Press Release
SoftBank Focuses On The Layout Of The Metaverse With AOS To Create A Brand-New Future
Recently, Softbank Ventures Asia publicly announced that it has begun to focus on Metaverse and invested in the AOS project. It will cooperate with AOS to connect and integrate more Metaverses in AI, NFT, robotics, and other fields, and carry the development of large-scale killer applications.
The enthusiastic investment in Metaverse has not subsided, but it has risen again. The technology giants have all entered the Metaverse. Facebook plans to fully transform into Metaverse before 2025, and will set up a product team to accelerate investment in VR/AR and the creator community; Bytedance, which has always believed in Striving for Miracles, merged Mutong Technology for 4 billion USD, and begin to lay out the Metaverse; Axie Infinity builds NFT games based on the Metaverse, subverting the traditional game mode and becoming a phenomenon-level game product; miHOYO, the developer of “Genshin Impact”, formed an AI scientist inverse entropy team, and self-developed Avatar Luming to explore the brain-computer interface. Through investment, miHOYO has successfully deployed the social Metaverse Soul; the Internet industry is renewing and iterating rapidly, and companies need to attach importance to meet unknown concepts and challenges or be left behind by the times.
In the Metaverse era, everything has virtual avatars. The concept of Metaverse seems to be still in the mist today, but the prelude to the new era has been opened, and it is closer than you think.
The popularization of the term Metaverse was cited from the novel Avalanche by American science fiction writer Neil Stephenson in 1992. In his book, he used the word Metaverse for the first time without foundation and described it as a parallel universe projected from the real world through technical means such as the Internet. However, anyone who has watched the movie “Ready Player One” by the great director Steven Spielberg should probably understand this concept. Like the “Oasis” in the movie, the company has created a realistic virtual world outside of the real world. Every player in the real world has another identity in the virtual world, establishes another social circle, and leads another life. Although the Metaverse is only a virtual world, its immersion is so vivid that you will think it is the real world and enjoy life in this new world.
AOS (Artificial Intelligence Operating System) is the first operating system developed by Canada Unicorn Park, based on the underlying blockchain technology to connect the Metaverse. By building a Metaverse bridge online, and using robots as an intelligent carrier offline to build an ecosystem between Metaverses and provide a new experience for integration with Metaverse and the real world.
Based on AOS, users could create an AI NFT that has autonomous consciousness and advanced self-learning capability; And it also gets influenced by the distributed personality database on the chain to build character, and gradually complete neural network-style self-learning and improvements. Most of all, the distributed character database is based on the “Book of Changes” and appropriately constructs the character of AI; users can inject their favorite characters, personalities, voices, etc., into their own AI NFT, and tame it to learn more skills. AOS encourages users to integrate more characters and personalities, combined with NFT to create different artistic values. The custom AI itself has NFT attributes. Users can customize the appearance of AI on the network, and can also authorize access to a third-party character customization system, such as specific character images and voices, and third-party NFT star voices and appearances, packaged in the form of NFT used for trading and collection.
AOS connects the first-generation physical carrier, the AI four-wheel driving robot Mars_1 with the Metaverse and the real world, creating a new user experience.
Mars_1 is a highly integrated artificial intelligence robot product. Its appearance is in the form of a four-legged driving robot dog. It adopts an original five-layer motion control technology and several technical indicators are in a leading position in the global industry. Mars_1 has integrated the Internet of Things, 5G, virtual reality/augmented reality, intelligent driving, swarm intelligence, and other technologies. Mars_1 will obey commands and gradually be closer to a dog and then become to a good assistant to humankind.
On the road to the Metaverse, AOS always hopes to leave a strong and colorful stroke in its own way. Connect the Metaverse through AI and map out the experience and lifestyle of the future. For the world that people dream of, high-intelligence AI coupled with linkage with robots will be an indispensable component of this era. As the aboriginal and basic units of the Metaverse, these virtual species based on AOS will continue to establish connections with us beyond human beings in the infinite space and time of the future, transcending the fetters of races.
