Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) will select 80 local startup teams for them to present their innovations at Eureka Park, a global stage for innovation, CES 2020 to take place in Las Vegas, the US, during January 7-10, according to industry sources.The selected startup teams will showcase their innovations at Taiwan's national pavilion at Eureka Park, the sources said.MOST picked 32 and 44 Taiwan-based startup teams to participate in Eureka Park CES 2018 and 2019 respectively and eight of the 44 teams in 2019 won Innovation Awards, with the number of teams ranking second among all participating countries next only to France, the sources noted.Viewing that participation in Eureka Park has substantially help Taiwan-based startup teams attract international venture capital investment, access international market and create international visibility, MOST has decided to enlarge the participation in 2020, the sources indicated.MOST will select startup teams developing innovative solutions in 10 areas including IoT, AI, blockchain, smart medical care, robotics, smart manufacturing and automotive application, the sources said. MOST will commission government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute to offer short-term training courses to prepare selected startup teams for making presentations and attending one-to-one business interviews at Eureka Park CES 2020, the sources noted.

Science minister Chen Liang-gee has been making a lot of efforts grooming Taiwan's startups, a clear example being his ministry's arrangement of a large delegation to Eureka Park at CES 2019. Taiwan has also been keen to promote its own edition of startup showcase, InnoVEX. Ahead of the annual event, which takes place in Taipei from May 29 to 31 this year, Chen talked about Taiwan's plans and visions for promoting its innovations and startup teams.The 4 elementsThere are four elements supporting entrepreneurships: Capital, talent, technology and market, according to Chen. Taiwan had seen a disruption in investments in startups since the dot-com bubble burst in 2000 and the migration of manufacturing operations to China - until recent years. Now more locally-groomed or overseas-educated talent is jumping onto the startup bandwagon, with government stepping up efforts to connect them with local and overseas accelerators.Chen described the accelerators as the "table top" sitting on the "four legs" - his metaphor for the relationships between the funding programs and the four entrepreneurship elements.He said the four elements need the accelerators to integrate them. The accelerators introduce technologies and industries which can inspire startup teams' innovations and connect them to the industries. Whether it is small fledging startups or more experienced enterprises looking for new opportunities and clients - they can rely on such help to wow the market with solutions that connect well with the ecosystem and meet what the market really needs.Entrepreneurship and ICT prowessChen said Taiwan has done it differently from the US and Europe in terms of grooming its entrepreneurs. In the US, some start setting up their businesses while still in high school. In Taiwan, starting a business may be more about fulfilling parents' expectations. That is why young people in Taiwan have received little training or education that steers them towards entrepreneurships. Despite that, now there have been a lot more young people in Taiwan founding their own businesses with support from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), receiving much attention and acclaims from many other countries, said Chen.He noted the strong ICT technology prowess that Taiwan has built up over the years remains the core competitiveness of the country when providing support for worldwide businesses. Taiwan has a population of only about 23 million - accounting for 0.36% of that of the global total - but it has still been able to build a strong and globally-renowned ICT supply chain that the world relies on heavily. The science minister is very confident about Taiwan's global competitiveness, enabled by talented people in diverse fields who are able use their knowledge in cross-domain applications.Exchange programsExchange programs with foreign institutions have allowed Taiwan researchers to see more of and connect with the rest of the world, such as the Stanford-Taiwan Biomedical Fellowship Program (STB) - which has entered its 10th year - and the Berkeley-Taiwan Biomedical Fellowship Program (BTB) - which has entered its second year. Chen likened these exchange scholars to "potential seeds" that can inject new energy into Taiwan when they return home.These seeds may grow into "big trees" by founding their own businesses, or become mentors of other startup teams. Chen said such interaction between different teams will enable creativity in multiple and diverse forms. He also noted that some programs have enabled one to three entrepreneurs to stay and learn in Silicon Valley for two to three months. But he said such exchange programs may be expanded to include 20 to 30 startup teams a year. These programs will let the startup teams get a quicker and clearer understanding of the resources and principles of entrepreneurships in other countries, and at the same time connect them to the innovative ideas of other communities.Hardware-software integrationTaiwan must think hard how it can integrate its hardware prowess with software in order to catapult its innovations and startup teams to higher levels in a new wave of digital transformation - an integration sought after by those embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and attempting to fulfill demand for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.Development of new products will have to cater to specific scenarios. The hardware-software integration must also provide multiple services and a link between those front-end services and devices. Chen cited Taiwan's precision machinery sector as an example. He said it is not the machines themselves that need to be upgraded; what is needed is that they have to come with multiple IoT sensors that connect and inspect each and every step of the procedure during the manufacturing process.He said the key to future development is not just the hardware - namely the machines, but also the software that managements the machines.In contrast to software development, hardware manufacturing and production capacity installation need much more capital investments. That's why many startups - usually short of funding - choose to focus on software development. Chen suggested the idea of "hardware accelerator." He said hardware alone may not create too much value, but if software development is based on extension from hardware, then the results would be more competitive.Attracting foreign startup teams and accelerators to TaiwanChen said the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) plans to incubate 100 startups a year, with half of them to be foreign teams. This is meant to let local teams come into more contact with international counterparts, investors and experiences.As to how Taiwan can attract foreign startups to come here instead of Silicon Valley or Europe, Chen said the key is let them have industry links and opportunities that they may not get in other countries. Their businesses will also be getting support from relevant government projects. That is to say, according to Chen, stationing in Taiwan will add to their competitiveness, which will naturally attract and keep them here.The minister said introducing foreign accelerators into Taiwan will also be important. But he said running an accelerator needs a lot of investments in capital, time and human resources. The government offers a lot of help to diversify business risks and to build up ecosystems. Taiwan will also set up locations and connections in other countries in a bid to bring foreign accelerators to Taiwan.Taiwan may be a small country with a small market, but Chen pointed out that Singapore is much smaller, and yet has been very active in the startup sector. He thinks Taiwan can work as a partner