Paris witnessed a unique fusion of tradition and technology on Sunday as the VivaTech conference spilled out of its usual exhibition halls and onto the iconic Champs-Élysées. Celebrating a decade of innovation, the event transformed a major stretch of the famous avenue into a public playground of the future, attracting several thousand visitors under the hot afternoon sun.
For the first time, the tech show left its base at the Porte de Versailles for a free, open-air festival. The gamble paid off, as both dedicated technophiles and curious passersby answered the call of what organizers described as a “festive and popular foretaste” of the main four-day salon.
A Sunday Stroll Among Humanoids and Holograms
Among the crowd were Jean-Louis and his wife Sylvie, who took a train from Dijon specifically for the event. “I have always loved technology, mechanics, and understanding how everything works,” said the former railway maintenance worker. Their children, Elsa and Julien, who work in Paris, guided them through the exhibits, following the screams and sudden crowd surges that inevitably marked the location of the humanoid robots.
Chinese Robots Steal the Show on Cobblestone
According to the applause meter, the Chinese robots from Unitree crushed the competition. A bipedal robot, piloted by remote control, struggled momentarily for balance on the uneven cobblestones before righting itself and moving to shake hands with amused onlookers.
“It’s impossible for a robot to have that kind of flexibility,” exclaimed one young visitor, filming a robot dog performing a perfect handstand on her smartphone. A more pragmatic visitor, Emmanuelle, who came from Saint-Ouen, questioned its practical use. “I saw it on Facebook and wondered if it had a military purpose. What is this robot actually for?” she asked.
From Algorithmic Scents to Real-Time Translation
Innovation on the avenue was not limited to mechanics. A few meters away, a crowd surrounded the algorithmic perfume lab by Every Human. “I can make a bespoke perfume, seriously?” asked a surprised visitor named Lisa. A demonstrator from the Dutch start-up explained the process: “You need to talk with our perfume assistant as if you were chatting with ChatGPT.” After completing an online questionnaire and paying 15 euros, Lisa left with her personalized vials, freshly mixed by a machine that adds individual droplets of scent.
For Pierre and Sabine, a Parisian couple, the goal was bridging a generation gap. They stopped at the booth for Chinese start-up Rokid to test its connected glasses, which translate 89 languages in real time. “We are looking for a solution to better communicate with our Uruguayan grandchildren, who only speak Spanish,” they explained. While impressed by the speed, Pierre noted a drawback: “I found it difficult to concentrate on the text you have to read quickly. In the end, you stop paying attention to the person you are talking to.”
The Ultimate Testimonial
The day’s most powerful endorsement came from 9-year-old Jules, his PSG cap firmly on his head. He was not disappointed by the virtual reality experience at the stand of the double European champion football club. “I loved everything in the immersion; you see the Champions League trophy and you feel like you are on the stadium pitch,” he beamed, under the proud eye of his tech-loving father. For organizers looking forward to the public day at the main salon next Saturday, his smile was the best possible advertisement.