Sun Zhengyi believes: “We are about to experience the biggest change in human history. AI will eventually replace human beings. This is not only reflected in knowledge but also in intelligence. This change will happen in this century, and then in the next 30 years, there is no doubt that our focus is on AI, intelligent robots, and the IOTs.” Based on this analysis and judgment, SoftBank has frequently carried out large-scale layouts in the fields of AI, intelligent robots, and IOTs. Start from all aspects to create a powerful robot empire. Today, SoftBank’s industries have completed the layout of the future of the new Internet field as Sun Zhengyi said in the past, and completed more than half of the investment of unicorn companies on a global scale, laying a foundation for the subsequent development of the IOTs in the world.
As a world-renowned “Animation Kingdom”, Japan has an irreplaceable influence in the global animation field. After half a century of development, the Japanese animation industry has formed an extremely large system, making Japan the world’s largest animation production and exporting country, and it also around animation IP to derive cultural and creative products, such as GK. With the development of smart technology, they also work hard in the direction of intelligence for GK. Headquartered in Japan, SoftBank has a unique geographical location and is deeply immersed in Japanese IP culture. This collaboration with AOS will further promote the combination of the GK industry and the AIindustry, and provide AOS with a steady stream of IP resources. Users’ favorite characters such as Luffy, Conan, Sailor Moon, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Inuyasha, etc., can inject their image and personality into AI to create your smart figure. Each AI figure is a unique individual, and different parameters also create different expressions and styles. At the same time, when users have more exchanges with AI, they will gradually become familiar with the user’s temper and preferences and adjust their apparent personality in real-time and dynamically making it infinitely close to the form that we want to see eventually.
The product made by a single company is not enough to be called a Metaverse but constitutes an ecological system. With the deep participation of users, if it is successful in collective efforts to build a more interoperable system, and it can be transformed into different layers, then it should be called a Metaverse. AOS is committed to becoming the link between the physical world and the virtual world, as a bridge between various Metaverses to connect the Metaverse and continue to build a new Metaverse ecology. This will be the top priority in the next stage of the development of the Internet after the mobile Internet.
What kind of world will mankind be in the future? SoftBank Asia and AOS have worked together because of the same concept for Metaverse and jointly created such a grand concept, standing at the forefront of the Metaverse economic tide, seizing opportunities, embracing the new future, and believing that with their win-win cooperation, they will give a perfect answer for the world.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
The brand holds about 60 percent of the country’s pod system market and around 80 percent of its German shipments are in reusable formats, with four products honoured this year by the German Design Award and the CMF Design Awards
United States, 1st Jun 2026, –
Global vape brand ELFBAR today set out how its German business has shifted toward reusable pod systems over the past several product cycles, following recognition of four of its products by the German Design Award and the International CMF Design Awards in 2026.
The two juries honoured the ELFX Mini, the ELFX 2, the ELFA Master Stein and the ELFA pod system. The group together accounts for a meaningful share of ELFBAR’s German sales. The German Design Award is organised by the German Design Council. The International CMF Design Awards evaluates excellence in colour, material and finish. ELFA Master Stein and ELFX Mini are now available in Germany.
What the data shows
According to internal company data, ELFBAR holds about 60 percent of the German pod system category. That makes it the largest player in the country’s largest vape submarket. Prefilled and refillable products — the ELFX and ELFA pod systems and the ELFLIQ e-liquid range — make up roughly 80 percent of the company’s shipments to Germany. Single-use formats, once a defining part of the category, no longer drive the brand’s German business.
The product mix has shifted gradually rather than overnight. The change reflects deliberate prioritisation inside the company: ELFBAR has steadily reduced the share of single-use formats in its German offer and reinvested behind devices that can be refilled, recharged and serviced over a longer life.
