreign Currency Management System combined with AI Voice Recognition Robots,” and “Artificial Intelligence Art Education Platform.”
These 12 contact-free services were introduced at “InnoFesta 2021” held by NIPA at KINTEX Exhibition Hall in Ilsan on November 25th, drawing a great response from visitors. The following is an introduction to contact-free services in 12 lifestyle fields that will lead the global contact-free service market.
The Intelligent Contact-Free Evaluation System
The “Intelligent Contact-Free Evaluation System” has been developed by Wissensbaum Co., Ltd. It is a technology to compensate for problems that may occur during contact-free evaluation. For example, proxy tests and cheating. Patents were filed as Methods, devices and or programs to prevent cheating in contact-free evaluations.
Safe Touch Display for Contact-Free Devices
MARKETON Co., Ltd’s “Safe Touch Display for Contact-Free Devices” was developed as a non-contact safe touch technology. It applies elevator buttons with state-of-the-art hologram technology to suppress virus infection as much as possible in elevators.
Biological Signal-based Smart Mental Care Service
NCOM Co., Ltd conducted the demonstration project. This demonstration was of a contact-free service using ‘Biological Signal-based Contact-Free VR Content’. It is a community-Hospital Integrated Management Smart Mental Care Service developed as a monitoring system to effectively evaluate changes in depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life. All these are major indicators of mental health in the community.
Isolation Facility Goods Transfer Service
Furthermore, SEA INFOTEC Co., Ltd. built an Isolation Facility Goods Transfer Service Using Artificial Intelligence-Based Self-Driving Robots. This Project was conducted so that goods can be safely delivered and received by employing a designated fingerprint authentication method and was positively evaluated for its strengthened security and safety.
Virtual Convergence Model House Advancement and CAVE System
Rayzone Co., Ltd. has developed the Virtual Convergence Model House Advancement and CAVE System. It supports contact-free lifestyle counseling by implementing the functions of offline model houses as an online platform. Furthermore, it can also implement O2O (Online to Offline) proptech services.
Contact-free 1:1 two-way content sharing using augmented reality (AR) technology
SAMG Entertainment Co., Ltd. conducted the ‘Kids Home Training Platform Using Global Popular Character IP’. It was a client program (application). Its use, contact-free 1:1 two-way content sharing using augmented reality (AR) technology that combines next-generation deep learning.
Serving Robot-based Smart Restaurant Service
Kosturn Co., Ltd. introduced the “Serving Robot-based Smart Restaurant Service”. It is a system that serves food quickly and accurately by linking an automatic delivery system that delivers cooked food by connecting additional electronic tablets for ordering to the existing POS.
Drive-Thru Content Experience Platform
In addition, The 4th Wave Co., Ltd. developed and commercialized the “Drive-Thru Content Experience Platform”. It is a theater system that lets users experience realistic content in conjunction with simulator motion in the contact-free era.
VR Customized Rehabilitation Program for Cerebral Palsy
PNPMedia Co., Ltd. developed a “VR Customized Rehabilitation Program for Patients with Cerebral Palsy” that applied task-oriented training to double the treatment effect of pediatric cerebral palsy patients.
Contact-Free PTSD Treatment
Mega Works Co., Ltd. is a virtual reality content-based treatment program. It has developed a “VR Provision System for Treating PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) caused by Traffic Accidents,” a self-care lifestyle service using VR digital treatment devices.
Integrated Foreign Currency Management System
Finally, OODDY Co., Ltd. developed an “Integrated Foreign Currency Management System combined with Autonomous AI Voice Recognition Robots” that provides one-stop foreign currency/travel management services as a system for providing contact-free financial service benefits for domestic and overseas travelers.
Music Plus
Emotionwave Co., Ltd. introduced “Music Plus, Ultra-Connected 5G Life-Close Artificial Intelligence Arts Education Platform” that allows users to easily and conveniently experience realistic singing, performance, ensemble, music education and evaluation in their daily lives.
