Anchor: The latest in innovative technologies were showcased at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, known as CES. Among the highlights were Neon, the world’s first "artificial human," introduced by a Samsung-backed lab and South Korean automaker Hyundai's collaboration with Uber for future air taxis.
Kim Bum-soo has more on this eye-catching tech.

Report: 

[Sound bite: demonstration of Neon, Monica talking with presenter]
(Presenter: "Hi Monica. How are you? Are you human or what?")  
"Hi. I am Neon. I am an artificial human. I'm still learning about how humans talk, behave, move. I'm also learning new languages and expressions." 
(Presenter: "Are there any other Neons at CES?)  
"Yes, definitely!"  

Described as an ‘artificial human,' an avatar dubbed "Neon" created buzz at CES 2020 in Las Vegas.

Introduced by Samsung-backed Star Labs, six on-screen avatars demonstrated how they can have natural conversations with humans, imitating very realistic-looking detailed human facial expressions.

Pranav Mistry, head of the lab, says Neon, which runs on a neural network called Core R3, can show up on displays or video games as TV anchors, actors or even as friends according to their own pre-programmed characteristics.  

[Sound bite: Pranav Mistry - CEO of Star Labs] 
"So Core R3 can do what deep fakes and manipulation can do, for sure, like long before. If you want to manipulate something, we can manipulate. But Core R3 has a ten times more powerful algorithm that can not only manipulate but it can create something. That is what the focus of Neon is all about."  

[Sound bite: Hyundai promotional animation for Personal Air Vehicle(PAV) with Uber] 

Meanwhile, South Korean automaker Hyundai unveiled its vision for the future of mobility, announcing its collaboration with Uber for flying taxis. 

[Sound bite:  Jaiwon Shin - Head of Urban Air Mobility, Hyundai Motor Company(English)]
"I'm super excited to announce Hyundai's solution for this new era. I proudly present to you our first EV concept vehicle S-A1. It can carry up to four passengers with a pilot. And it's ideal for inner city travel, but can also serve rural residents."  
[Sound bite:  Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate] 
"The final version of the vehicle revealed here will be produced at automotive scale, and when deployed into our shared ecosystem, we expect it to achieve quiet, safe, reliable and efficient performance in markets all around the world."   

The air taxis can take off vertically and move as fast as up to 290 kilometers per hour for nearly 100 kilometers at a time, according to Hyundai. 

Only a conceptual animation was available at this year's CES but Hyundai and Uber want to launch air taxi services by 2023.

While innovative future technologies were previewed, global TV manufacturers also showcased their cutting-edge lineups for 8K in the years ahead. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.