Design language
The shift toward reusable formats has been accompanied by a change in how ELFBAR’s products look and feel. The ELFX and ELFA series — including the four products honoured this year — share a quieter design vocabulary than the bright single-use silhouettes that defined the category’s earliest growth. Colour palettes are subdued. Casings are contoured for one-handed use. Materials are selected for grip and longevity. Branding is small.
“Good design should feel confident, not loud,” said Becky Liu, Head of Industrial Design at ELFBAR. “With ELFX and ELFA, we focus on a clean-cut form, precision, and a calm material touch-feel to bring an elegant and intuitive user experience.”
That visual approach has now been independently endorsed. The German Design Award named the ELFX Mini and the ELFA Master Stein as 2026 winners. The CMF Design Awards recognised both the ELFA Master Stein and the ELFX 2. The combined recognition applies standards normally used to assess mainstream consumer electronics to a category that has historically been judged on different terms.
The reusable approach in practice
ELFBAR describes its reusable design approach in three working principles, drawn from how the products are engineered and sold rather than from marketing language.
The first is that components are designed to be replaceable. Pods, cartridges and, in some models, batteries can be exchanged so that the body of the device stays in use beyond the life of any single consumable.
The second is that everyday friction is engineered out of the product. Visible e-liquid windows, magnetically secured cartridges, structured status displays and adjustable airflow and power settings are integrated to reduce small daily annoyances that often push users back to single-use products.
The third is that safety features are built into the cartridge. The ELFX POD 2.0 generation, which launches with ELFX 2 in Germany in June 2026, adds a child lock, an upgraded airway for richer flavour, and a 5A leakproof system designed to contain e-liquid during everyday use.
The regulatory backdrop
The shift inside ELFBAR’s German business has played out against a broader change in European regulation. National-level restrictions on disposable products, higher expectations around packaging and e-waste, and closer scrutiny of product safety have all put pressure on bright, short-lived devices. Brands able to demonstrate genuine reusability, supported by replaceable components, accessible spare parts and durable design, are increasingly separated by retailers and regulators from those that cannot.
ELFBAR’s German position is being treated inside the company as a test case for how the rest of its European business will be structured. The plan is to introduce the award-winning ELFX and ELFA designs to additional European markets in due course, with ELFX 2 leading the next wave from Germany in June 2026.
— ENDS —
About ELFBAR
ELFBAR is a pioneer in the global vaping industry. Since its inception in 2018, it has been providing a distinct and diverse vaping experience with innovation at its core. ELFBAR stays committed to youth access prevention and sustainable growth as a leading brand favoured and used by tens of millions of adult smokers and ex-smokers worldwide as an alternative to smoking. For more information, please visit elfbar.de.
Media Contact
Organization: HG INNOVATION LIMITED
Contact
Person: Media Relations
Website:
https://www.elfbar.de/
Email:
marketing@elfbar.de
Country:United States
The post
ELFBAR’s German Business Is Now Built Around Reusable Pod Systems appeared first on
Brand News 24.
It is provided by a third-party content
provider. Brand News 24 makes no
warranties or representations in connection with it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
The brand holds about 60 percent of the country’s pod system market and around 80 percent of its German shipments are in reusable formats, with four products honoured this year by the German Design Award and the CMF Design Awards
United States, 1st Jun 2026, –
Global vape brand ELFBAR today set out how its German business has shifted toward reusable pod systems over the past several product cycles, following recognition of four of its products by the German Design Award and the International CMF Design Awards in 2026.
The two juries honoured the ELFX Mini, the ELFX 2, the ELFA Master Stein and the ELFA pod system. The group together accounts for a meaningful share of ELFBAR’s German sales. The German Design Award is organised by the German Design Council. The International CMF Design Awards evaluates excellence in colour, material and finish. ELFA Master Stein and ELFX Mini are now available in Germany.
What the data shows
According to internal company data, ELFBAR holds about 60 percent of the German pod system category. That makes it the largest player in the country’s largest vape submarket. Prefilled and refillable products — the ELFX and ELFA pod systems and the ELFLIQ e-liquid range — make up roughly 80 percent of the company’s shipments to Germany. Single-use formats, once a defining part of the category, no longer drive the brand’s German business.
