SK Telecom (CEO Yoo Young-sang) captured the world’s attention with a realistic K-UAM (Korean Urban Air Transportation) virtual experience program at the world’s largest IT and home appliance exhibition ‘International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023’.
At this CES, where interest in eco-friendly mobility increased, SKT drew attention by implementing a future city with an environmentally clean and safe urban air transportation system in a virtual space.
The virtual experience simulator in the form of a UAM aircraft installed in the SK exhibition hall was popular as an experience space where visitors constantly visit the Central Hall, the core of the CES 2023 venue (Las Vegas Convention Center).
When visitors climb into the seats of a life-size electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft carrying four passengers and wear VR headsets, the scenery of Busan in the future in 2030 unfolds before their eyes. While taking off from Busan Station and flying to Dongbaek Island, you can check your work schedule and meeting materials, book transfers according to the guidance of artificial intelligence, and listen to music suitable for your trip.
At this CES, SKT participated in an exhibition hall decorated with the theme of Net Zero by 8 SK Group companies. Suggested a plan to reduce greenhouse gases through eco-friendly technology linked to UAM, AI semiconductor ‘SAPEON’, and a virtual power plant* for renewable energy. Operational efficiency can be improved by using Sapion semiconductors for UAM aircraft operation, and power demand of vertiports, take-off and landing sites, can be predicted through virtual power plant technology.
Visitors paid attention to SKT’s independent technology leading the commercialization of Korean UAM, and also showed great interest in the progress of collaboration between SKT and Joby Aviation, a global leader in UAM.
SKT said, “Like the future presented at CES, SKT and its excellent partners will gather their capabilities to lead the global UAM technology competition and integrate various ICT technologies to build a UAM ecosystem that can be proud of to the world.”