CES returned to Las Vegas as a hybrid, live and online, tradeshow and welcomed over 40,000 visitors, including 1800 media representatives from around the world, with 11 indoor and outdoor venues. The show was a truly global event, with 30% of visitors traveling from outside the U.S. and representing 119 countries.
FroXx attended CES on January 5-7 2022.
Now, when jetlag was overcome, energy was fulfilled we can talk to the representatives of FroXx at CES Nicolas Lycas, Head of Business Development, and Vasile Nedelcu, Chief Technologist and discuss CES, market and trends.
What technology or solution did FroXx represent at CES?
Vasile Nedelcu: At CES 2022, FroXx presented two solution:
The first solution, a WebRTC-based solution. The application is designed to help and support Field Technicians which might need remote support from Experts, while they are executing their tasks of installing or maintaining equipment and they are facing an unexpected issue or they encounter an equipment not familiar to them
The second solution, based on XR (eXtended Reality). The application is designed to support Field Technician with installation and maintenance of IT and Telecom equipment in data centers or at telecom network sites
Who is the target audience and what is the target market of FroXx?
Nicolas LYCAS: As Vasile mentioned, we are currently working intensively on solutions using technologies such as Extended Reality and Blockchain in use cases specifically designed for IT infrastructure and telecommunication companies, and our audience also expands to other industrial sectors transforming into Industry 4.0 such as automotive, utilities and services.
What is the competitive advantage of FroXx in the XR technology market?
Vasile Nedelcu: FroXx XR application is available for Microsoft HoloLens 2 devices and uses different cloud services to support users in succeeding with their tasks and goals and to support companies achieving their proposed key success factors.
It is an intuitive first-time-right solution for Field Technicians in data centers and telecom networks sites and facilitates real-time access to data and insights, allowing smarter and faster decisions for organizations, creating value, efficiency, and profitability.
How optimistic are your forecasts for the targeted market?
Nicolas LYCAS: Industry 4.0 technologies are used to optimize all aspects of businesses. We know how the challenges of most companies lie in their ability to adapt quickly to these emerging technologies, such as XR, smart devices and blockchain. We are very confident that our recent partnerships and projects currently in development are going to have a positive impact on our activity and increase awareness on the efficiency we deliver to our customers.
What are the trends of Industry 4.0 in 2022?
Vasile Nedelcu: There are several interesting trends on Industry 4.0 in 2022, though, perhaps the most interesting for FroXx are the following:
ESG and supply chain disruptions will bring Industry 4.0 to the forefront. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) will be the most important theme impacting businesses over the next decade. In 2022, platforms for analyzing a company’s environmental impact across its supply chain will become more readily available and easier to integrate into existing systems. Supply chain applications, especially those which are Blockchain-based, which will help rebuild trust, especially in the aftermaths of the 2021 supply chain disruption.
Digital twins will become more complex and effective. Digital twins digest data and use it to create representations of either a specific part of an organization or the organization itself. They can apply to any system: a car, a home, a factory, a power grid, a telecom network, or a city. Digital twins enable the user to understand an asset’s condition, run simulations and scenarios, and provide a digital snapshot for future maintenance.
Intelligent edge will become mainstream as a primary accelerator for communication, especially for IoT devices. Edge computing will begin to transform the Internet of Things (IoT) in 2022. What makes it intelligent is that all data analytics functions are shifted to the edge of the network and closer to the source of data generation. This reduces latency, which will help to increase uptake of Industry 4.0 technologies that require a near real-time response. Intelligent edge will also improve data security since data is not transported across several networks.
In what direction are the Industry 4.0 and FroXx in particular developing?
Vasile Nedelcu: FroXx, still a young company, tries to help customers in their journey towards Industry 4.0. We have solutions which address some aspects of the major theme of Industry 4.0 mentioned earlier.
For example, we are currently developing a Blockchain-based solution for Inspection Management, a process that is part of Supply Chain. The solution is designed to offer a trusted and secure way to validate the correctness of goods received and as an input when integrated with the payment process.
FroXx solutions for Remote Assistance Support, using WebRTC technology, as well as Holo Services, which is based on eXtended Reality and related technologies and devices, address in part both the Digital Twins and the growing importance of Intelligent Edge. With these two solutions, FroXx support its customers personnel (especially Field Technicians in Data Centers and Telecom Networks sites) to execute their activities and tasks and to achieve a higher First-Time-Right ratio. Another benefit for FroXx’s cusomter is that both applications facilitate real-time access to data and insights, allowing smarter and faster decisions for organizations, creating value, efficiency, and profitability.
What are your impressions of CES?
Vasile Nedelcu: All-in-all it was an interesting show, even though it was difficult in the current pandemic conditions. We know that several big companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, to name just a few, announced just the week before start of the show that their presence will not be physical anymore, but they had only virtual presence and only for few presentation sessions. We have seen some interesting trends and new products, especially in the IoT space.
Nicolas LYCAS: The American market is a great source of inspiration for us in Europe, and meeting IT professionals from the US and the whole world is always insightful, especially after months of online events and meetings! The show was a great experience for us, especially thanks to the international dimension of the visitors and exhibitors, and the new ideas and trends we can capture.
Was the fallout of the pandemic felt at CES?
Nicolas LYCAS: As Vasile said, very large companies have decided shortly before the opening of this edition to attend the event virtually, which is a position we understand. For smaller companies such as FroXx, it remains a great opportunity to share discussions and present our solutions to visitors who are always curious to learn more about the technologies we work with.
What surprised you personally from the exhibition, what technologies attracted your attention the most?
Vasile Nedelcu: The big number of startups that participated and maybe the BMW car which was changing the colors. I didn’t meet Ameca (the humanoid robot that can make a range of human-like facial expressions) and therefore I cannot put Ameca on my list.
Nicolas LYCAS: Indeed, BMW had a particularly impressive car! What probably struck me the most was how many companies focus now on blockchain technology to improve business processes. This is very exciting as we are ourselves developing a solution offering better user experience for inspection and inventory management. It is great to notice we are aligned with the current trend.
Have you already started preparing for other exhibitions? If yes, for which ones?
Nicolas LYCAS: Yes, we are currently preparing ourselves for our next big event, perhaps the most important one of the year in our activity, which is the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We are looking forward to present demos of our solutions to telecommunication carriers and CSPs.
Good luck with WMC and thank you for your time.
Contact Information:
Nicky Babayeva, Head of MarCom and Art Director
Potsdam, Germany
+90 554 6899300
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