for startups from Singapore and other countries, facilitating the development of Taiwan's ICT applications and forming a more complete ecosystems enabled by international links and better technologies. He said France is also stepping up efforts grooming its startups, and Taiwan may send its startup teams to France, Israel, Boston, Singapore, and San Diego - places and countries that are known for their startup developments - for short-term exchange. Chen thinks such exchanges can inspire Taiwan startups' innovations.The 'national team' of startupsIn order to let the world see Taiwan's innovations, MOST set up a pavilion at VivaTech in France. The MOST-led delegation of 40 startup teams to Eureka Park at CES 2019 was also a huge success. It means that startups in Taiwan no longer need to fight alone; they will receive support from the government, which is keen to promote the nation's startup scene as a whole.Chen said Taiwan is well-known for its ICT manufacturing capabilities, but it is now time to shape a distinct image in the startup sector. He said it may be more efficient to work as a "national team," building a new image of Taiwan as a whole to attract investors and create opportunities for its startups.Cross-department effortsMOST focuses its resources on advancing the country's technology, which means it plays a leading role in helping other government units and academic researchers try out their ideas. For example, in 2017 MOST worked with the Council of Agriculture to develop smart agriculture. MOST integrate all necessary technologies and build up a agricultural park whose management the COA later took over. Chen said that's the role his ministry has been playing.MOST has also been working closely with academic researchers. The risk of failure is high for academic research teams to build up their startup businesses. But more investors now accept that only a minor few could grow into "big trees."AI and automationChen identifies three major directions for Taiwan's AI development in the next five to 10 years: voice database; information security; self-driving cars; and digital medical care.Chen noted that voice is still the fastest and most intuitive way of communication between people, and therefore AI-enabled technology for dialogue will be very important. MOST and various other institutions, such as Public Television Service (PTS) and National Education Radio, have been working together to build up a voice database.A total of almost 2,000 hours of Chinese voice data has been collected, with plans to expand to a database of 5,000 hours - presenting a significant collection of various languages and dialects that are used in Taiwan, Chen said. As for use of the database, Chen said big ICT firms may choose a relevant field where they can make use of the voice data and incorporate it into their chips. With the local database, Taiwan firms would not need to get licenses from Google or other international IT firms when putting their voice technologies into practice, Chen said.Many businesses have been keen on adopting new technologies to increase their values, solve problems, and cut costs. Chen noted that a lot of the conventional industrial sectors are introducing AI, big data analytics and predictive maintenance to enable their manufacturing. He thinks AI applications will see explosive growths in the next five to 10 years, particularly in the form smart manufacturing, such as using IoT technology, cloud-based control and robots. The smart medical care may grow more slowly because the laws will be stricter in order to protect human lives.AI chip development is key to Taiwan's future IT industry. The age of the Internet is one where the winner takes all. But the AI age of the future needs domain-focused applications that integrate software and hardware. And this is exactly where Taiwan stands a chance of giving birth to its own unicorn businesses. He cited a few examples where services are built on hardware: electric scooter vendor Gogoro; AI application provider Appier; and AR/VR-based shopping platform iStaging.Ambition: 3,000 startups a yearChen's ambition is to let Taiwan give birth to 300 new startups every year. Such a massive scene would create tremendous momentum for interaction and exchange of resources, technologies, talent and capital.Chen said he began promoting startups in 2007 when he was still at National Taiwan University, and since then he has seen a lot of changes to people's mentality - changes that are positive for entrepreneurships. Back then people were afraid of failures, but now more investors and enterprises accept the fact that it takes time for startups to grow. They also accept the idea that it is worth taking the chances as long as a certain proportion of the startups will succeed.Science minister Chen Liang-geePhoto: Michael Lee, Digitimes, May 2019

Featuring exhibits of innovations by startup companies from all over the world, Eureka Park was the most eye-catching exhibit area of CES 2019. Many of those companies were gathered inside national pavilions and their exhibits were flavored with a cultural touch, making the presentations dazzling and lively. However, behind the display of cultures was a competition in terms of capital, talent and technological strength.As opposed to other exhibit areas of CES 2019, where individual exhibitors set up their own booths to attract attention to their products or brands, Eureka Park hosted national pavilions with collections of exhibits by startups from respective countries. Visitors entering Eureka Park would be impressed by the sight of different pavilions with their own decorative themes - such as one with booths featuring red rooster emblems, one with orange-color display panels and carpeting, and another with consistently styled metal partitions, tables and chairs.Each of the participating countries was attempting to use a consistent image to make its exhibit area stand out from others, allowing potential buyers or partners to easily recognize them.Eureka Park is the fastest growing theme area of CES, encompassing a show space of 2.75 million square feet this year. Eureka Park was first launched at CES in 2012, hosting 94 exhibitors. The number grew to 600 in 2017, broke through the 1,000 mark in 2018 and exceeded 1,200 in 2019, representing more than a quarter of total CES exhibitors. Eureka Park was the most packed exhibit area of CES 2019.The startup teams from each country exhibiting at Eureka Park were organized by their respective government authorities in charge of high-tech development or commerce. Aside from helping their startup teams find capital and partners, they had additional agendas. For example, France looked to promote its business environment and bring in talent and technologies. The Netherlands placed emphasis on helping its businesses expand into the American market. Israel focused efforts on exporting its technologies and establishing trade relationships.Ramping up efforts at CES 2019, Japan and Korea are just beginning to foster their startups to compete on a global level. The Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) set up the Taiwan pavilion at CES in hopes of gaining international visibility by demonstrating Taiwan startups' technological strength.The collective exhibits presented by startups from all over the world made Eureka Park stand out. The organizers from different countries exerted all-out efforts in incorporating their cultural uniqueness to the exhibits, adding a touch of spirit and warmth to the high-tech displays. They also made good use of the exhibit locations and venue dynamics to plan their collective displays and marketing activities to their advantages.By adding touches of national images to individual startup exhibits, which were then mixed and reshaped to create a collective impression of each country's technological strength, the national pavilions at CES 2019 Eureka Park generated maximum benefits.The number of French startups comes close to that of American onesCompared to other European countries with a mature startup scene, France is more eager in fostering startup expansion into overseas markets. There