Skip to main content

More than just smartphones: 5 emerging technologies from MWC 2018

MWC 2025
Read our complete coverage of Mobile World Congress

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is naturally heavily-focused on smartphones, mobile accessories, and apps, but if you pound the halls for long enough, you’ll find lots of interesting technology that doesn’t fall cleanly into those categories. We uncovered some intriguing new gadgets and technologies at MWC 2018, so here are our favorites from the show.

Modius – Weight loss headset

Modius
Simon Hill/Digital Trends
Simon Hill/Digital Trends

What if you could suppress your appetite or speed up your metabolic rate by wearing a special headset that gives you small electric shocks behind the ears for an hour a day? It may sound crazy, but that’s the promise of Modius, which sends low-power electrical impulses to your vestibular nerve, to activate your hypothalamus.

We uncovered some intriguing new gadgets and technologies at MWC 2018.

We first wrote about Modius before its successful Indiegogo campaign. With 4,000 headsets shipped and mounting evidence that it works, we’re about to put it to the test ourselves in a full review, but we took the chance to try it out for a few minutes at MWC and talk to one of the highly-credible neuroscientist founders, Dr Jason McKeown MD.

It feels just like it sounds, a tingling sensation via the electrodes which are attached to the bony area behind your ears that gets stronger as you move up through the 10 levels. It also creates a feeling like you’re swaying or rocking, which wears off instantly when the Modius headset is turned off. The science behind it is sound, but the clever thing about Modius is that it achieves a known effect without the need for invasive surgery.

Weight loss is big business, so interest in a gadget like this is no surprise. We’ll need to use it for a few weeks to put it through its paces and see what the impact is, but we’re hopeful about the technology. Stay tuned for our in-depth review.

Recommended Videos

PureLiFi – Internet through light

PureLiFi
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’re big fans of PureLiFi, in fact the Edinburgh-based company won our cool tech award at MWC last year for its internet through light technology. At MWC 2018 PureLiFi has been showing off its receiver technology integrated into a Dell laptop, and a case for the Samsung Galaxy S5.

As the spectrum crunch approaches, the ability to complement Wi-Fi networks with Li-Fi systems will become more and more essential. We streamed a video from Digital Trends onto the Galaxy S5 via an overhead strip light and it worked flawlessly. The connection is currently capable of 42Mbps up and down.

Further miniaturization and integration into smartphones is on the horizon and we hope to be connecting to the internet on a flagship phone using Li-Fi within the next three years.

Elliptic Labs – Ultrasound gestures

Elliptic Labs
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In the past, ultrasound pioneers Elliptic Labs showed off how ultrasound technology can replace proximity sensors in phones, turning the screen on when your hand or face is close to it. That tech made it into the Xiaomi Mi Mix handsets, enabling the manufacturer to shave bezels down. Elliptic Labs also added some other gestures for things like tweaking the volume and snapping selfies.

At MWC 2018, we caught up with the team to see their newest demo, which enables you to control a smart speaker and a light with simple gestures that work from a short distance. By double tapping with your palm you can activate Alexa, and a single palm tap can cut it off, all without having to touch the speaker or utter a word. They also had a light that you could brighten by holding your hand at one side of the speaker, or dim by holding it at the other side, something that could just as easily work with volume.

The devices they showed are just prototypes for now, but we found the ability to stop Alexa in midstream by holding up our hand really useful, so we hope to see it integrated into an actual smart speaker soon.

Energous – Wireless charging at distance

Energous
Simon Hill/Digital Trends
Simon Hill/Digital Trends

We’ve been excited about the prospect of truly wireless charging for a few years now – the idea that your phone might charge up in your pocket or your smartwatch while it’s still on your wrist. It would be great to be freed from cables and charging pads, but mid-field charging has remained elusive so far. After meeting with Energous at MWC we’re convinced that it’s coming, but we still don’t know when.

The demo they showed us involved a smart speaker prototype set up as a transmitter, capable of sending power via radio frequencies to a phone, a smartwatch, and a pair of wireless earbuds at a range of up to 3 feet. The top of the speaker also doubled as a near-field charging pad, much like Qi wireless chargers.

We’ve been excited about the prospect of truly wireless charging for a few years now.

Energous recently secured FCC approval, confirming that the technology is completely safe, and announced the first consumer product set to use it – which, somewhat surprisingly, turned out to be smart underwear called Skiin. Chip manufacturer Dialog is also working with Energous which could allow for much easier adoption of the technology as device makers will be able to buy a chipset that supports it.

Both Energous and Dialog were tight-lipped on partners, but you can imagine a company like Apple with an ecosystem that includes speakers to act as transmitters and phones, smartwatches, and wireless earphones that need charging would be a good fit. However, we fear it may be a couple of years yet before this goes mainstream.

Ossia – Wireless charging at distance

Ossia
Simon Hill/Digital Trends
Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Another player in the mid-field wireless charging space is Ossia, and Chief Technology Officer Hatem Zeine gave us an impressive demonstration at MWC. The technology transmits power via radio frequencies at the same 2.4Ghz as Wi-Fi, but a different channel, so it doesn’t interfere. The device receiving the power sends out a signal that can bounce off surfaces like walls, tables, and windows, but is absorbed by the human body or liquids. The transmitter replicates the path of successful signals to send power back, and it checks 100 times per second, so it’s not washing you or other people in the room in power.

With two large transmitters set up at one end of the room, we saw a receiver unit light up. To prove it wasn’t just coming from the box, Hatem held another receiver in the path and then moved it around and blocked it to demonstrate the path of the power. The transmitters are big and they can send out around 10W, but the receiving device only gets around 1W. That can be boosted with multiple transmitters.

Next, Hatem plugged in a Samsung Galaxy S7 and showed it charging up, then he moved to the back of the room, showing that the phone could keep charging, even at a distance of around 10 feet or more. The charge rate does go down the further you move away, but it’s impressive to see it working at distance, and it also continued to charge when he put the receiver in his pocket.

Imagine the transmitters hidden in ceiling tiles when you walk into Starbucks, for example. Your phone or smartwatch would charge up without you having to do a thing.

There are other applications — we saw Ossia’s Forever Battery at CES. It is the same size as a standard AA battery, but can be charged wirelessly at distance and never degrades because there’s no need for a chemical reaction inside.

The hitch is that Ossia has yet to secure FCC approval, but Hatem is confident it will, and they are in talks with several manufacturers about integrating the technology into chipsets and devices. We’re looking forward to the day we no longer need cables, but it’s still impossible to predict precisely when it will come.

Simon Hill
Former Associate Mobile Editor
Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more