Fujitsu develops world's fastest processor

TOKYO — Fujitsu Ltd said Wednesday that it has successfully developed the world’s fastest supercomputer processing unit with more than twice the speed of the current leader.

A new central processing unit, or CPU, prototype successfully computed at 128 billion times per second—beating the current record, held by Intel Corp, by 2.5 times, company spokesman Masao Sakamoto said.

The company shrunk the size of each central circuit, thus doubling the number of circuits per chip, he said. The prototype is also energy-efficient and was able to cut power consumption to one-third of the conventional Fujitsu model.

Fujitsu aims to put the new CPU, with a code name “Venus,” into practical application in supercomputers “within several years,” Sakamoto said.

Computer makers, including IBM Corp, Cray Inc and Intel, have been competing to develop a faster CPU.

JapanToday.

Fujitsu develops world's fastest CPU for 1st time in 10 yrs

May. 13 TOKYO, Japan

Photo shows a board filled with the world's fastest central processing units, which have been developed by Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. The new CPU, called Venus, runs 2.5 times faster than that of rival Intel Corp., which has taken the lead in speed, according to company officials. (Kyodo)

Why veins could replace fingerprints and retinas as most secure form of ID

Forget fingerprinting. Companies in Europe have begun to roll out an advanced biometric system from Japan that identifies people from the unique patterns of veins inside their fingers.

Finger vein authentication, introduced widely by Japanese banks in the last two years, is claimed to be the fastest and most secure biometric method. Developed by Hitachi, it verifies a person's identity based on the lattice work of minute blood vessels under the skin.

TimesOnline

Honda shows wearable device that helps you walk

TOKYO —

Imagine a bicycle seat connected by mechanical frames to a pair of shoes for an idea of how the new wearable assisted-walking gadget from Honda works.

The experimental device, unveiled Friday, is designed to support bodyweight, reduce stress on the knees and help people get up steps and stay in crouching positions.

Honda envisions the device being used by workers at auto or other factories. It showed a video of Honda employees wearing the device and bending to peer underneath vehicles on an assembly line.

Engineer Jun Ashihara also said the machine is useful for people standing in long lines and for people who run around to make deliveries.

“This should be as easy to use as a bicycle,” Ashihara said at Honda’s Tokyo headquarters. “It reduces stress, and you should feel less tired.”

Read on at Japan Today.

Japanese researchers make brain tissues from stem cells

Japanese researchers have succeeded in creating a cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in thinking and motion, from embryonic stem cells, providing hope for future treatment of brain-related diseases.

The process using embryonic stem cells, which can change into various other types of cells, was successfully carried out by Yoshiki Sasai and Mototsugu Eiraku, of the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe.

The cortex remained undeveloped, equivalent to that of a fetus, but it's the first time that researchers have ever created brain tissue involving different cell types, rather than single brain cells.

Researchers hope that the process will shed light on the how illnesses like Alzheimer's disease work and how they can be cured, as well as leading to treatments to lessen the aftereffects of strokes.

continue reading at mainichi.jp

Tomy unveils world's tiniest, thumb-sized walking robot

Toymaker Tomy Co unveiled Saturday the world’s tiniest, thumb-sized walking robot that will debut in Japan next spring. The two-legged toy, dubbed ‘‘Robo-Q,’’ is only 3.4 centimeters high, but its artificial intelligence can detect obstacles and navigate through a maze using built in infrared sensors. Using a controller, it can also play games like soccer.

Robo-Q is being displayed at a three-day exhibition in Yokohama through Monday, where more than 100 different types of robots are being showcased by a total of 43 companies, universities and organizations, including Honda Motor Co and Fujitsu Ltd. ‘‘It just looks like a clump, but it’s impressive that so many functions are built into that thing,’’ Kazuhiko Oda, 55, from Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, said after watching an exhibition of Robo-Q at the Robo Japan 2008. Robo-Q comes in four colors and will be sold in Japan from around February for 3,500 yen excluding tax. The robot is expected to be sold in other Asian countries soon afterwards and in the United States and Europe at an unspecified date, Tomy officials said.

JapanToday.