were 316 French startups exhibiting at Eureka Park this year, trailing the US with 326 startups, making France the most represented foreign country at Eureka Park.Sitting to the left of the Eureka Park entrance was an area marked by red rooster signs where 160 French startups organized by Business France (BF) showcased their innovations. Among them, 120 came from nine different districts in France and 40 were handpicked by BF. Along with startups funded and assembled by large corporations such as La Poste, Engie and Valeo, a total of more than 300 French firms were present at Eureka Park.Visitors to the French Tech Pavilion would feel the French government's commitment to facilitating startup development, both at the central and local levels. BF representing the central government and nine district-level authorities each hosted dedicated exhibit areas for their startups as well as their own booths to promote their business environments.For example, Region Sud, comprising Provence, Alpes and Côte d'Azur, organized exhibits themed on "Smart city: investing in the city of tomorrow" to highlight the region's smart infrastructure.The French authorities think only government support such as tax exemptions will help recruit talent and foster venture capital. France is also encouraging startups to expand outside of France and Europe and compete on a global level. With such a large team of French startups present at CES this year, attracting media attention, the country's startup policies were also under the spotlight.The Netherlands: The orange army led by the royal familyThe Netherlands has always been the most eye-catching European team at Eureka Park. Although the number of exhibitors may not compare to the French team, the Dutch team's exhibits marked by a prominent orange color with a tulip drawing were grabbing media attention, especially with the help from a member of the Dutch royal family leading the team.The national flag of the Netherlands has no orange color, but the color has its origin from the Dutch royal family name Oranje-Nassau. Prince Constantijn has headed the team of Dutch startups to participate at CES Eureka Park for years, which shows the Dutch royal family's support for the country's startup development.Prince Constantijn was appointed Special Envoy for StartupDelta, the accelerator for the startup ecosystem in the Netherlands in 2016. Leading the Dutch delegation again at CES 2019, Prince Constantijn himself was an attraction at the Holland Tech Square. Aside from the impressive orange design, the Netherlands also presented ingenuity in their show floor planning.For example, they set up podiums at pathway intersections for exhibitors to give presentations. Considering that some visitors would come directly to specific exhibitors, the Holland Tech Square also had standing signs showing exhibitor booth locations. Startups in the same field were grouped together and they were numbered from 1 to 50 to help interested visitors quickly locate their booths.Promotional materials available at the Holland Tech Square indicated an emphasis on partnerships between the Netherlands and the US. The Netherlands hopes to connect its startups with American businesses to facilitate their smooth expansion into the American market. In line with this objective, many Dutch startups chosen to participate at Eureka Park had products that take American use scenarios into consideration.Israel: Small but eye-catching teamThe Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute (IEICI) and Ministry of Economy and Industry were in charge of organizing the Israeli Pavilion at CES 2019 Eureka Park with a focus on promoting the export of Israeli technologies and solutions so their marketing funding whether for advertising billboards or national pavilion construction was all used on the exhibitors.Although there were only 23 Israeli startups exhibiting at Eureka Park this year, ranked 11th, they were able to attract attention with a design featuring colorful letters forming the word "Israel" on a black background. All the display stands came with black metal frames and wood tabletops, presenting a unique visual feel.The Israeli Pavilion was situated at a delta formed by two main pathways both this year and last year at Eureka Park. The space may be small but enjoyed the highest visitor flow. With its colorful "Israel" signs, neatly organized booths and over-sized display panels, it would be difficult for visitors to miss the Israeli Pavilion.Japan and Korea: Governments ramping up efforts to promote national imagesAt last year's Eureka Park, Japan and Korea stood on the sidelines as other countries set up their own pavilions for collective exhibitions. Japanese and Korean startups had booths distributed among other startups without national delegations. Their booth designs lacked national images. This year at Eureka Park, they took on a whole new look. Japan organized two theme areas - J-Startup and Japan Tech, both featuring a red and white background. All its promotional resources were directed at enhancing the Japan image and the Japanese startups.J-Startup is a program launched by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in June 2018, aiming to incubate high potential startups. The Japanese government has set a goal to establish 20 venture businesses with a corporate value of over US$1 billion by 2023. Organizing the J-Startup exhibit area at Eureka Park was part of the J-Startup program.Japan Tech Project is a non-government initiative also aiming to foster startups. Operating at a smaller scale, the project offered support to a selection of seven startups that showcased their innovations at CES.Korea had 45 startups exhibiting at CES last year, slightly more than Taiwan, but the number shot up to 109 at CES 2019. Korea, France and the US were the countries that brought a fleet of more than 100 startups to CES. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), originally in charge of planning only for regular exhibit areas, joined forces with Korea Electronics Association (KEA) to carry out the "from Korea" project, which included planning for exhibits at Eureka Park for the first time this year.KOTRA put up a large number of "from Korea" banners along the walkways outside Sands Expo to increase visibility of Korean technologies. Additional Korean startup teams included Aving TV's "Made in Korea" (MIK), Samsung Electronics' C-Lab and firms led by Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency.The Korean Pavilion at CES 2019 Eureka Park impressed visitors with a design containing the word "Korea" in white on a blue background and a Taichi symbol. The features of the products on display were noted at a specific location on the display panel at each booth. The Korean Pavilion was planned with an emphasis on leaving sufficient open space. Some booths were even pushed back to make way for visitors so that they could stop and browse the exhibits. There were also plenty of tables and chairs for people to sit down and have short discussions but they were set up in semi-open spaces to prevent freeloaders from hogging them.Taiwan Tech Arena: A new imageTaiwan's exhibit area at CES 2019 Eureka Park, dubbed "Taiwan Tech Arena" (TTA), hosted a team of 44 startups that had been picked by a panel of Silicon Valley veterans assembled by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and approved by CES organizer - the Consumer Technology Association. MOST offered a presentation skills boot camp for these startups before they set out for CES.Coming to CES Eureka Park for the second time, the Taiwan pavilion was renamed from "Taiwan Tech Star" to TTA this year in correspondence to MOST's TTA initiative. According to the agency in charge, the Taiwan pavilion at Eureka Park will be under the TTA banner going forward to establish an image for TTA in the international startup community.With the new resounding title TTA, MOST augmented the Taiwan team to 44 startups from 30 at last year's event. The TTA pavilion also had a new location and design characterized by a color similar to Tiffany Blue. The color is also used on the TTA website and trademark.As