A robot, remote controlled by motion capture, moves in perfect sync with a person in the distance. A device passes an infrared scan over some food and supplies complete nutritional information about the fare. These are among the array of cutting-edge technologies on display as Japan's largest electronics trade show kicked off Tuesday.
This year's annual Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC), which will run through Friday at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba, is seen as a touchstone for the 17-year-old trade fair.
Undergoing a major revamp last year, what had been a showcase for consumer electronics such as TVs and washing machines had reinvented itself as a business-to-business exhibition across sectors oriented toward the internet of things concept, in which everyday items are linked by network.