Electronic display instantly identifies customer's sex, age range

TOKYO —

NEC Corp says it has developed a new plasma display that can instantly identify people’s sex or age range and target them with advertisements to suit them. The 50-inch (127-cm) display is being demonstrated at an annual festival in Tokyo run by Fuji Television network. The event, which runs through Aug 31, drew more than four million visitors last summer.

A camera on top of the display recognizes on-the-spot the age and sex of viewers who are standing in front of it.

If the device finds viewers are predominantly female in their 20s, it will show cute miscellaneous items sold by Fuji Television for young women or an NEC cell phone designed for the demographic.

“Conventional advertisements may show cell phones for young women to men over 60,” said Hiroshi Takahashi at NEC’s solution business promotion division.

“Changing advertising products in accordance with the viewer would bring advertising closer to the purchaser,” he said.

The system is presented as entertainment at the Fuji event, with visitors knowing they are being watched, Takahashi said.

But the system is seen as having growth potential as companies struggle to win the attention of customers who are increasingly bombarded by advertisements throughout the day.

Those who are interested in what is being advertised can hold their cell phones over a special device, which feeds them a URL link, coupons and other information on the products.

Advertisers can tell whether the promotion has been effective by checking whether viewers visited their stores or made purchases.

JapanToday.

Matsushita Electric develops new lighting device

OSAKA —Matsushita Electric Works Ltd said Tuesday it has developed the world’s first device that can emit light efficiently without harmful mercury and a gas-discharging process used for conventional fluorescent lamps. Theoretically, the new light would be 50% brighter than a conventional fluorescent lamp while consuming the same amount of electricity, the company said.

Read other half of article at JapanToday.

Pioneer Develops World's First 16-Layer Optical Disc; Big Step Toward Future Large-Capacity Archive System

Tokyo, July 7, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - Pioneer Corporation has succeeded in developing a 16-layer read-only optical disc with a capacity of 400 gigabytes for the first time in the world*. Its per-layer capacity is 25 gigabytes, which is the same as that of a Blu-ray Disc (BD). This multilayer technology will also be applicable to multilayer recordable discs. This development has bolstered Pioneer's confidence in the feasibility of a large-capacity optical disc, which is expected to become necessary in the near future.

Read on at JCN.

Nissan charged up on electric vehicles as the company's zero-emissions strategy (EV's YAY!)

TOKYO —Nissan is rapidly forging deals with cities and governments on electric vehicles as soaring gas prices and worries about global warming make the green technology surprisingly appealing, a senior executive said Wednesday.

While other car manufacturers are concentrating on fuel cells and hybrids, Tokyo-based Nissan Motor Co is going all out on electric vehicles, promising to mass-market the emissions-free cars globally in 2012, with the first models arriving in Japan and the U.S. in 2010.

“We are feeling more strongly than ever that we must speed up our development of electric vehicles,” said Nissan Senior Vice President Minoru Shinohara.

Continue reading at JapanToday.

Honda's All-New 2009 Acura TL to Debut This Fall

Torrance, Ca., July 11, 2008 (JCN) - Honda's all-new, completely redesigned 2009 Acura TL employs dramatic new styling along with a luxurious interior that includes more driver relevant technology than ever.

Featuring the most powerful Acura engine ever, the 2009 TL will be available in two distinctive versions including the first ever application of Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (TM) on TL. Available in the fall of 2008, the new TL will deliver a driving experience that achieves new highs within the performance luxury sedan category.

Acura offers a full line of technologically advanced performance luxury vehicles through a network of 270 dealers within the United States. The Acura lineup features five distinctive models including the RL luxury performance sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX sports sedan, the turbocharged RDX luxury crossover SUV and the award-winning MDX luxury sport utility vehicle.

JCN.

Showa Shell to build big solar power panel plant

TOKYO —Showa Shell Sekiyu KK is planning to set up one of the world’s biggest factories for manufacturing solar power generation panels in 2011 at a cost of about 100 billion yen, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The combined power generation capacity of solar panels produced in a year at the factory would be as large as 1,000 megawatts, which matches that of a nuclear reactor, they said.

JapanToday.

A prototype video camera able to take 360 degree vertical videos from Olympus

"The Future Creation Laboratory of Olympus Corp announced that it developed a lens capable of shooting omnidirectional images and prototyped a CCD camera incorporating the lens."

