Digital World Tokyo | R&D

Sony company to mass-produce FED displays

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:53:00 GMT

Less than a year after it launched the world's first OLED television - the XEL-1 - Sony is looking to compete with an entirely different line of next-generation displays called FEDs. Sony affiliate Field Emission Technologies is set to begin mass-production of FED (field emission display) panels by the end of next year, according to Japanese media reports. This may be after acquiring Pioneer's plasma factory in western Japan and could see FET taking over some of Pioneer's staff A spokesman for Sony Japan told us, "We are aware that Field Emission Technologies is in negotiation with Pioneer regarding mass-production of field emission displays, however this does not have any implications for Sony's existing relationship with FET." Where the XEL-1 measured just 11 inches across the diagonal, FET is aiming to produce 10,000 26-inch FED panels each year at the plant in Kagoshima. These will be for medical and broadcasting use first, but 60-inch consumer televisions may follow soon after. Sony spun the company off at the end of 2006 and currently owns just under 40 per cent of it. FEDs are more energy efficient and sharper than LCDs, and can be easily built to large sizes, making then ideal alternatives to OLEDs. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Video: The grabbing (robot) hands grab all they can…

Fri, 30 May 2008 01:27:00 GMT

Personally, I think Panasonic's DSM-Hand is cool not because it can grab a glass without either dropping it or breaking it (I can do that sometimes), but because it uses gears instead of motors to drive its joints. Those initials stand for Differential, Shaft and Mechanism, which pretty much spells out how this latex and metal fella does his thing. Whether you like the approach or not YMMV, but see for yourself anyway as demonstrated for me last week by one of the fantastically friendly Panny Center guides. And is she supposed to look so fearful for her glassware?:

Video: Panasonic’s giant surface computer in action

Fri, 30 May 2008 01:20:00 GMT

One other cool thing I saw at the super-funky Panasonic Center last week was the company's take on a wall-mounted surface computer. The dully named Digital Wall might not do multi-touch, but the size of the thing makes it a must-see if you ever get down there. Here's a short, dark-as-hell video, but you get the idea: Update: I've had some emails asking if this is a mock-up or not - it definitely ain't. I was able to take it for a spin after the demo and found it pretty responsive and very impressive. The piano demo included in the kid-themed 'room' is a little weak because it can handle just one input at a time but, apparently, they're working on that.

Spreadable electronics mean OLED TVs may power themselves

Thu, 15 May 2008 01:04:00 GMT

Not satisfied with a future vision that already includes flexible screens and wafer-thin phones, a pair of Japanese companies has pushed the envelope to come up with far-fetched gadgets that do all of the above without ever going near a power socket. The key to the work by Mitsubishi Chemical and Sumitomo Chemical lies in so-called spreadable electronics - liquids containing molecules of the type used in OLED screens. Engineers like Tokitaro Hoshijima at Mitsubishi Chemical see the possibility of using spreadable electronics to create both ultra-thin displays and solar panels at the same time [subscription link]. Because solar cells and OLEDs work on similar, but opposite, principles, it is possible to make materials that both take light and turn it into electricity and also do the opposite to provide a controllable display. Hoshijima and many others are working on a molecular soup that can be spread anywhere and then dried to leave a residue layer that is only 100nm thick. This currently forms the basis for their proposed solar cell. He explains: "What I want to create is a world that does not need power sockets." He goes on to describe how his paste applied to the back of a phone could be enough to charge the device when exposed to light. By the same token, researchers at Sumitomo Chemical have created a similar organic solution that can be sprayed onto a surface to create an OLED screen. Such a display could be on a rollable piece of plastic or even applied directly to a wall. The solar-charging properties described above mean it would never need to be plugged in. Blue-sky projects like these typically take years to bear fruit, but both companies are looking at getting usable prototype devices ready within the next two years. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Biometric face scanner tells identical twins apart

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:13:00 GMT

Should Homer Simpson ever try to smuggle his unqualified identical twin brother into work in his stead, a new biometric identification system that will be used to secure nuclear plants is sure to prompt a "D'oh!" or seven. The technology, which comes from a Japanese firm called Sagawa Advance, is sufficiently accurate to be able to tell identical twins apart - a massive advance on current technologies, which famously can't tell Jessica Alba from a plank of wood. Oh, wait… Anyway, Sagawa's thing uses an infrared scanner to analyse 40,000 data points on a face before comparing the details against a database of people it already knows. If there's no match then access to power plants, medical factories and other sensitive areas is easily denied. Sagawa plans to sell the scanner and database computer set for ¥6 million ($60,000) later this year, with a view to shifting 40 units in its first twelve months. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Japanese RFID tech batters down doors in West