one of the theme areas of the CES exhibition, Eureka Park did not see consistent amounts of visitor flow throughout different sections of its show floor so the countries holding exhibits at Eureka Park were very particular about their locations. At CES 2019 Eureka Park, the TTA pavilion was situated closer to the entrance but farther from the main pathway, which had an impact on the visitor flow. But there was a restaurant nearby with high passing traffic and the dining area had a view of the TTA sign and Taiwan exhibitors.The TTA pavilion had an elongated shape with a small stage at its entrance where exhibitors could give five-minute presentations to visitors entering the pavilion. When there was no presentation in session, the area in front of the stage with padded square stools could serve as a rest area for visitors to take a break and thus take notice of Taiwan startups.Three brochures were available at the TTA reception, two of which contained information on the 44 exhibiting startups, the thicker one introducing the company profiles and products and the other introducing the entrepreneurs' visions and dreams by way of interviews to present another side to the cold hard technology.The third brochure that was the thinnest and smallest brought to light the TTA base located at the Taipei Arena. These publication materials were an indication that TTA planned the exhibits at Eureka Park also with a focus on promoting Taiwan startups.Eureka Park is no doubt the most distinctive among the 24 CES exhibit areas, offering a show floor where each participating country's creativity is demonstrated not only through the products on display but also the marketing efforts infused with cultural uniqueness. But at the end of the day, it's all about who has more capital, talent and technological strength.Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) at Eureka ParkThe eye-catching Israeli Pavilion featuring colorful letters forming the name Israel" on black metal framesThe French Tech pavilion characterized by the Gallic rooster

A team of 44 startups showcasing their innovations at CES 2019 have managed to win more than NT$5.5 billion (US$178.44 million) in business opportunity, according to science and technology minister Chen Liang-Gee.The team, formed with support from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), achieved the business opportunity during the annual event and at a post-CES matchmaking event in Silicon Valley.Chen said the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) Pavilion at CES 2019 attracted the attention from 20 international media. "It is evident that Taiwan's technological strength and innovation capabilities were well received, said Chen.The sum of NT$5.5 billion in busines sopportunity well exceeds MOST's original goal of NT$4 billion.It was the second year that MOST has arranged a startup mission to the CES. At last year's event in Las Vegas, MOST led a team of 32 startups to Eureka Park, winning about NT$3 billion in business opportunity.For CES 2019, MOST selected 44 promising startups in six categories: Internet of Things (IoT, 25%), cyber s​ecurity and software (20%), artificial intelligence (AI, 18%), healthcare (14%), wearables (14%), and advanced manufacturing (9%). Of the 44 team members, eight won the CES 2019 Innovation Awards before the exhibition, and most of the teams attracted big manufacturers and engaged with venture capitalists during the CES, said MOST.Fifteen teams also participated at the Taiwan Pitch Night matchmaking event in Silicon Valley to connect directly with global venture capitalists, said MOST.One of the TTA startup teams Awowo, which developed FreeStyle Drum with a WPW patent technology to replicate a real drum, has replaced the traditional drumhead with a smaller enamel film, and reduced the large space occupied by electronic drum kits. The sensitivity and responsiveness of the FreeStyle Drum are 10-times faster than an electronic drum kit. Joe Liu, CEO of Awowo, said that through the exhibition, they have signed a million-dollar order and will soon be announced in Guangzhou Music Festival in February. Being in music and instruments business for two decades, Liu said that it is CES and the support from MOST that traditional industries can explore new business potential if combining innovative technology application.Another team AgriTalk Technology develops an AgriTalk Management Platform that controls the production of agricultural products with technology. According to Wen Liang Chen, founder of AgriTalk Technology, the system integrates sensors to acquire biological and environmental data, regulates pests, diseases, soil and fertility. During CES, buyers from Dubai, Chile, Canada, India, the Philippines, Sweden, South Africa, Italy, France and the Netherlands negotiated with AgriTalk. The company also won first place in Taiwan Pitch Night during the post-CES event. MOST said AgriTalk's future business opportunities are estimated to be more than NT$900 million.Ganzin Technology said it also understands more about the global market via CES and the support from MOST. Ganzin focuses on creating the next generation eye tracking modules that can be easily integrated into AR/VR modules to help unlock the potential of the eye as a seamless interface into the extended reality world. Over the last few years, they have redesigned the necessary algorithms for a highly precise eye-tracking module, the result is Aurora, a re-architected eye-tracking solution with a small form factor and minimal power requirements. Ganzin is one of the teams that participated in CES Unveiled and was included in the Best of CES of Reuters, said Shao-Yi Chien, founder of Ganzin.MOST minister Chen Liang-Gee (center) with Taiwan's startup teams at a press conference summing up results at CES 2019Photo: Bryan Chuang, Digitimes, January 2019

Artificial intelligence (AI) development is no longer something only big players can do and has exploded in recent years with all firms big and small taking the initiative to incorporate AI in their products. AI applications are the focus of attention of the startup community. CES 2019 Eureka Park shed light on the prevailing trend of AI-powered technologies.CES 2019 Eureka Park hosted more than 1,200 startups from over 50 countries around the world. Among them, close to 100 startup firms presented AI-powered products or services, encompassing home appliances, healthcare products, commercial and domestic robots, as well as large-scale applications such as smart traffic and smart city implementations. In addition to empowering hardware devices, AI also plays an important role in software-based applications such as cyber security, e-commerce and chatbot.Among the 44 startup teams exhibiting at the Taiwan Tech Arena Pavilion at Eureka Park, 10 showcased AI-powered products, including voice processing, image recognition and natural language processing (NLP) hardware/software applications. Compared to other countries, the Taiwan Tech Arena Pavilion presented a more comprehensive lineup of AI technologies.Aiming to build up differentiation from big name firmsTaiwan-based startup RelaJet was one of the few firms presenting core voice recognition technologies at Eureka Park. Different from Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which engage in speech recognition based on semantic interpretation models built from training on large amounts of data, RelaJet endeavors on acoustic fingerprinting technologies and has introduced an AI acoustic fingerprinting engine that can perform edge computing on hearing aids.According to RelaJet, its AI engine can extract the characteristics of human voice within 10 milliseconds and then amplify them so that people with hearing problems can still clearly hear a specific person talk in a noisy environment.Also working on voice recognition technologies, Japanese startup Empath showcased a system that can identify emotion from voice. The system tracks the changes in people's tone and thereby identifies the person's emotion. Moreover, with a graphic interface, users' emotion can be clearly quantifiable so that the recipient can respond