10 curious pieces from South Korea that we will not meet with

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Any trip to Asia, the Far East is like a trip to another planet: a different culture,

cuisine, customs and local attractions. Everything is fundamentally different from what we are used to seeing at home. Since we have a website about technology, I would like to talk about those devices or things that impressed me on my trip to South Korea. I first visited this country 10 years ago and in 2009 several things caused a real cultural shock: for example, in the hotel’s elevator a weather report broadcasting over the Internet was broadcast over the mirror. You won’t surprise anyone today - we all have such a weather forecast in our smartphone, but in 2009 it looked like a shocking technological innovation for such an ordinary technique as an elevator. For 10 years, there has been a real breakthrough in the same technique for a smart home. Today, South Korea is a great example of a country that has transformed from a poor third world country into one of the most advanced and technological countries in the world over several decades (just remember that they already have a 5th generation mobile network).

Dispenser with breath freshener

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I photographed this thing at LG headquartersElectronics, occupying two skyscraper towers in Seoul. Typically, in offices there are such water dispensers (in the office of the Magnet media holding, of which gg also have one, for example). But this dispenser is in the toilet and allows employees to not only wash their hands, but also to freshen their breath by using a beaker with mouthwash. In this case, this is not a matter of technology, but a matter of culture.

Stationary Blood Pressure Monitor

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Generally portable tonometers measuringpressure, you won’t surprise anyone today - they are sold in any pharmacy. I, too, am a user of one of them. But they are still not very comfortable - all these cuffs create discomfort and sometimes squeeze the hand too much. I don’t know what this stationary device is doing at LG head office (our mission did not include getting to know him and the goals were different), but it works in a completely different way, gently squeezing the hand without any discomfort. That is, not by the principle of “squeeze as much as possible and then make a measurement”, but rather, gently squeeze until the result is obtained. The lack of inscriptions in English did not stop me from using it - the device has one single button, and clear numbers are displayed.

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Smart toilet lid

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This Asian love of warm toilet seats withelectronic control (a bidet is mounted directly in the toilet) plunges the "civilized" Europeans into a cultural shock. But one cannot but admit that it is convenient and hygienic (in general, in Asia everyone is very concerned about hygiene and cleanliness - hence all these air and water purifiers produced on an industrial scale). Ten years ago, I was so impressed that I shot a separate video about this cover. And today, Xiaomi already releases such things and generally can be ordered on Aliexpress.

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Portable air purifier

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I already talked about this device in the materialabout a smart home, but it’s not a sin to remember it again. It can be used, for example, in a car (by the way, we have excellent material about modern automotive gadgets, and there is not one such interesting stuccion). Parents of young children are particularly concerned about such cleaners, who rightly believe that clean air ultimately affects health and longevity. So if you wish, you can order a similar device on Ali even now.

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Steam cabinet

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Another new and interesting class of householdtechnology that will sooner or later appear in our homes. This is a steam wardrobe that can clean clothes with steam, disinfect them and eliminate odors. Older models are equipped with a module for pointing arrows on trousers. After drying in such a cabinet, the clothes do not need to be ironed, so the benefits of such a device in the house can hardly be overestimated.

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Face Gadgets

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Another new gadget class for us, whichthere is not even an established name yet. Perhaps in the near future we will call them (by analogy with diapers and copiers) the names of brands that will be the first to enter our market and become mass. It is difficult for me to evaluate how such a device for $ 150-200 is capable of fulfilling the tasks of maintaining beauty, but in South Korea this is already a mass product sold in stores (at the Seoul airport, for example, there were also). Citrus is trying to sell such devices in our country, but they (both devices and Citrus) obviously lack mass advertising and promotion. Here we need the marketing budgets of manufacturers of similar equipment.

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Pneumatic gun to clean the feet of sand on the beach

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I shot this unusual station next to the publicthe beach of Busan (luxurious, by the way, the beach - you will still see his photo in the future longride with dozens of shots from South Korea). These are pneumatic guns that clean sand from the feet with compressed air. In practice, this is much more convenient than washing your feet with water after the beach under the tap. They work for free, but not around the clock, but only during the day (from 9 to 18, if I understood the Korean inscription correctly).

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Airport Guide Robot

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This is the same LG CLOi robot (pronouncedlike "fleas") operating at Seoul Incheon International Airport. Unfortunately, when I found him at the airport and took a picture, he was charging and was not available for work. It would be extremely interesting to look at his opportunities for informational assistance to travelers at the airport (although there is a non-zero chance that he communicates exclusively in Korean). But this robot has already gone beyond the scope of research laboratories and for South Korea it is already part of the present, not future life.

5G smartphone

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While we are just starting to use 4G,South Korea has already launched a 5G network, and you can buy a 5G smartphone. This LG V50 ThinQ model is also interesting in that it has a case with a second screen, which already offers Koreans today the user experience of a smartphone with a folding display, which Samsung and Huawei will not release. In general, LG has its own development of such displays (and the company is already going to mass-produce TVs with a roll-up screen), but the company believes that the technology is not yet ready for mass production. But it offers such a solution to the same problem - the second screen can separately show the video in its window or serve as a touchpad for games. Or just give the user the ability to work with two applications in two windows.

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Refrigerator of the future

I already talked about this fantastic refrigerator of the future in one of the previous materials. But he is so impressive that it is not a sin to remind him again.

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In short, this is a model with a huge transparent screenin a separate door located on the right wing of the refrigerator. This display acts as a tablet and runs on Android. You can leave notes for your household, give the name and shelf life to the products placed in the refrigerator. And inside there are cameras that allow you to remotely check the contents of the refrigerator right before shopping at the store.

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To the delight of all the geeks, you can even update the firmware via Wi-Fi in it!

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In the dry residue

South Korea is at the forefront todaytechnological progress, somewhere very close to Japan. Compared to our country, it is a different planet, and not only because there people speak a different language and eat different food. All this electronics is already sold in stores and is as much a part of Koreans' life as smartphones or cars. All these benefits of progress are already being enjoyed by the inhabitants of this amazing country. And I want to believe that technological progress will get to us faster.