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:51:00 GMT

We recently lifted the lid on just how useful - not to mention pervasive - RFID technology is in Japan, so it's with a glad heart that we bring you news of a move that's sure to help it spread more quickly in the West. The FeliCa RFID technology at the heart of almost all the wireless e-cash and ticketing goodness in Japan looks set to reach North America after Sony announced a new scheme to help companies develop systems there to use it. Sony's FeliCa System Integrator Application Developer (SIAD) program will focus on delivering the know-how gained in Japan through support and training resources to anyone looking to add RFID to their existing businesses. That could be anything from creating a system for cinemas to put movie tickets in their customers' phones to a full-blown e-cash rollout for giant retail chains. Jeff Hilliard, boss of Compudigital, an early SIAD member, spelled out the benefits: "FeliCa technology is on the edge of the technology curve, has unlimited application potential and opens up a whole new world for developers." And, especially, for customers too, he might have added. As the Far-Eastern experience has already shown, once IC chips and their RFID applications open the door to wireless transactions of every kind, there really is no going back. Watch this space. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Electrical eyeballs controlling our gadgets

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:54:00 GMT

The field of disability aids has seen many devices controlled by computers that visually track the eye movements of paralysed people, but none that reads the electricity given off by swiveling eyeballs [subscription link]. Research by NTT DoCoMo Research Laboratories has shown that the human pupil carries a slight positive charge, compared to the more negative white part of the eye. DoCoMo chief scientist Masao Fukumoto explains the seemingly odd phenomenon, saying, "The human eye has the properties of a battery." Measuring how the electrical balance shifts as the eye moves is key to a more accurate eye-based control system. Naturally, a multimedia company (as are all modern phone firms) like DoCoMo has plans beyond creating a disability aid. The Japanese giant plans to build the technology into headphones that can control music players with a mere sideways glance. Just be careful when using them on the late-night bus home. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Mumbling robots more pleasing than the silent type

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:16:00 GMT

Robots are good for plenty of things, but having a meaningless chat generally isn't one of them - something that has to change if a group of Japanese researchers are to be believed. Takayuki Kanda and colleagues at ATR Intelligent Robotics & Communication Labs in Kyoto and Keio and Osaka universities studied how satisfied human volunteers were with the responses of domestic robots. The team found that any delays in responding to spoken commands, such as an order to fetch a nice cup of joe, were tolerated only up to two seconds - anything longer was plain annoying. However, if the robot was able to throw in very human verbal fillers such as "um…" or "well…" during a longer delay, user irritation evaporated and the hold-up went unnoticed. Kanda told us how his team got the idea: "This research started from real needs, where people interacting with our robot lost their motivation to continue talking with it. "This became clearer when we put the robot in the field (a station and a shopping mall) as an explicit information-providing service. The problem for the user was not the fact that he didn't receive a full answer, but the fact that he didn't know whether the robot was working or not." In other words, those seemingly meaningless mumblings actually serve the very important function of letting us know that something, rather than nothing, is going on in the heads of our metal friends. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Display 2008: The e-paper that begs to be caressed (now with added video!)

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:07:01 GMT

One of the more low-key exhibits at the Display 2008 show in Tokyo was a new kind of e-paper that promises an electronic experience far closer to real paper than anything we've seen before. The result of a collaboration between Seiko Epson and E Ink is e-paper that a user can 'draw on' with a stylus, just like its tree-based predecessors. In addition, a super-fast screen refresh of 50 cycles per second removes the lags that plague older e-papers. At the heart of the breakthrough is a new controller chip that allows for speedy, multiple operations with no delay on screens with a resolution up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. The chip will be available to device builders from August. The demonstration we saw was certainly impressive - the screen responded to being scribbled on instantly, resulting in an experience a lot like making notes with a pencil on a book or newspaper. The vid below almost shows all of that Looking to the possible applications of the new e-paper, E Ink's CEO Russ Wilcox said, "With the ability to address many screen regions simultaneously, future devices using this chip could offer a fast menu interface, simple animations, higher grayscale levels and user input through typing and touch." (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Display 2008: The e-paper that begs to be caressed (now with added video)