Continue reading at TechOn!

Panasonic's Projectors Show Images on Curved Surfaces

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd developed two types of business-oriented projectors that can output images on curved surfaces and demonstrated them at Infocomm08, an audio-visual exhibition that took place in Las Vegas from June 18 to 20, 2008.

Continue reading at TechOn!

Sony Ericsson Wins Greenest Electronics Company Award

Gizmodo reports...

"Congratulations, Sony Ericsson, for winning what was ultimately a barely challenging competition to become the greenest electronics company around. Our favorite Swedish-Japanese conglomerate rose to the top of Greenpeace's Greener Electronics Guide by exceeding Energy Star requirements, making all its models PVC-free and banning the most harmful chemicals from phones launched since January 2008. Unfortunately, it was valedictorian in a class whose scores have plummeted all around."

Continue reading at Gizmodo.com

Fuji Heavy Develops Electric Car Based on K-car 'Stella'

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd announced that it had developed "Plug-in Stella Concept," an electric vehicle (EV) based on its "Stella" K-car.

Continue reading at TechOn!

Japanese companies work together on CCS

TOKYO (Reuters) - A grouping of 24 Japanese firms, mainly utilities and energy companies, will work with government on feasibility studies for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, an official said on Monday.

"We now have a firm that brings together all the technologies in this field," Toshihiro Mitsuhashi, who handles environmental policies for Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), told reporters.

Continue reading this article at Reuters.com

Nintendo DS game console helps spur interest in English in Japan classrooms

TOKYO —The Nintendo DS isn’t just fun and games anymore for English students at Tokyo’s Joshi Gakuen all-girls junior high school. The portable video game console is now being used as a key teaching tool, breaking with traditional Japanese academic methods.

Continue reading at Japantoday.

Honda begins production of hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity in Japan

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that...

"The new Honda FCX Clarity, a zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle, has begun production at the world's first dedicated fuel cell vehicle manufacturing facility in Japan, according to Honda.

The Clarity is powered by an electric motor that runs on energy generated in the new V Flow fuel cell platform. The vehicle has a range of 450 kilometres and emits only water."

Read full article at Canada.com

Keio University's Eliica All-Electric Vehicle

"The Eliica (or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car) is a battery electric vehicle prototype, or concept car designed by a team at Keio University in Tokyo, led by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu. The 5.1 metre (16.7 feet) car runs on a lithium-ion battery and can accelerate from 0-100 km/h (60 mph) in four seconds. In 2004, the Eliica reached a speed of 370 km/h (230 mph) on Italy's Nardo High Speed Track.

The Eliica weighs in at 2400 kg (5291 lbs) and seats the driver and three passengers. The body of the four door car has a futuristic, bullet shape design which was tested in a wind tunnel. The front doors open forward and the rear doors open upward like wings. The car's platform contains 4 tracks of 80 batteries, which make for one third of the vehicle's cost. They currently require about 10 hours of recharging from empty to full charge, and can be easily charged off of a residential power grid.

The car has eight wheels enabling it to be closer to the ground for better traction. Each of the wheels has a 60 kW (80 hp) electric motor, giving a 480 kW (640 hp) eight wheel drive which can tackle all kinds of road surfaces. The four front wheels steer. The electric motors mean that the Eliica can deliver a smooth acceleration free from gear shifts of about 0.8 g. Each wheel contains a disc brake and employs a regenerative brake system to recover energy.

There are currently (as of 2005) two versions of the Eliica: a Speed model and an Acceleration model. The Speed model is made to challenge gasoline-based records and has a top speed of 370 km/h (230 mph) with a range of 200 km (125 miles). The Acceleration model is made for the street and has a top speed of 190 km/h (120 mph) with a range of 320 km (200 miles).

The estimated cost of development was in excess of US$320,000. Once the team receives corporate sponsorship, they plan to produce at least 200 units. As of early 2007, the projected pricetag was ¥30,000,000, or about $255,000 US."

Wikipedia.

NTT Docomo tests eye-controlled 'wearable' gadgets

Read about this futuristic gadget from NTT Docomo at CNN.com