This is how the LG smartwatch that controls Audi cars looks like

It seemed like any other watch, or at least similar to those that can already be found on the market. But no. The mysterious clock that was wearing at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2015 Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development of Audi, was an LG model, which can be used as a mechanism to unlock the car remotely.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg wearing the watch

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg wearing the watch

With a peculiar spherical aspect, the ‘wearable’ device, whose price and date of release remain unknown, works with the WebOS operating system, although it has not been confirmed yet what vehicle functions will be able to be used.

This watch uses NFC connectivity (Near Field Communication) and it is sensed that could keep running even if it runs out of battery and also could allow a SIM card, so it could be directly connected to mobile networks, as some specialized media disclosed.

The smartwach from close

The smartwach from close

This device could be the catapult for the South Korean firm to start developing other ‘wearable’ devices under its own operating system, a move that is also sought meanwhile by its rival Samsung with Tizen and thus shift its excessive dependence on Google platforms (Android and Android Wear).