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:07:00 GMT

Display 2008: E-paper makes move for big time (with video)

Thu, 01 May 2008 23:04:00 GMT

Aside from flashy 3D displays, the other big draw for fans of future tech at Display 2008 in April was electronic paper in at least 57 flavor-packed varieties. The products on show could be split, approximately, into two barely separate categories - those that are already on sale and those that are jockeying for contracts from firms big enough to make or break them. Full range of sizes In the first category come dozens of devices, some of which are surprisingly long-in-the-tooth now. These include Sony's Libirie e-book, the Amazon Kindle and an impressive range of e-paper displays from a Taiwanese firm intended for everything from price tags to e-book readers. Taiwan-based PVI entered the e-paper business in 2005 when it acquired Philips' e-paper division and has made massive strides in building upon that technology, as you can see in the quick and dirty (that means it's crap) vid below. The company's current range of thin, low-power monochrome displays runs from a tiny 1.9-inch e-paper screen intended for gadgets like MP3 players to an impressive 9.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1,200 x 825 pixels made specifically for e-books like the Librie. Card with a view Moving to less obvious applications, another Taiwanese firm, SmartDisplayer, has had the ingenious idea of sticking a tiny e-paper screen in an RFID-toting smartcard. The card has already begun internal trials in trading companies and banks interested in the added layer of security that can be introduced through the simple expedient of having a screen that can display single-use disposable PINs for each transaction. Other possibilities include pill bottles that show countdowns of what to take and when to take it, low-power screens on even the smallest gadgets and even headphones with built-in displays. Where's the FLEPia? Moving on to intriguing ideas that have yet to reach the giddy heights of commercial application, one name keeps coming up when e-paper is mentioned - Fujitsu's FLEPia e-book; one of the few with a color screen. The device itself has been around in prototype form for at least a year and the e-paper in it for two years before that, so we spoke to the company to find out why. According to Utsumi Kiyoshi, retail director at Fujitsu Frontech, there has been one major hurdle all along. He told us: "Cost is still a problem - we can deliver samples of the 8-inch FLEPia, but that still costs ¥200,000 for two (£1,000). We aim to get that down to ¥40,000 (£200) each by the time we actually sell it." (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Display 2008: 3D displays dump the silly glasses

Thu, 01 May 2008 22:46:00 GMT

Flat-panel displays are so mainstream these days they have an entire massive exhibition dedicated to them - the Display Expo in Tokyo. That's where the technologies we're likely to see in the shops over the next few years get an early airing, and we were there last month. Gaining most attention at Display 2008 were a smattering of 3D displays, including a few that might make it to our living rooms before long. No glasses on us The biggest attention seeker of the lot was a small US firm called NewSight Corporation, which had a constant throng of visitors clamouring to see its 3D displays. The reason for the fuss was simple - unlike competitors, such as the Hyundai set we saw recently, NewSight's MultiView technology shows straight-up simulated three-dimensional video without the need for glasses. The company's Kiyoto Kanda explained the appeal: "Our screens can be seen in full 3D with the naked eye because there's no need for special glasses. That's important in advertising - imagine having to hand out glasses to people in the street just so they could see an advert; it's impossible." Future of commerce Next-generation advertising, or digital signage, is where NewSight is currently concentrating its range of MultiView displays. They run from an 8.4-inch mini display right up to an eye-catching 57-incher that costs around £12,500. At the Tokyo show, the 57-inch screen was filled with images of Budweiser bottles in the hands of bikini models shaking them and seductively spraying their contents directly out of the screen at viewers, so it's clear where such riots of 3D colour will end up - bars and restaurants. However, as Kanda explained, there is hope for the home user. "We will develop screens for 3D home theatre in the near future," he said. "It just depends on the broadcasters - if they want to convert old 3D content to our system (and we can handle any format) we'll meet the demand for screens." (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Smaller hydrogen pumps mean more fuel-cell cars

