Stories

The rise of digital twins

Just like in the metaverse, the use of augmented reality is pretty useful in real life, too.

In fact, the Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea is already using a digital twin to provide travelers with step-by-step directions to make navigating to your gate a breeze – you just follow a robot avatar on your smartphone as it leads you through the physical airport. 

Other fields from automotive repair to health care to corporate real estate are using digital twins to do everything from visualizing and ordering engine parts, to heartbeat monitoring, to adjusting the HVAC system and lighting depending on how many people are on each floor of an office building.

The evolving vehicle experience

If it has wheels, it’s being disrupted in some way.

Remote-controlled excavators and backhoes for construction? Check. Autonomous tractors for farming? Check. An AI-powered, driver-less, fully electric semi-truck for shipping large containers across the country? Check, check and check. There was even a car that can change color thanks to its “e-ink” exterior. And one of the biggest splashes was the debut of an electric car made by a company that used to make CD players.

“As cars become more automated, then it becomes a rolling living room, where entertainment is one of the main things you’ll do in vehicles,” Moning said. “So that was interesting to see that they’re making progress.”

And that’s just the things big enough for people to sit in. There were also autonomous snow blowers, autonomous lawn mowers, and drones for a whole host of various tasks.

“The other thing we think is going to be a trend is more seamless, ambient payments,” Relyea said. “How does an automated truck, for example, pay to recharge itself? How does it pay for parking spaces and other things like that?”

Putting down the smartphone

Most of what we do digitally these days is centered around our devices – especially our smartphones. But at CES, it seems the future is moving toward all these innovations having their own interface. Rather than pulling out your phone, you’ll just tap your refrigerator’s screen or talk to all your various smart home devices themselves.

As smart people continue to make smarter and smarter machines that can do more and more useful things, how they use their money in those experiences becomes a key consideration.

“That’s a lot of devices you’ll have in your life, interacting with the internet, the world, and each other,” Moning said. “And a lot of new touchpoints emerging where financial services will need to be. What does it look like to bank, and manage your money in those spaces? U.S. Bank is committed to innovation, taking a leading role in creating new possibilities for our customers – as we provide the technology, advice and help that makes their financial lives a little easier.”