The product mix has shifted gradually rather than overnight. The change reflects deliberate prioritisation inside the company: ELFBAR has steadily reduced the share of single-use formats in its German offer and reinvested behind devices that can be refilled, recharged and serviced over a longer life.
Design language
The shift toward reusable formats has been accompanied by a change in how ELFBAR’s products look and feel. The ELFX and ELFA series — including the four products honoured this year — share a quieter design vocabulary than the bright single-use silhouettes that defined the category’s earliest growth. Colour palettes are subdued. Casings are contoured for one-handed use. Materials are selected for grip and longevity. Branding is small.
“Good design should feel confident, not loud,” said Becky Liu, Head of Industrial Design at ELFBAR. “With ELFX and ELFA, we focus on a clean-cut form, precision, and a calm material touch-feel to bring an elegant and intuitive user experience.”
That visual approach has now been independently endorsed. The German Design Award named the ELFX Mini and the ELFA Master Stein as 2026 winners. The CMF Design Awards recognised both the ELFA Master Stein and the ELFX 2. The combined recognition applies standards normally used to assess mainstream consumer electronics to a category that has historically been judged on different terms.
The reusable approach in practice
ELFBAR describes its reusable design approach in three working principles, drawn from how the products are engineered and sold rather than from marketing language.
The first is that components are designed to be replaceable. Pods, cartridges and, in some models, batteries can be exchanged so that the body of the device stays in use beyond the life of any single consumable.
The second is that everyday friction is engineered out of the product. Visible e-liquid windows, magnetically secured cartridges, structured status displays and adjustable airflow and power settings are integrated to reduce small daily annoyances that often push users back to single-use products.
The third is that safety features are built into the cartridge. The ELFX POD 2.0 generation, which launches with ELFX 2 in Germany in June 2026, adds a child lock, an upgraded airway for richer flavour, and a 5A leakproof system designed to contain e-liquid during everyday use.
The regulatory backdrop
The shift inside ELFBAR’s German business has played out against a broader change in European regulation. National-level restrictions on disposable products, higher expectations around packaging and e-waste, and closer scrutiny of product safety have all put pressure on bright, short-lived devices. Brands able to demonstrate genuine reusability, supported by replaceable components, accessible spare parts and durable design, are increasingly separated by retailers and regulators from those that cannot.
ELFBAR’s German position is being treated inside the company as a test case for how the rest of its European business will be structured. The plan is to introduce the award-winning ELFX and ELFA designs to additional European markets in due course, with ELFX 2 leading the next wave from Germany in June 2026.
— ENDS —
About ELFBAR
ELFBAR is a pioneer in the global vaping industry. Since its inception in 2018, it has been providing a distinct and diverse vaping experience with innovation at its core. ELFBAR stays committed to youth access prevention and sustainable growth as a leading brand favoured and used by tens of millions of adult smokers and ex-smokers worldwide as an alternative to smoking. For more information, please visit elfbar.de.
Media Contact
Organization: HG INNOVATION LIMITED
Contact
Person: Media Relations
Website:
https://www.elfbar.de/
Email:
marketing@elfbar.de
Country:United States
The post
ELFBAR’s German Business Is Now Built Around Reusable Pod Systems appeared first on
Brand News 24.
It is provided by a third-party content
provider. Brand News 24 makes no
warranties or representations in connection with it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Reusable device debuts with the new ELFX POD 2.0 generation, featuring a child lock, an upgraded airway and a 5A leakproof system
United States, 1st Jun 2026, –
Global vape brand ELFBAR will launch the ELFX 2, a reusable pod system already honoured by the International CMF Design Awards, in Germany in June 2026. The device will be the first in the company’s lineup to ship with the new ELFX POD 2.0 cartridge generation, which adds three upgrades focused on safety, flavour delivery and leakage protection.