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:30:01 GMT

Alternative fuel is all very well, but it's pretty damn hopeless, regardless of good intentions, when all you can get on Main Street is regular gasoline by the liter. Realising the problem of not having a supply infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles in place, Tokyo Gas and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have come up with a much smaller hydrogen pump that should make it simpler to fit out normal gas stations [subscription required]. The new separation devices generate the hydrogen from normal city gas and water vapor using alloy membranes as filters instead of by the older method of purifying hydrogen. This lends itself to equipment that is small enough to go mainstream. Previous attempts managed to get the gear down to the size of a bus, whereas the new pumps are closer in size to a large car and, therefore, far more likely to be adopted. Naturally, the two companies hope that there technique will help fuel suppliers take the plunge, which will, in turn, make consumers more confident about switching to cleaner vehicles. (Crossposted to TechRadar; Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Smaller hydrogen pumps mean more fuel-cell cars

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:30:00 GMT

Alternative fuel is all very well, but it's pretty damn hopeless, regardless of good intentions, when all you can get on the High Street is regular gasoline by the liter. Realising the problem of not having a supply infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles in place, Tokyo Gas and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have come up with a much smaller hydrogen pump that should make it simpler to fit out normal gas stations [subscription required]. The new separation devices generate the hydrogen from normal city gas and water vapor using alloy membranes as filters instead of by the older method of purifying hydrogen. This lends itself to equipment that is small enough to go mainstream. Previous attempts managed to get the gear down to the size of a bus, whereas the new pumps are closer in size to a large car and, therefore, far more likely to be adopted. Naturally, the two companies hope that there technique will help fuel suppliers take the plunge, which will, in turn, make consumers more confident about switching to cleaner vehicles. (Crossposted to TechRadar; Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Video: World’s first full-size e-paper newspaper

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Ever wondered what we'll all be reading on the hover bus in The Future? Wonder no more and instead enjoy the marvel that is Bridgestone's full-size steam-powered electronic newspaper. Feel your mind boggle as it turns its own e-paper pages in a mere 15 seconds. Aw, just watch the thing, ok?

Oki stretches gigabit-class fat data pipe to infinity

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:07:00 GMT

Most of the breakthroughs in high-speed data connections that we hear about are of purely theoretical value in the short term, but Oki Japan seems set to buck the trend by committing to making its latest technology commercial in the near future. The company's success in creating a 160Gbps optical connection over several hundred kilometers has led it to promise it will be "commercialized in 2010 or after". Other fat data pipes have been shown to carry gigabit-class data, but Oki's method is different in that it can sustain the throughput over virtually unlimited distances. The key lies in something called optically regenerated transmission, a technology that prevents signal degradation with distance. Conventional methods for long-distance connections require optical amplifiers every 50 to 100km. These convert optical signals first into electrical pulses and then back again, which is needed to correct signal and timing distortions. Oki's new approach cuts out the conversion phase and keeps the entire process optical, thereby allowing a theoretical maximum speed of 200Gbps. With an eye on headlines, the company says its new data hose can supply the equivalent of four full movies every second, although any commercialization will, of course, not involve domestic consumers at first. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Oki stretches gigabit-class fat data pipe to infinity

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:07:00 GMT

Most of the breakthroughs in high-speed data connections that we hear about are of purely theoretical value in the short term, but Oki Japan seems set to buck the trend by committing to making its latest technology commercial in the near future. The company's success in creating a 160Gbps optical connection over several hundred kilometers has led it to promise it will be "commercialized in 2010 or after�?. Other fat data pipes have been shown to carry gigabit-class data, but Oki's method is different in that it can sustain the throughput over virtually unlimited distances. The key lies in something called optically regenerated transmission, a technology that prevents signal degradation with distance. Conventional methods for long-distance connections require optical amplifiers every 50 to 100km. These convert optical signals first into electrical pulses and then back again, which is needed to correct signal and timing distortions. Oki's new approach cuts out the conversion phase and keeps the entire process optical, thereby allowing a theoretical maximum speed of 200Gbps. With an eye on headlines, the company says its new data hose can supply the equivalent of four full movies every second, although any commercialization will, of course, not involve domestic consumers at first. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Sexing-up obscures really useful stuff in favour of cheap headlines