properly. The Empath system has been used at call service centers to identify callers' emotion.Other AI-powered speech applications on display at Eureka Park included two real-time earphone translators introduced by Timekettle, a joint venture between China and Canada, and US-based Waverly Labs. Both are capable of translating multiple languages in real time.British startup Just AI UK created a conversational platform integrating voice assistant solutions such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to help enterprises accelerate time-to-market for their smart devices or chatbots. French startup SNIPS integrates the voice interface that runs on-device and offline, without user data being sent to the cloud.Burgeoning applications of AI-powered image recognitionAs opposed to the rather limited number of AI-based speech and voice applications on exhibit at Eureka Park, AI-powered image recognition has a plethora of amazing applications.Take body recognition for example. Alyce Healthcare from Korea developed a home physical rehabilitation assistant solution that gives feedback on whether the patient is doing the exercises correctly when he or she follows rehab center's videos at home. It can also record the patient's exercise session and provide that to the rehab center for diagnosis purposes.French startup Numii AIO presented a platform that measures and analyzes human laborers' movements and stress in real-time using AI-based image recognition technologies and then makes suggestions for improvement. The platform can relieve strain in the workplace, especially for workers in the transport and construction sectors.Like voice recognition, gesture control offers a breakthrough alternative to traditional human machine interfaces (HMI). They are both touchless HMI technologies that enable people to communicate with machines but gesture control breaks down the language and accent barriers.American startup Gestoos developed a gesture recognition platform that enables precise tracking and detection of any hand movement, allowing users to navigate content and services with simple hand gestures. Not only is it an alternative to voice control but it also creates better user experiences for speech and hearing impaired people, according to Gestoos.AI-powered automotive applications are also catching public attention with many amazing innovations on exhibit at CES 2019 Eureka Park. Taiwan-based startup FaceHeart showcased a fatigue detection system that uses a dashboard camera to capture images of the driver's face and analyzes the images to detect changes in the blood flow to/from the driver's face, thereby estimating the driver's physiological signals such as heartrate and blood pressure. It can then monitor the driver's level of alertness and issue a warning in advance to prevent accidents.Berlin-based startup German Autolabs introduced a digital assistant for drivers - Chris. It allows drivers to make calls, send text messages, or play music using voice or gesture control through Bluetooth connection with a smartphone app. Moreover, drivers can still use Chris to navigate even when the phone has no data connection.French team CARFIT crafted a solution that collects a large amount of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) data from vehicles using sensors and analyzes the NVH data using machine learning to gain insight into potential mechanical issues before they become a problem. In the past, NVH data could only be collected by automotive repair and maintenance service providers using professional-grade instruments. CARFIT has now made the data and analysis results available to car owners through a smartphone app, allowing them to stay on top of vehicle conditions at all times.Smart traffic and information security applicationsSmart traffic and smart city are big topics for startup teams as they need to address a major challenge in how to integrate resources across different systems in order to bring their services to reality.Taiwan-based OmniEyes uses mobile communication and AI-based image recognition technologies to collect massive amounts of traffic images from dash cams of vehicles driving in the city. It then performs real-time analyses on the images and provides the results to traffic authorities for reference.OmniEyes is collaborating with the Taipei City government to develop projects including detection of street-parking violations and assessment on the arrangement of garbage truck stops and schedules in an endeavor to improve the quality of life for citizens. OmniEyes looks to extend applications of its solution to AR navigation, instant street view searches and map database for self-driving cars.Another startup also working on image recognition for smart traffic applications, Waycare from Israel, presented a cloud traffic platform that can predict traffic congestions two hours in advance and the chances of traffic accidents by taking into consideration a combination of factors including real-time traffic situations, weather conditions, people flow distribution and building usage. The system is in trial operation in several cities in the US, including Las Vegas, where CES is held.Information security applications were also gaining visibility at CES 2019 Eureka Park. Many firms brought forth solutions leveraging AI technologies to analyze cyber security risks and thereby propose suitable countermeasures.American startups Gryphon and Q-Branch Labs both introduced their own small network device that has a built-in machine learning model of normal network traffic flow, which can serve as the basis of comparison to detect abnormal network traffic flow. Firedome, also from the US, presented a home IoT network security platform to provide AI-powered software information security solution tailored for Home IoT device suppliers.Unbotify from Israel makes use of biometrics technologies to trace the interactions between the user and the system and identify if the user is a real person or a software robot. Its solution can help enterprises detect intrusions into their systems and react more quickly.In search of commercialization opportunities for AI enginesAs a matter of fact, AI-powered products exhibited by startups at CES 2019 Eureka Park were mostly in the form of software development kits or integrated solutions with AI engines at the core running specific algorithms. Software development capabilities are essential to AI advancements but integration with other software applications and hardware devices are also necessary for AI to be put to practical use in specific fields and generate synergetic effects.With AI applications in wide-ranging fields with vastly different know-hows, AI startups face challenges in how to apply AI technologies in specific fields. Accordingly, many startups market their AI technologies in the form of AI engines in the hope that they can be used in suitable fields and thereby generate more business opportunities.The achievements that Taiwan-based startups showcased at CES 2019 Eureka Park demonstrated not only a variety of AI technologies but also their actual applications. They are an indication that Taiwan teams have transcended from developing technologies to marketing products.(This is part of a series of articles about Eureka Park startups and innovations at CES 2019.)FaceHeart uses AI-powered image recognition to implement a touchless approach to detecting drivers' physiological signals such as heartrate.Empath detects changes in the users' to identify their emotions, which are quantifiable on a graphic interface.Unbotify uses machine learning to detect hacker attacks by determining whether a system is being accessed by a robot (pattern on the left) or a human being (pattern on the right).Photos: Joyce Chen, Digitimes Research, January 2019

