Closely scrutinized by an 8-person panel of judges
The CEATEC INNOVATION AWARDS 2015, “As Selected by U.S. Journalists” Award Ceremony was held at the exhibition venue on October 9.
These awards are presented to the most excellent technology, product and service exhibits at CEATEC JAPAN, which are carefully scrutinized by a panel of American IT and consumer electronics journalists covering the show. This year, the addition of 2 more judges meant the now 8-person panel was even more rigorous in its exhibit screening.
Winners in 9 categories were awarded from the candidates selected by the judges. From the winners in each category, the product, service or technology most likely to impact in world markets including the US were selected for the Grand Prix.
The scene at the venue (the panel of judges)
The scene at the venue (the audience)
Life-saving technology evaluated as worthy of commendation
Grand Prix winner: Mitsubishi Electric
Mr. Hubert Nguyen, Chairman of the Panel of Judges, in his welcoming speech at the beginning of the awards ceremony said “We have seen, learned about, and experienced many products and technologies, and it was very difficult to choose which ones we liked the most. However, after much work and debates, we have reached a conclusion” – It was Mitsubishi’s superb “Technologies Supporting Tsunami Radar Monitoring” that stole the limelight with the Grand Prix.
Describing the reasons for Mitsubishi’s selection as Grand Prix winner, Mr. Nguyen said “Technology is here to make our life better, and safer. Saving one life would make any research worth it, but systems that could save thousands of lives are certainly deserving of recognition. Japan has always been at the forefront of tsunami research, but the whole world will benefit from it.”
Confidently spreading safety and security around the world
At the awards ceremony, Hiroaki Ishikawa, Director of Mitsubishi Electric’s Fluid, Heat Transfer Control Technology Group, Thermal Fluid System Technology Unit took the podium to accept the award. After a firm hand shake with Jury Panel President Mr. Hubert Nguyen, Mr. Ishikawa took the award at the ceremony end to display proudly in his company’s exhibition booth.
Mr. Ishikawa said “Firstly, with so many technologies, products and services on exhibit, I’m full of surprise and happiness that our technology won the Grand Prix.”
Having embarked on a project after the Great East Japan Earthquake to apply radar technologies used for meteorological observations and so forth to the observation of tsunamis, Mr. Ishikawa reflected on the experience saying “We struggled with this development, because the further away they are, the more difficult it is to distinguish between tsunami and normal sea waves.” However, he spoke forcefully saying “winning this Grand Prix prize gives us confidence and a big push to spread this cutting edge technology around the world.”
Grand Prix winner: Mitsubishi Electric
Grand Prix Award on show in exhibition booth: Mitsubishi Electric
Winners in each category
Alps Electric/16Lab:
○Home Entertainment Category
Alps Electric/16Lab: Wearable ring-type computing device
Cramming a whole range of functions such as gesture control, message and email notification and electronic money into a tiny wearable device the size of a ring gets highly appraised. Panelist Mr. Steve Greenburg praised this device saying “if you like the idea of controlling your TV, being alerted to emails, and purchasing products by just waving your hand ― then do what Beyonce says ― “put a ring on it!””
Rohm
○Electronic Components Category
Rohm: The “Lazurite Fly” flying paper crane controlled by Lazurite
The Lazurite Fly (a Japanese origami crane that flies) module is a brilliantly miniaturized SD-card size module that combines the Lazurite microcomputer and gentle-on-the-battery sub-GHz radio communications with a tiny motor driver. Panelist Richard Lai enthused about this device saying “What better way to demonstrate this piece of technology than by placing it inside a graceful Japanese paper crane? The result is a radio-controlled “Orizuru” (paper crane) that weighs just 31 grams and has a relatively impressive flight time of five minutes. That is quite an achievement, to say the least, and we can only imagine what other crazy ideas that the Lazurite Fly can help realize in the near future.”
Mitsubishi Electric
○Digital Imaging Category
Mitsubishi Electric: Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)
Mr. Hubert Nguyen praised this development saying “Mitsubishi’s telescope is the largest mirror telescope ever built, and it is so powerful that it could zoom in on an insect located on the surface of the moon. Understanding what happens in space will also help us understand our world better. That’s why we are giving an Innovation Award to Mitsubishi Electric for their amazing work.”
Rakuten
○Softmare, Computing and Networking Category
Rakuten: WallSHOP: Smartphone-interlocked digital signage for shopping
Digital Signage linking to smartphones in the hands of users. Just by reading QR codes with their smartphones, users can interact with digital signage to explore products in the huge Rakuten catalog range. Panelist Auri Rahimzadeh spoke highly of this technology saying “WallShop is a plug-in free, device agnostic, smart wall solution, and intelligent enough to detect the device’s language settings and automatically translate product listings. Kudos to Rakuten for providing a well-designed user experience.”
Sharp
○Mobile Technology Category
Sharp: The RoBoHoN robot telephone
A compact robot telephone fusing a humanoid robot that can walk on 2 legs with mobile phone technologies. Panelist Mr. Tom Samiljan commented “RoBoHoN is a delightful consumer-friendly robot that walks, talks, and yes, even dances. But this latter-day robo-sapien has one big advantage: It’s also a smartphone, meaning it can not only make and take calls, but also harness all the other features of a connected device. In a world of same-old smartphone designs, RoBoHoN stands out as surprising and delightful.”
Honda Motor Co
○Transportation Category
Honda Motor Co: Power Exporter 9000
This device makes it possible to use electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to generate power for the home. The technology can supply a household with electricity for a number of days, making it useful as an emergency power supply. Jury Panelist Mr. Tim Stevens described the reasons for the award in this category saying “We wanted to celebrate how Honda has taken advantage of its years of experience in building generators to turn any electric car into an incredibly efficient power source.”
Omron
○Health and Household Category
Omron: “Family View” (HVC-C2W)
With more and more awareness of the “Internet of Things” (IoT), “Kazoku Mesen” (Family View) is a cleverly designed network camera that is in the spotlight. Panelist Joshua Furlinger described the technology and the promise it holds saying “This product combines a cleverly-designed HD camera, facial recognition software technology, and ultra-minimized sensors for body-temperature fluctuations to create a complete picture of a family’s health status. On this trip, I’ve been keeping in touch with my cat Sparky via a streaming camera. It’s added a layer of comfort to being so far away from my little friend. I now can imagine a future in which I could know if he’s eating well, feeling well, and not terribly mad at me for being away for so long.”
Mitsubishi Electric
○Smart Community Category
Mitsubishi Electric: Technologies Supporting Tsunami Radar Monitoring
The technology was selected for its ability to detect tsunamis 50 kilometers out to sea and thus provide evacuation warnings 10-12 minutes before the waves arrive on the coast. Panelist Keiko Tsuyama spoke forcefully of this technology saying “Disaster prevention is the one of the most crucial areas in which technology can contribute. Mitsubishi Electric’s technology can be used in any country threatened by tsunami and that has hazardous facilities such as nuclear power plants in coastal areas.”
Sharp
○Industrial Design Category
Sharp: Free-Form Display Technology
These days, since finding innovative ways to display wide-ranging information is one of the keys to vehicle manufacture, this is an innovation that enables positioning of displays on the curved surfaces of vehicle interiors. Panelist Mr. Tim Stevens commented “With their new, bigger and curved Free Form Displays, Sharp gives more power and more freedom to automotive designers than ever before.”
