Hyundai Motor on Jan. 7 unveils its first concept personal air vehicle, the S-A1, at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas. (Yonhap News)

By Oh Hyun Woo and Lee Hana

Personal flying vehicles, robots that monitor the home and humanoid artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are among the latest technologies being showcased at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Kicking off its 53rd year on Jan. 7, CES 2020 will see some 4,500 companies from 155 countries attending, including 353 Korean companies.

The day before the show's official start date, Hyundai Motors on Jan. 6 announced its plan for a future city that uses autonomous modes of transportation through land and air routes.

The proposed city will have personal air vehicles (PAV), purpose built vehicles (PBV) and hubs that connect the two. Under this plan, people can take a propeller-powered PAV to a hub and transfer to a PBV to get to their final destination.

The Hyundai PAV S-A1 looks like a combination of a plane and a drone. It is equipped with electric vertical takeoff and landing and designed to make transportation efficient in an urban environment.

"We predict this personal aircraft will be commercialized in 2028," said Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun.

Samsung co-CEO Kim Hyun-suk on Jan. 6 shows off Ballie, the company's rolling companion robot, during a keynote presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas. (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics on the same day showed off Ballie, an artificial intelligence-powered rolling companion robot, in a keynote presentation.

Samsung co-CEO Kim Hyun-suk demonstrated Ballie's capabilities like the robot's ability to follow its user like a pet and respond to commands. When the user isn't home, Ballie can monitor the home by connecting to devices like smartphones and TVs.

Neon, a humanoid chatbot developed by Samsung's Technology and Advanced Research Labs is showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas. Pictured are Neon humanoids uploaded by Neon CEO Pranav Mistry on his Twitter feed.

Humanoids that look and act like people have also attracted huge interest at CES.

On Jan. 7, Samsung's Technology and Advanced Research Labs showcased Neon, an "artificial human."

"Neons, unlike other AI assistants, can form memories like human beings and learn new skills. With their human-like appearance, they can make hundreds of facial expressions and speak multiple languages," said Neon CEO Pranav Mistry.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics unveiled a revised model of the LG Signature OLED R, a rollable television that disappears completely into its base unit.

The company also showcased its connected self-driving car and CLOi's Table Zone, a futuristic restaurant where LG CLOi robots manage all operations from taking orders, cooking and serving to cleaning.

CES is a trade show held every January at the Las Vegas Convention Center and organized by the Consumer Technology Association. To run from Jan. 7-10 this year, the event is considered the world's top trade show for consumer technology.

hyunw54@korea.kr