AR/VR, smart home and healthcare were the three popular exhibition themes at CES 2019 Eureka Park with about 10% of the exhibitors being AR/VR developers. In terms of nationalities, French AR/VR startups made up the largest team, surpassing the US, followed by the Netherlands and Korea.A total of 393 AR/VR firms attended CES 2019, among which 261 exhibited at the CES main hall and 132 exhibited at Eureka Park. AR/VR remained a highlight area of consumer electronics at this year's event.Taiwan startup's eye tracking technologiesAccording to Digitimes Research estimates, head-mounted AR/VR devices will enjoy a 50% CAGR 2018 through 2023, exceeding 80 million units by 2020. The market expects to see Apple AR headsets by 2021 and other vendors will follow suit. Accordingly, AR/VR devices will have a chance to flourish in the coming years, thus becoming a key research area innovative startups are focusing efforts on.The AR/VR exhibits at CES 2019 Eureka Park focused on three themes - practical applications, hardware devices and motion tracking technologies. Practical applications included VR for education in the classroom, VR for training at workplaces and real-time AR assistance for engineering and healthcare uses. Hardware devices focused on AR glasses while there were fewer VR headsets on display than before, indicating a strengthening trend of AR devices and a weakening trend of VR devices.Motion tracking technologies used in AR/VR devices grabbed attention at CES 2019, encompassing hand, eye and even full body motion capture solutions. With developers' continuing devotion into motion tracking researches, these technologies remain the highlight of exhibitions.The Taiwan Tech Arena at CES 2019 Eureka Park hosted exhibits from 40 Taiwan-based startups, among which three are endeavoring on AR/VR technology developments. Jarvish introduced a motorcycle helmet with AR display of road information. ChaseWind showcased AR glasses for cycling that make use of bioelectrical signals. Ganzin presented an eye tracking solution that can perform foveated rendering and control input.Taiwan-based firms are major suppliers of AR/VR devices. With rising demand for volume production and advancing technologies, Taiwan startups have a clear focus and direction on AR/VR device R&D. This will help Taiwan-based firms secure their places as the world's leading AR/VR device suppliers.On exhibit at CES for the second time, Ganzin's eye tracking module features easier assembly and lighter weight compared to world-leading vendors' solutions. Comprising only an eye motion capture IC and three special-purpose cameras, Ganzin's module can easily integrate into AR/VR devices for eye tracking applications. With a dedicated IC performing computation at a faster speed and lower power consumption, Ganzin's module supports continuous operation for a whole day, fully satisfying AR glasses' development trend toward energy efficiency and lightweight design.Showcasing purpose-built devices for specific use scenarios, Jarvish and ChaseWind respectively brought forth a smart motorcycle helmet and smart cycling glasses which combine navigation, road information, call notification, voice assistant and other smart features. The information is displayed on the glasses for the rider to stay on top of road conditions and ride with enhanced safety. ChaseWind's solution further integrates a physiological signal sensor to help the cyclist manage health and exercise by measuring his heartrate and the bike's power, rotating speed and velocity.France: The largest team of AR/VR exhibitors focusing on practical applicationsThe number of AR/VR startups from France exhibiting at CES 2019 Eureka Park was the largest among all nationalities. They mostly target consumer applications. For example, Innersense displayed an app which allows users to virtually place household items they plan to purchase in their home to see how they would look using AR technologies. Perspective delivered a solution enabling the user to take a virtual tour of a hotel and get a realistic feel of the hotel's atmosphere using a VR device.In addition to consumer applications such as AR shopping and VR travel, French startups also showcased commercial applications including VR for healthcare, VR for training and AR for assistance. For instance, Hypno VR and KineQuantum both proposed the use of VR for hypnosis and physical therapy to attain ideal results faster. Farsight can customize training materials for factories, with which machine operators can have adequate training before they actually go online and operate a real machine, ensuring worker safety.US AR/VR startups present diverse technologies, devices and applicationsTrailing France, the US team of AR/VR startups attending CES 2019 Eureka Park was the second largest. As opposed to their French counterparts, which focused on software applications, US startups brought to CES a more diverse range of AR/VR innovations, including AR/VR end devices. Human Capable demonstrated its Norm AR glasses, a standalone device capable of speech recognition with no need for network communication. It looks like a regular pair of eyeglasses and operates independently, requiring no external controller. Perfectly matching the trend of standalone AR glasses, Norm Glasses was named as a CES 2019 Innovation Award Honoree.Working on gesture control technologies, Hauoli's tracking solution based on acoustics captures hand motion with nanometer precision without the need for an external controller. Hauoli's research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The human-machine interface developer Healium created a brain-computer interface with a brainwave sensor to allow users to control computer display. A live demonstration was given at CES wherein users could hatch a butterfly from a chrysalis using their mind.Among American startups at CES, those working on holography technologies were under the spotlight. The demonstrations at CES showed that it may still take some time for holography technologies using photonic crystals and Fovi3D light field display to be commercialized. Although the developments of holography technologies have many obstacles to overcome, many startups led by Magic Leap are making efforts to bring their ideas to life.Canada in North America had a small team of startups exhibiting their impressive R&D results at CES 2019. Aris MD presented their solution using diagnostic imaging combined with AR/VR technologies. Working to eliminate surgical errors, Aris MD first uses VR simulation for surgical training and then uses AR to assist in real surgeries. Its solution is the first to combine AR and VR applications on one platform.Others from EuropeAside from France, many startups from other European countries also attended CES 2019. Dutch startup Gemvision created an AR work platform combining 3D modeling and AR devices for jewelry design and metal work. Holofil presented a tabletop device that creates a 3D visualization experience for store merchandise to increase consumer interest.As a hub for innovation, Israel highlighted motion tracking technologies for their AR/VR exhibits at CES 2019. Sixdof Space uses a sensor for 6DOF positional tracking and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) to precisely track head and body movement. Whenever the user turns his head left and right, stands up or squats down, he or she will see VR images displayed at the correct viewpoint in real time.Superb Reality's gesture control technology allows the user to grab an image by its two ends and zoom in or out using gestures. The image can then be made bigger or smaller or can be rotated freely at any angle. Swiss startup Creal3D demonstrated a light field display using a device like regular glasses with no need for eye tracking to focus. Creal3D hopes to use the light field display in VR devices in 2019 and in AR glasses by 2021.Korean team: The largest from AsiaKorea brought to CES 2019 Asia's largest team of startups. Among them, bHaptics introduced its TactSuit, including a haptic vest, haptic sleeves and haptic gloves to take virtual input and apply realistic touch and force feedback. Featuring touch feedback points four to five times more than similar products on the market, TactSuit enables more sensitive touch feedback to users.LetinAR exhibited AR optical lenses developed based on its Pin-Mirror technology for AR glasses. Compared to other optical lenses on the market, LetinAR Pin-Mirror lenses enhance the field of view (FoV), depth of field (DoF) and color performance. The product is expected to hit the market in volume in 2019.ConclusionCES 2019 Eureka Park hosted exhibits from 132 AR/VR startups around the world, down from 139 in 2018. The applications on display have changed from being diverse to focusing on segments with real future market demand. Moreover, there were more startups than before making efforts toward AR hardware developments, aiming to promote early volume production and widespread availability of AR glasses.As a major manufacturing base of consumer electronics, the Taiwan industry is fully committed to AR/VR technology developments. The advancements in eye tracking technologies and professional-grade AR devices shed light on what Taiwan-based firms are capable of achieving. These innovative startups will help Taiwan ride the next rising wave of consumer electronics and take center stage again.(This is part of a series of articles about Eureka Park startups and innovations at CES 2019.)Ganzin's eye tracking module at CES 2019 Eureka ParkPhoto: Summer Kuo, Digitimes Research, January 2019