ELFX 2 will go on sale through ELFBAR’s authorised retail and online channels. Specific on-sale dates, pricing and full channel availability will be confirmed closer to launch. The product is intended for adult smokers and ex-smokers as an alternative to combustible tobacco.
What is new in ELFX POD 2.0
The ELFX POD 2.0 cartridge generation ships standard with ELFX 2 in Germany and changes three things from the prior generation.
The first is a child lock. The dedicated locking mechanism is designed to make unintended activation by a child significantly less likely. The feature reflects ELFBAR’s youth access prevention commitments and aligns with European regulatory expectations around pod-level safety engineering.
The second is an upgraded internal airway. The redesigned airflow path is tuned for more consistent flavour expression across the life of the pod. This is an area where adult users moving from disposable to reusable formats have historically reported the largest gap.
The third is a 5A leakproof system. The architecture is intended to keep e-liquid contained during everyday pocket carry, temperature change and travel. Leakage has been one of the most common complaints across the wider pod system category, and addressing it has been a focus of ELFBAR’s engineering team for the past two product cycles.
The device itself
ELFX 2 is a reusable device with a refillable architecture, a rechargeable battery and replaceable pods. Its physical design earned the CMF Design Award earlier this year, in a cycle that also recognised the ELFA Master Stein. Sister product ELFX Mini, alongside the ELFA Master Stein, won the German Design Award in the same year. ELFA Master Stein and ELFX Mini are now available in Germany.
The casing is contoured for one-handed grip. The colour palette is subdued and the material finish is low-gloss. Pods are held in place magnetically and click into position without alignment effort. The e-liquid window keeps refill timing intuitive. The status display communicates battery and pod state at a glance. Airflow and power settings can be adjusted by the user.
“Good design should feel confident, not loud,” said Becky Liu, Head of Industrial Design at ELFBAR. “With ELFX and ELFA, we focus on a clean-cut form, precision, and a calm material touch-feel to bring an elegant and intuitive user experience.”
Why Germany first
Germany is ELFBAR’s largest European market. The company reports a 60 percent share of the country’s pod system category, based on internal data. Prefilled and refillable products — including the ELFX and ELFA pod systems and the ELFLIQ e-liquid range — make up roughly 80 percent of its German shipments. The country has also been the first market to receive several previous ELFBAR product introductions, and the company’s local distribution footprint is the deepest of any of its European markets.
The June launch puts ELFX 2 into German retail at the same moment that European regulators are tightening rules on disposable formats and packaging waste. Reusable pod systems with replaceable components are increasingly being treated by retailers as a separate product category from disposable vapes, and ELFX 2 is positioned within that distinction.
European rollout to follow
ELFX 2 will be the lead product in ELFBAR’s broader European introduction of the award-winning ELFX and ELFA designs. Subsequent market launches will follow Germany in waves. Dates, pricing and channel partners will be communicated market by market.
— ENDS —
About ELFBAR
ELFBAR is a pioneer in the global vaping industry. Since its inception in 2018, it has been providing a distinct and diverse vaping experience with innovation at its core. ELFBAR stays committed to youth access prevention and sustainable growth as a leading brand favoured and used by tens of millions of adult smokers and ex-smokers worldwide as an alternative to smoking. For more information, please visit elfbar.de.
Media Contact
Organization: HG INNOVATION LIMITED
Contact
Person: Media Relations
Website:
https://www.elfbar.de/
Email:
marketing@elfbar.de
Country:United States
The post
ELFBAR to Launch Award-Winning ELFX 2 Pod System in Germany in June 2026 appeared first on
Brand News 24.
It is provided by a third-party content
provider. Brand News 24 makes no
warranties or representations in connection with it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
ELFBAR’s German Business Is Now Built Around Reusable Pod Systems
ELFBAR’s German Business Is Now Built Around Reusable Pod Systems
ELFBAR to Launch Award-Winning ELFX 2 Pod System in Germany in June 2026
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