LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Announcing the next phase of its groundbreaking incubation program on the eve of CES^® 2022, the LG Electronics North American Innovation Center, LG NOVA, is highlighting startups' proofs-of-concept for innovative technologies and business ideas that will pave the way to a more environmentally friendly, accessible and connected future.

To kickstart projects in the areas of Connected Health, Energizing Mobility, Smart Lifestyle, the Metaverse and Innovation for Impact, LG is allocating more than $1 million in initial funding to selected winning companies from LG NOVA Proto Challenge. The Proto Challenge was a preliminary competition set-up as a precursor to LG NOVA's large-scale global challenge competition, Mission for the Future. The companies receiving funding in this round are slated to advance forward in the Mission for the Future challenge program launching in January with additional selected companies from the application process that closed on Oct. 27, 2021.

At CES® 2022, LG spotlighted key milestones from a number of noteworthy startup projects:

XRHealth, a company in the Connected Health category, is teaming with LG NOVA to pilot virtual reality treatment rooms that provide highly innovative telehealth services and help boost the overall quality of remote healthcare in assisted living and continuing care retirement communities in the United States. XRHealth integrates immersive VR/AR technology, licensed clinicians, and advanced data analytics on one platform, providing a comprehensive therapeutic care solution and enabling patients to receive treatment from the comfort of their homes.

Working with LG NOVA to integrate into LG's growing connected home ecosystem, SparkCharge is developing a consumer IoT device for the home that will allow users to monitor and manage the charge on their electric vehicles and have range delivered with the push of a button or a simple voice command when they need it. SparkCharge aims to remove the friction and implied limitations of EV adoption by creating an affordable and convenient way for all-electric vehicle owners to charge their EVs. With integration of LG ThinQ™ in the proposed project, users will experience the ease in which they can power their electric vehicles, at home or on the go.

MayaMD is launching a pilot of its digital human AI health assistant using LG smart TVs to make it easier to engage people in active conversations on their health on devices in their homes. Focusing on healthy heart care and heart disease as a starting point, MayaMD and LG NOVA will use this pilot to measure the effectiveness of serving patients information directly from their TVs. The goal of the project is to better understand how to increase healthcare engagement in the home and create services that make it more seamless and convenient for people to access healthcare information to help them live healthier lives.

Building an application for product training with LG NOVA is iQ3Connect's first step to creating new applications and services for enterprises in the Metaverse. With the goal to drive real-world business transformation, iQ3Connect's technology is the digital fabric that enables enterprises to create, deliver and consume complex enterprise applications in the Metaverse. Enabling businesses to leverage the power of the Metaverse for product training and other applications will reduce operational costs, improve trainee retention, and help meet sustainability goals.

I3M is partnering with LG NOVA to develop and deploy a first-of-its-kind hyper-realistic virtual travel and tourism experience. The pilot experience will provide new and engaging immersive experiences for pre, during, and post-trip entertainment, inspiration, information, shopping, and more. I3M offers businesses and brands AI powered rapid creation, integrated virtual and real-life commerce, and intuitive self-management and content control for the Metaverse that is privacy forward, interoperable, secure, and open for all. 

No more Passwords, No more Keys - Everykey is the world's first universal smart key that unlocks your phone, laptop, tablet, and all of your website accounts when you're nearby. With a plan to expand to door locks, cars and other access controlled devices, Everykey will work with LG NOVA to adapt Everykey's technology for use with the LG ThinQ platform, enabling devices to react to users' presence and potentially unlocking different capabilities based on proximity. 

Driivz, a global provider of EV charging and energy management software platform, is collaborating with LG NOVA to pilot an integration of EV charging stations with smart battery storage in commercial and industrial smart buildings. Aligned with LG NOVA's focus on Energizing Mobility, the joint project will demonstrate how smart energy management can be used to power electric vehicles while optimizing building energy efficiency as well as load balancing and cost reduction. The goal is to showcase the use of EV charging as a viable solution to a bigger problem - creating a greener more sustainable world.

With the plan to integrate into LG's ThinQ connected home ecosystem for smart appliances and connected health, Chefling will launch a state-of-the-art smart kitchen solution for planning, shopping, and cooking to enable LG customers to have a seamless smart home experience across every corner of their home.

A.kin AI is collaborating with LG NOVA to implement a virtual assistant technology from A.kin Home into LG hardware products for the first phase of a supervised clinical trial taking place in Australia. A.kin AI will augment LG's ThinQ smart home products to tailor them for high-need homes dealing with issues of neuro-diversity and coordination of home care.

Mission for the Future is LG NOVA's nine-month annual challenge program created to seek the best ideas, concepts and businesses worldwide that will improve quality of life in a smarter, healthier, more-connected future.

Selected Mission for the Future companies will receive access to resources that will help grow a joint business, including essential business infrastructure, networking with global tech leaders and mentorship and collaboration opportunities, as well as connections to LG's network of corporate partners, VCs, pilot programs and other influential organizations for further growth and development. They will work with the LG NOVA team on their business proposals and proof-of-concept within three to six months, leading up to the finalist selection process this spring. 

"What better forum than CES – the most influential tech event in the world – to celebrate the startup and entrepreneur communities building solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues," said LG NOVA Head Dr. Sokwoo Rhee, Corporate Senior Vice President for Innovation at LG Electronics. "As our LG NOVA program progresses, we're using the power of collaboration to fuel innovation for society overall."

Learn more about LG NOVA at www.lgnova.com.

About LG NOVA
LG NOVA, the North American Innovation Center for global innovation leader LG Electronics is a team focused on bringing innovation from the outside to LG. LG NOVA is based in Santa Clara, Calif. The center's mission is to build, nurture and grow innovations that impact the future. Learn more about LG NOVA at www.lgnova.com.   

About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics is a global innovator in technology and consumer electronics with a presence in almost every country and an international workforce of more than 75,000. LG's four companies – Home Appliance & Air Solution, Home Entertainment, Vehicle component Solutions and Business Solutions – combined for global sales of over USD 56 billion in 2020. LG is a leading manufacturer of consumer and commercial products ranging from TVs, home appliances, air solutions, monitors, service robots, automotive components and its premium LG SIGNATURE and intelligent LG ThinQ brands are familiar names world over. Visit www.LGnewsroom.com for the latest news.

SOURCE LG Electronics USA