Widespread adoption of voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa is spurring burgeoning growth of IoT devices, which were on exhibit throughout the show floors of CES 2019. Transitioning from developing products independently, firms are now introducing products that work in connection with surrounding devices. This is augmenting the synergy of IoT developments and enriching the use scenarios and functionalities of IoT devices.The startup-centric CES Eureka Park hosts exhibitions of innovative IoT products launched by startup teams. They strive for simple and lightweight hardware design or focus efforts on niche markets as a way to circumvent direct competition against industry giants with ample capital and strong marketing for their IoT products.Smart kitchen appliances, smart locks and smart pet care devices are the iconic IoT devices for 2019, representative of smart home IoT devices that achieve style, home security and healthcare purposes.IoT devices for home are expanding from the focus of improving user experiences in the living room to bringing innovations to the kitchen. Eyeing consumer passion for specialty beverages, a startup team adds IoT features to a drink mixer, making life easier and more enjoyable for people.In addition to being the first line of defense for home security, smart locks embrace growing opportunities in e-commerce logistics. With rising popularity of online shopping, one major problem that retailers and couriers face is failed delivery attempts as people cannot always be home to sign for their packages. To overcome this problem, smart lock solutions let couriers open people's front doors momentarily to drop off packages.Healthcare for family members has always been a main area of application for home IoT devices. This year, startup teams are taking it a step further to include pet care. By using IoT devices to keep track of pets' behavior and analyze pets' physiological data, pet owners can rest assured that their pets will stay healthy.Smart kitchen appliances make home living more enjoyableSmart home devices have always targeted use in the living room. In fact, the kitchen holds immense opportunities for potential applications of IoT devices. One prominent example is LG HomeBrew, a capsule-based craft beer making machine that grabbed the spotlight even though LG also unveiled an amazing rollable OLED TV.The beer brewing and drinking traditions came with European immigrants to America. After the repeal of the prohibition of alcoholic beverage sales, there has been a resurgence of microbreweries. Besides drinking beer produced by large-scale breweries, some Americans love the unique taste of home-made beer. This gives rise to the popularity of home-brewing equipment like LG HomeBrew in America.As opposed to LG, making a capsule-based beer machine like a boutique item, Taiwan-based startup Timc introduced a smart beer machine targeting the home brewing market. It has designed and developed a purpose-built solution allowing home brewers to create a brewing environment to reliably control beer flavors. Instead of using capsule-based materials for convenience like LG, Timc emphasizes the use of natural ingredients without artificial flavorings, in hope that users will discover the fun of home brewing.Timc's beer machine has a fermentation tank that can be removed after all the ingredients are added and the processes before fermentation are completed. All that remains is to wait for the beer to mature. That is, Timc's solution can produce beer in volume so in addition to home brewing, it can also be used for commercial beer production.LG HomeBrew only uses network connectivity for monitoring brewing progress while Timc plans to develop a smartphone app enabling precise and flexible control of the beer machine's parameters such that users can concentrate on experimenting and exploring more beer flavors, which is the essence of beer making.For the ideal wine taste, French startup Aveine presented a smart wine aerator. By a simple scan of the wine label using a smartphone, the aerator will get the ideal combination of parameters from cloud for that particular wine and accordingly control the aeration time to allow a perfect bonding between oxygen and tannins, giving a unique taste of the wine.Japan-based startup Teplo showcased a smart tea bottle that allows tea drinkers to brew the perfect cup of tea by tracking and controlling brewing temperature and time via a smartphone app. Tea leaves release different amounts of caffeine depending on the brewing temperature and time. With Teplo, users can make adjustments to suit the occasion.Smart locks resolve the headache of parcel deliveriesIt can be a headache when the courier company delivers a package to an address and there is no one there to receive it, resulting in a failed delivery attempt. Amazon, with a global logistics operation, came up with the Amazon Key solution allowing the courier to enter the receiver's home momentarily, drop off the package at the foyer and leave.Amazon Key uses Yale smart locks from Assa Abloy, a renowned Swedish door lock solution supplier. Securing a dominant market position, Assa Abloy manufactures a wide range of door opening solutions including mechanical and electronic locks that can be unlocked via physical keypads, touch screen or mobile communication. Its solutions are not only used for home security but also for commercial and retail environments.To set themselves apart from the slew of smart lock solutions already on the market, startup companies have to come up with unique technologies or implementations. At CES Eureka Park, French startup Havr presented an innovative solution that enables users to send encodings to the door lock through their smartphones. The door can be unlocked with light patterns flashed by the cameras on their smartphones and scanned by the optical sensor placed under the lock. Havr's smart lock offers virtually the easiest and most convenient way to encode and decode a lock on the market.Targeting courier services, Dutch startup Den Smart Home took the lead in integrating delivery services with door unlocking process. The courier can use a smartphone to obtain delivery information from a parcel and request access by scanning the QR code on the smart lock or using NFC communication through Den Smart Home's app. The integrated service enables more convenient parcel deliveries. Moreover, the solution can also be used to allow caregivers temporary access to user's home, which is also an important application that Den Smart Home is working on as the Netherlands has a well-developed long-term care system.In general, smart locks are fitted to doors permanently so they are more suitable for access control to individual buildings. Taiwan-based startup Lubn came up with a smart key lock box, wherein a key is placed and can be retrieved if a correct code is entered. The Lubn smart key lock box has a shackle and can be fastened to a door to quickly and portably control access to different buildings. It can be repeatedly used and thus is ideal