Five from Finland
The Dudesons discover #MWC18
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) this week, Finnish stunt group The Dudesons were on hand to bewilder audiences with their antics – and were left pretty gobsmacked themselves by the wonders of Finnish tech.
Roughly 100 000 visitors roamed the endless halls of Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition complex at MWC, most of them seasoned veterans who can explain the difference between a LPWAN and a regular WLAN with ease.
In the midst of all this seasoned tech talk, there were also some rookies to be found. The hosts of the Finland Pavilion, The Dudesons, are known for doing things that others would not try. Yet for all of their much publicised ground-breaking, they had never actually attended the event before.
As the dudes clearly have a soft spot for tech, we decided to sit down with HP, Jarppi andJarno to find out what caught the attention of the fearless trio at their first MWC.
- Finnish tech SMEs are really something
The Dudesons are not shy to brag about their home country. Leading up to the event, they immersed themselves in the background of the Finnish companies in attendance. At the Finland Pavilion, they hosted daily pitching sessions, keynotes and evening programmes, following closely what the companies have to say. The experience was enlightening.
“It has been eye-opening and exciting to see that so much cool stuff is coming from Finland,” HP says.
“These companies have an enormous amount of technology knowhow,” Jarppi comments. “It is truly impressive.”
- Homes getting smart
MWC’s slogan of Creating a Better Future had a homely tone for The Dudesons. The smart home market of intelligent household appliances and related solutions is expected to grow significantly in the years to come, with Finnish companies front and centre with their innovative offering.
“I was trying to check out where we are with smart homes as of now and how they will look like in the future and help you with your everyday life,” says HP. “Like any homeowner, I am interested in stuff like this.”
- Wearables beyond humans
At the event, Finnish company Anaxeos showcased a wearable IoT device. “What’s so good about that?” you may ask. Well, this one is for man’s best friend.
The Dudesons were not the only ones impressed by the smart vest, as the dog-friendly solution became an immediate hit at the Finland Pavilion, gaining worldwide press coverage.
“Over 20 per cent of European households have a dog,” Jarppi says. “Yet, no one thought about the potential for such a device, until a Finnish guy came up with the idea.”
- Artificial Intelligence
These days, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is understandably one of the major buzzes in the tech industry. Even though the exact definition of AI is still somewhat vague, the forecasts for machine-lead intelligence did not go unnoticed by the Finnish stunt group.
“For me, AI is certainly one of the most fascinating things here,” says Jarppi.
According to The Dudesons, they have previous experience with conversational AI tech, such as Amazon’s Alexa. Consequently, the group has evident curiosity for potential use cases of voice control and AI.
“In my daily life, I spend a lot of time driving,” says HP. “An intelligent voice control that fits with cars and works seamlessly would be of great help.”
- The transformation
Even if you have only a passive relationship with tech, the term ‘digital transformation’ has probably caught your attention. The invasion of digital technologies on all layers of human action is transforming our societies, without any slowdown in sight.
The Dudesons did notice this.
“The pace is outstanding with new tech,” comments Jarno. “Finland should definitely try to be a forerunner in this development by ensuring an environment that enables and supports new innovations.”