At events like IFA Berlin 2024, one of the world’s largest technology events celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, I’m excited to get an early look at the latest technologies that will be available in the coming weeks. Sometimes they will hit the market in a few months, but I’m often fascinated by concept devices that give us a glimpse of what’s to come in a few years.
Lenovo unveiled such a device at this year’s IFA: the Auto Twist AI PC. While you won’t see this laptop in stores next year, I’d be shocked if this technology doesn’t make it into future designs.
What’s so special about the Auto Twist AI PC? The motorized hinge can move the laptop’s display independently based on voice commands or specific settings.
When I spoke to Kevin Beck, senior story technologist at Lenovo, about the laptop, he told Laptop Mag that the motivation for the concept was to explore “what opportunities there are in the area of intelligent automation and AI in the user interaction space.” They developed the automated hinge with two degrees of rotation to focus on three areas: intelligent interaction with natural language, flexibility powered by AI, and improved security. This could have a variety of uses, such as improving accessibility for users who can’t open or interact with their laptop display, improving security by automatically powering off the laptop when you’re away from it for an extended period of time, or simply tracking the user while they’re giving a presentation. A few.
Best of IFA Berlin 2024: Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC
For an early-stage concept, Lenovo’s team has done an impressive job of achieving those goals, which is part of why I came away so impressed. While I’m sure the motor will improve over time to move faster, it worked reliably through our demo session, which included dozens of journalists putting it through its paces.
It also proved very smooth in operation and given how often 2-in-1 laptops have flimsy hinges, it’s impressive to watch the display hold up so firmly as it moves through its various positions or when tracking someone using facial recognition.
written by Sean Riley