for property management.Burgeoning per care innovations in AsiaIoT pet devices are a new area of home IoT applications. There are two major application scenarios - care and tracking. Pet care devices were particularly catching attention at this year's event. Consumers are generally more concerned over how easy it is to use a home IoT device. If the device is not intuitive and user-friendly, people are likely to give up on it. However, for IoT pet devices, pet owners are willing to spend more time understanding how a product work and to try it out for the creative experiences it can bring to their beloved pets.Pet electronics have been on exhibit at CES and in the past few years, they were mostly in the form of wearable devices for positioning and tracking purposes to prevent them from getting lost. Pet wearable devices then evolved to include physiological data monitoring. However, as their accuracy could not compare to microchip implants, the development of such application was curtailed. At CES Eureka Park this year, there were pet IoT devices implementing non-intrusive approaches to monitoring pet waste while helping pet owners clean up with ease.Asian countries devote a great deal of attention to pet care. Three startups from Korea presented pet care products with intricate designs, including a smart litter box from Purrsong, a pet skin care device from Avec and a pet hair care solution from Pepe.Japan-based firm Hachi Tama has added a new device to its smart litter box to keep track of physiological data for households with multiple pets. It uses AI-enabled cameras to identify pets so that pet owners do not need to buy a smart litter box for each pet and limit their living areas just for the purpose of monitoring their conditions.Also working on pet waste solutions, Taiwan-based startup iPetoi not only brings convenience to pet owners but also looks to build up a pet physiological database on cloud, which can serve as basis for preventive pet healthcare. Beginning with small dogs, it will expand its product offerings to include different sizes and features.In general, the home IoT device market has changed from competitions among large-scale network service operators to competitions among home appliance manufacturers, IT equipment suppliers and solution providers. Large exhibits delivering smart IoT home experiences were seen throughout the show floors at CES, giving live demonstrations of product features. Amid such strong competition, startup teams with limited budget are shifting focus to niche products in order to tap unexplored markets.Taiwan-based startups endeavoring on home IoT devices have outperformed themselves by presenting superior product marketing and design compared to the past few years. They were able to bring forth live product demonstrations at the CES this year, enabling clear presentations of the design concepts and appeals. The only part that needs a little improvement is the mobile app functionalities as these apps were developed by third-party teams. If startups can have access to mobile app development resources, it will help them build an industry ecosystem, on top of which they can create next generation products or promote new service models.(This is part of a series of articles about Eureka Park startups and innovations at CES 2019.)Targeting the property management segment, Lubn smart lock solution works with existing door locks and enables repeated use.Teplo smart tea bottle allows users to set tea brewing parameters using smartphones.iPetoi smart pet toilet keeps track of pet physiological data on cloud and provides individualized per care recommendations. Photos: Carlos Chen, Digitimes Research, January 2019

Taiwan startup Ganzin Technology is showcasing at CES 2019 its newly developed Aurora eye tracking modules that can be paired with VR and AR for diverse applications, according to the firm's chief operating officer JY Chueh.Ganzin is among 40 tech startups coming from Taiwan to demonstrate their new tech prowess in the Taiwan Tech Arena at Eureka Park CES 2019.Chueh said that the firm's eye tracking solution can be well applied to help sales staff at shopping malls locate product racks most attracting consumers, as long as they wear VR or AR glasses. This way, they can adjust rack rentals quarter by quarter and arrange creative product portfolios to better attract customers.Chueh continued that through integration of hardware and software, Ganzin's cost-effective eye tracking modules boasts long battery duration, light weight and slim size, and can fast integrate with AR and VR devices now available on the market.Ganzin is slated to volume produce Aurora eye tracking solutions in August 2019, including SoCs and application programming interfaces (API).

Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) will lead 44 tech startup companies to attend CES 2019 in Las Vegas in January 2019, MOST minister Liang-Gee Chen announced on Wednesday.The minister made the announcement at Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), which will organize a national pavilion at CES' Eureka Park to showcase the country's tech strengths to the world, creating a stage that connects Taiwan startups with the global ecosystem, resources and industries to create business opportunities estimated at NT$4 billion (US$129.71 million).Chen urged Taiwan's companies to support local startups with their financial strength and experience.Chen said there wasn't any angel investors in Taiwan in the past, but it has now started to see some. MOST has ambitious goals for helping establish more startups, but that will need a lot more angel investors, he said.Eight of the startups in the TTA team have been named winners of the CES 2019 Innovation Award: EleClean, Genius Holdings, Gintel Tech, Han-Win Technology, Lubn, Omnieyes, Starwing Technology, and Taiwan Main Orthopedic Biotechnology.Chen pointed out that two Taiwan startups won the Innovation Award at CES 2018, which marked the first time that a MOST-arranged team had showcased Taiwan's IT prowess at the annual event. The Taiwan team to CES 2018 consisted of 32 companies.The 44 TTA startups going to CES 2019 are mainly selected from six high-tech fields covering IoT (25%), cyber security and software (20%), AI (18%), healthcare (14%), wearables (14%), and advanced manufacturing (9%).Launched in June 2018, TTA is a pioneer program funded by MOST. The program aims to connect global resources, build a more tech startup friendly ecosystem, and foster high-tech entrepreneurships in Taiwan.TTA hopes to attract global and domestic talent and actively foster the innovation of technology industries by building a co-creation platform for startups, accelerators, venture capital, and corporate partners.Via participating CES 2019, TTA looks forward to connecting global investors for its team, having further industrial cooperation, and enhancing Taiwan's reputation in global high-tech ecosystem.MOST minister Liang-Gee Chen at TTAPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, December 2018

The 32 Taiwan startups that showcased products and services at CES 2018 in January attracted 43,211 visitors and held 2,402 business talks with venture capital firms with potential funding and purchases estimated at US$47.62 million and US$604,000 respectively, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).To help showcase startups, MOST set up the Taiwan Tech Star pavilion at Eureka Park during CES 2018, a special exhibition zone giving startups the opportunities to launch new products, services or ideas. The Taiwan startups' expertise covers smart medical technology, AR, VR, AI, smart wearable devices and IoT (Internet of Things), MOST noted.Among the startups, Robotelf Technologies won CES 2018 Innovation Award for its home-use robot Robelf; and iXensor won Best of Baby Tech Award for its Eveline ovulation testing system, MOST said.MOST said it will select Taiwan startups for CES 2019 as early as possible to enhance international promotions.MOST will also set up a startup incubator in Taipei and invite local and international accelerators to incubate local and overseas start-up teams.