On the 7th (local time), the world’s largest IT exhibition 'CES 2025' is being held at the Venetian Expo Eureka Park in Las Vegas, USA. Here, the world’s startup arena, Korea's 'water tech' has garnered attention. At the 'K-water' booth, 19 domestic startups collaborating with Korea Water Resources Corporation showcased various water technologies, attracting the interest of attendees. Brian Komiskey, senior director and futurist of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), noted that this is a leading example showing that innovative technology can solve global issues such as water pollution and water scarcity, adding that water tech is also gaining spotlight as future technology beyond the AI institutional sector.

A booth that particularly caught attention was from the ultrasound equipment startup 'FirstLab,' which won the CES 2025 innovation award. FirstLab developed technology that focuses ultrasound at the center like a roll of toilet paper, offering a solution to decompose toxic substances without absorbents or additives. This technology is also being recognized in the water industry, as well as in pharmaceuticals and chemicals. European pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is currently collaborating with FirstLab on a pharmaceutical waste disposal project. Hwang Bo-seonae, vice president of FirstLab, said, 'Global corporations have shown interest in the technology that can extract specific components with ultrasound without secondary contamination,' adding that they are actively seeking overseas expansion through CES.

Hwang Bo Seon-ae, the Vice President of First Lab, explains the proprietary ultrasound focusing technology at the booth in Eureka Park, Las Vegas, where CES 2025 is held on Jul. 7 (local time). The right photo shows how First Lab's ultrasound technology works in equipment, decomposing toxic substances without absorbents. /Las Vegas=Reporter Choi Ji-hee

Visitors flocked to Korean startup 'Thoth,' which swept four innovation awards with AI robot technology. Thoth has technology allowing robots to automatically program by learning from operator demonstrations. This is a technology that is also a focus for NVIDIA and Google. Among them, Thoth’s AI robot is specialized in dismantling waste batteries. Existing factory robots can only assemble or disassemble if standardized parts are accurately placed, but Thoth’s robot can recognize and operate even crumpled waste batteries. Lee Sang-hyung, CEO of Thoth, stated, 'The waste battery industry has high growth potential, so we decided to introduce AI robots in this field,' adding that they are currently supplying products to cell manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, and local governments.

Lee Sang-hyung, the representative of Tote, explains the product at the Tote booth in Eureka Park, Las Vegas, where CES 2025 is held on Jul. 7 (local time). /Las Vegas=Reporter Choi Ji-hee

Foot traffic did not cease at the domestic startup booth that focused solely on software technology without any products. Sleep technology startup 'ASleep' showcased its AI-based sleep analysis technology. It can detect breathing sounds even from a distance of 3 meters to analyze sleep status and accurately recognize sleep apnea. Bae Jae-hyun, director of ASleep, noted, 'Sleep technology is related to various industries such as beauty and construction.' This technology has been applied to smart home devices from Kyungdong Navien, Samsung Electronics, and Philips.

The 'GhostPass,' which received the top innovation award in the fintech institutional sector, also caught attention. GhostPass developed technology that stores biometric data such as fingerprints and faces on the user’s smartphone instead of a central server to perform authentication and payments simultaneously. For instance, at a restaurant kiosk, if a user inputs only their fingerprint, it matches with the stored fingerprint data on their smartphone, and once authentication is completed, it automatically connects to the payment. Lee Sun-gwan, CEO of GhostPass, said, 'There were about 10 years of trial and error before perfecting the technology,' adding that he expects this technology to establish itself as a future payment method and is currently supplying it to large franchise smart retail and NICE Information Communication.

Lee Seon-gwan, the representative of Ghost Pass, explains the technology at Eureka Park, Las Vegas, where CES 2025 is held on Jul. 7 (local time). /Las Vegas=Reporter Choi Ji-hee

The number of Korean startups and institutions participating in the CES 2025 Eureka Park exhibition was 625, accounting for the largest share among over 1,300 corporations. A CTA official stated, 'This year, a record 3,400 products were exhibited across 33 categories, and Korean startups led in innovation across various fields.' Richard Kelly, an IT expert who has attended CES for the 24th year, remarked, 'Every year, it is amazing to see the number of Korean companies in Eureka Park increase,' adding, 'In the past, most products were far from commercialization, but recently, the products showcased by Korean startups are highly refined, prompting dealers from around the world to come here seeking collaboration.'