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:09:00 GMT

Call us cynical, but it's a sad world when a researcher has to sex up (eg, above pic) his work by linking it to 'cool' things like iPods before it gets any press attention. Osaka University's Kazuhiro Taniguchi has done precisely that, presumably to get some coverage of his new electronic control mechanism that, like his previous teeth-clenching device, is clearly intended for use by paralyzed people. We're told the blink-based system is all about controlling an iPod hands free - blink once with both eyes to start playing, use just the right eye to skip forward, but the real applications are far more interesting. People locked into full-body paralysis would almost certainly get a lot more out of such a technique for controlling wheelchairs, computers and even something as mundane as a TV set. Sadly, that's not very appealing news to the mainstream, so the innovative tech gets hung on a peg next to that underpowered white music player and its owner's skateboard and MacBook Air. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Sexing-up obscures really useful stuff in favour of cheap headlines

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:09:00 GMT

Cholera, ‘flu and many more diseases tackled by eating rice

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:17:00 GMT

A seemingly bizarre experiment in genetically engineering plants has come up with a strain of rice that could make vaccination injections a thing of the past. Researchers working at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science are working with experts in the fields of drugs, agrobiology and genetics to change the makeup of rice to include cholera proteins. When the rice is fed to laboratory mice, it causes them to develop antibodies to cholera in the same way a standard vaccination would work. The implications - if the team can increase the load to a level suitable for humans - are that important drugs could be delivered easily in rice that can be cooked and eaten, instead of having to be transported carefully and distributed like traditional medicines. Other diseases are also being tackled, as are other foodstuffs. So far, these include influenza vaccines in rice and anti-cancer interferon drugs carried by strawberries. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Cholera, ‘flu and many more diseases tackled by eating rice

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 06:17:00 GMT

E-paper advertising in the wild in Tokyo

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:58:01 GMT

Now that it's all grown up and mature, electronic paper is stating to get out a bit more and enjoy life - its latest sortie sees it appearing on train station ticket gates as a variety of advertising posters. The trial scheme is being conducted - where else? - in Japan by Fujitsu, Hitachi and the marketing arm of the JR East railway company. From Monday, commuters at Ebisu station in central Tokyo will be exposed to the results. The Fujitsu-Hitachi e-paper ads appear at two spots on the automatic ticket barriers in the station, displaying adverts that change every six minutes on a feed from a networked PC. Each can display 512 colors, measures 21 x 10.5cm and has a resolution of 800 x 400 pixels. The wide viewing angle and low power requirements of e-paper - it consumes electricity only when the display changes - seem certain to guarantee it a place in the advertising firmament if the trial goes well, so look out for some animated ads at a station near you soon. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

E-paper advertising in the wild in Tokyo

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:58:01 GMT

Thinner TVs are helping to save the planet

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:31:00 GMT

One welcome side-effect of the new breed of ultra-thin TVs has come to light in a recent report from Hitachi Japan - apparently, they're better for the environment. Speaking of plans for its television division [PDF link], the company disclosed that it has assigned 40 engineers to work on reducing the power consumed by plasma sets over the next year and a half. The facts that thinner TVs need to run cooler than chubbier models so they don't overheat and that plasma panels don't need a backlight will combine to cut the power demands of future models. Incidentally, Hitachi also disclosed its TV roadmap, indicating that it will slim plasma TVs down to around 10mm between 2010 and 2012. The same period will also see it introduce 15mm-thick LCD sets, with the plan stating that 15mm is as thin as LCD can get because of the need to build in a backlight. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Airport porter revealed as bag-fondling robot

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:17:00 GMT

If you happen to stop over at Kita Kyushu airport in the southwest of Japan this month, don't be surprised if the porter offering to carry your bags is a four-foot green chap with an oddly metallic voice. RoboPorter is currently being tested at the regional airport by Yaskawa Electric for a few hours each afternoon. As you'll see from the photo gallery over at Japanese site Robot Watch, the machine looks something like a tiny flatbed truck and includes a screen that serves as its human face. Operation is pretty simple - a would-be user simply approaches the robot and tells it orally where to take the bag he's just handed over. There's a touch-screen with a map of the facilities as an alternative. The machine can handle up to 50kg of luggage per trip and can also dispense information about the airport. As the range of destinations is limited to the bus stops or taxi ranks, it's clear this is a work in progress but at least RoboPorter isn't going to hustle arriving tourists for tips or send them to its pal's taxi for a 'special' fare into town. (Crossposted to TechRadar)