The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, being the globe’s largest trade show for wireless technology, attracts numerous manufacturers who showcase their most recent devices and innovations.

This year’s exhibits aim to impress attendees with their ultra-realistic humanoid robots, color-shifting smartphones, intelligent contact lenses, and much more.

'Ambient audio' in phone conversations

Mobile equipment builder Nokia and operator Vodafone say their "3D spatial sound" will offer users "truly immersive audio" on phone calls, with the person on the line sounding as if they are in the same room.

While present call systems utilize just one audio channel to convey voices, the advanced system enables sounds to appear as though they are originating from various directions.

Referred to as "Immersive Video and Audio Services" (IVAS), this technology necessitates smartphones equipped with dual microphones.

This, coupled with the requirement for a speedy 5G network, suggests that it might be several years before the majority of users have access to this technology.

High-fidelity robot

Dressed in a black gown, a red jacket, and with long brown hair, the ultra-realistic humanoid robot Amira is showcased by the Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat.

Although Amira replicates human characteristics with great accuracy, her movements still appear noticeably sluggish and disjointed.

Elliott White from Engineered Arts, one of the roboticist developers, mentioned that the machine can be linked to any generative AI "large language model," enabling communication with individuals.

Remote driving

At MWC, numerous connected vehicles could be seen throughout the exhibition area; however, attendees had the opportunity to remotely operate a car located 3,000 kilometers away in Finland at the booth run by event organizer GSMA.

The configuration — featuring just a steering wheel and several displays — was developed by Elmo, an Estonian company. They have equipped the vehicles with bespoke controllers along with multiple cameras, working together with Nokia.

Chameleonic smartphone

A Chinese company called Realme has created a smartphone whose color alters based on the external temperature.

The 14 Pro series has a body designed to resemble a seashell, adorned with thermochromic pigments that change color to blue at temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius (61°F) and turn white as the temperature rises.

The company behind the smartphone acknowledges that this merely ornamental feature won't be relevant for long.

"Due to regular usage, the feature that changes color based on temperature sensitivity will eventually become less effective," according to Realme.

Smart contact lenses

The Dubai-based start-up Xpanceo plans to integrate advanced functionalities such as an "extended reality" screen, health tracking, and wireless power reception into a bendable contact lens.

Models standing at their booth demonstrate proof-of-concept examples for every feature that co-founder Roman Axelrod claims they aim to incorporate into one single prototype device "by the end of 2026."

For now the devices are relatively clunky, with a large metal coil needed to receive the wireless power to light up a single pixel on one demonstration lens.

Axelrod mentioned that those components would be made smaller with the use of "two-dimensional materials... just one atom thick."

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Solar-powered laptop

Chinese PC builder Lenovo has built solar panels into the lid of its Yoga Solar laptop to extend battery life.

Lenovo claims that its 84 solar cells can supply power to the device even without being directly exposed to sunlight.

The laptops will include a power management system designed to determine when the solar panel should be utilized.

Lenovo stated that this innovation enables the solar panel to capture sufficient direct sunlight within 20 minutes, which can then be used to support up to one hour of video playback on a PC.

"Cat Eye" for detecting cataracts

Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica has teamed up with start-up Edgemgria Innovacion to develop their "Cat Eye" tool.

Individuals can perform an eye examination on their own to assess whether they have a cataract severe enough to necessitate surgery.

An image of each eye taken with a basic photograph is processed using an AI-driven system for disease detection.

This indicates that physicians can "assign specific duties to their staff so they can step in at appropriate moments, thereby optimizing their time usage," according to Telefonica.