Samsung team eyes robots, drones and more
Samsung has created a new, independent team that will focus on developing innovative technology.As reported by the Korea Times,the South Korean electronics giant has established a team, workingindependently of the firm's units and departments, to focus theirefforts on the creation of high-tech products.The core mission ofthe team, led by Samsung mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun inside the mobiledivision, is to work on products in the fields of virtual reality,robotics, 3D printing, robotic telepresence, drones and autonomousvehicles.According to an official who spoke to the publication,the team will design products suitable for improving the generalpublic's daily lives."Given the significance of the team, memberswill have more authority and independence because the main purpose ofthe team isn't to develop single devices for any imminent results, butto develop solutions to go with Samsung's manufacturing capabilities,"the unnamed official said.Another official saidSamsung's previous success in the corporate realm came down to productsthat were competitively priced. However, as competition heats up in theface of rivals such as Apple, competitive pricing simply isn't enoughanymore. According to IDC's latest smartphone shipments report,the mobile device market is experiencing a significant slowdown -- butApple "fell just short" of surpassing Samsung for the top spot in theglobal smartphone market in the last quarter.Instead, the techgiant has to explore new ways to improve upon technologies and generatefresh revenue streams, and emerging industries such as the Internet ofThings (IoT) industry, smart vehicles and intelligent appliances couldbe the way forward.Samsung has established itself in the mobiledevice market, but has also produced a line of smart householdappliances. While Samsung's SmartTV recentlycaused snooping and privacy worries, the company is still well-placed to exploit these fields -- which have no clear, defined dominant player.The official commented: "Thisis why Samsung is accelerating efforts to collaborate with governmentsand is putting more focus on developing solutions embedded with ourcomponents and technologies."This story originally appeared at ZDNet under the headline "Samsung launches dedicated innovation team."