CEATEC JAPAN 2018
Two Ministerial Awards and Category Awards Selected

The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award:
Kyocera Corporation
Amcenna: Small Antenna Which Can Be Placed on Metal

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award:
Aeronext Inc.
4D Gravity Drone: "Next VR"

October 15, 2018

At CEATEC JAPAN 2018, under the exhibition theme “Connecting Society, Co-Creating the Future”, CEATEC AWARD 2018 is held with the aim of realizing “Society 5.0” through CPS/IoT, contributing to the creation and development of new value and markets, and contributing to the invigoration of those related industries. Today, we have announced the recipients of two ministerial awards, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award, as well as Category Awards, as selected by the CEATEC AWARD review board panel of judges.
The award ceremony for the two Ministerial Awards will be held during the CEATEC JAPAN 2018 Opening Reception, which will be held from 6:00PM on Monday, October 15th at the Aoi Ballroom, Palace Hotel Tokyo.
The award ceremony for the Category Awards will be held during the CEATEC JAPAN 2018 Exhibitors Reception, which will be held from 6:00PM on Tuesday, October 16th at the International Conference Room located on the 2nd floor of the International Conference Hall at Makuhari Messe.

Award recipients are as follows:

The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award

Amcenna: Small Antenna Which Can Be Placed on Metal
Kyocera Corporation (Booth No. H009)

Overview:
Antenna is an indispensable device for wirelessly connecting a “thing” to the Internet in the world of IoT. There have always been limits to an antenna’s installation location as the antenna’s emission characteristics deteriorate when it is mounted on a metal surface or above water. Kyocera successfully overcame this issue with its original miniature, low-profile antenna (2.4GHz frequency) technology that enables antenna mounting literally anywhere. Using an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) developed as a prototype, the company succeeded in achieving a surface area of less than 1/60, at half the thickness of conventional antennas.

Selection and appraisals:
Realized antenna miniaturization and low-profiling with the development of a miniaturized AMC and incorporating antenna functions into the AMC itself. This development is expected to become a key technology for communications devices in the field of IoT as it will allow installation of miniature antennas onto surfaces that were problematic till now, including metal surfaces such as machinery, equipment, and vehicle bodies, as well as wearable devices.

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award

4D Gravity Drone: "Next VR"
Aeronext Inc. (Booth No. A054)

Overview:
The 4D Gravity equipped on Next VR is groundbreaking as the drone industry has always relied on the evolution of software instead of hardware. As the drone’s mounting section does not influence the rotors (flight section), both fuel efficiency and mobility are improved, while stress on parts and reliability of the airframe are reduced. What’s more, the drone’s improved wind resistance helps to reduce the risk of crashing. In addition to improving the basic performance of the drone, Next VR is capable of challenging tasks such as separating the camera position (Next INDUSTRY) or carrying a package without tilting (Next DELIVERY). A drone equipped with 4D Gravity will offer performance far exceeding that of conventional models, and will have the potential of being utilized in industrial applications on a global scale. Next VR will play a symbolic role as a drone equipped with 4D Gravity.
Selection and appraisals:
Aeronext’s unique control technology "4D Gravity", comprised of an inserted gimbal structure that connects the mounting section and flight section, realizes independent control where the tilt and posture of the flying section does not affect the mounting section. This technology is anticipated to broaden industrial applications and develop new markets, which are currently limited, because the mounting section is always kept level, thereby improving reliability and safety.

◆ Review Board Panel of Judges of the CEATEC AWARD 2018 (no specific order)

Mr. Toshiyuki Nakata (Information Processing Society of Japan)
Ms. Haruko Kawahigashi (Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers)
Mr. Toru Takabayashi (The Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers)
Mr. Tetsuya Muroyama (Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists)
Mr. Waichi Sekiguchi (Nikkei Inc.)
Mr. Tetsushi Hayashi (Nikkei BP ICT Innovation Research Institute)
Mr. Makoto Nishisaka (IT media Inc.)
Mr. Asuka Yazaki (Engaget Editorial Department, Oath Japan KK)
Mr. Yutaka Ake (Nikkan-Kogyo Shimbun)

Category Awards

Total Solutions

■ Grand Prix
LCD TV AQUOS 8K AX1 series (8T-C80/70/60AX1)
Sharp Corporation

Overview:
Sharp’s 8K AX1 series is the world’s first (and the only one in Japan) LCD TV with built-in 8K satellite broadcasting tuner ahead of the start of New 4K8K Satellite Broadcasting scheduled for December 1st, 2018 in Japan. Featuring a double-speed scanning LCD (120Hz), first in the 8K category, it offers the highest image quality in AQUOS history with high brightness and wide gamut to provide an environment where you can enjoy practical 8K broadcasting with the highest image quality. With the AQUOS 8K AX1 Series, you can feel the sense of “presence” or “immersion” of 8K picture quality, in the comfort of your own home.

Selection and appraisals:
Sharp introduced the world’s first 8K TV with built-in 8K satellite broadcasting tuner ahead of the start of new 4K8K satellite broadcasting in Japan. This TV was first released during the IFA exhibition in Germany. Then it was released both in Europe and Asia. Sharp was highly acclaimed for its consistency and focus, concentrating on 8K resources such as panels and IC development, active promotion of product development as a leader in the industry growing both the domestic and overseas markets, and has now realized the commercialization of their new product line.

■ Semi Grand Prix
NEC's face recognition system featured at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020
NEC Corporation (Booth No. A010)

Overview:
Preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Games to be held in two years time, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and other organizations are focusing on preparations for safe and smooth event management, aimed at realizing a tournament that brings the most innovative and worldwide reforms in history. Using a facial authentication system, strict yet smooth identity verification will be realized during entry at all game venues for 300,000 officials and personnel related to the competition including athletes, staff, and volunteers.

Selection and appraisals:
Capable of demonstrating high performance such as its resistance to aging and postural change, as well as the ability to search 1.6 million database entries in 0.3 seconds, this technology has achieved the world’s No. 1 level in accuracy and collation speed in the benchmark test conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Based on the achievements to be gained in 2020, and further strengthening its resistance performance, the technology is anticipated to meet growing demands in civil safety and security, such as at sporting events, concerts, and theme parks, as well as payment services using facial recognition at shops, etc.

Category Awards

Device/Technologies

■ Grand Prix
Hyperfluorescence tm Toward the World's First Commercialization
Kyuulux (Booth No. S016)

Overview:
Established in March 2015, Kyulux has been involved in the development of OEL displays and next-generation light-emitting materials and technologies. Based on exclusive licenses from the Kyushu University and Harvard University, Kyulux is developing TADF/Hyperfluorescenc™ emission technology that is excellent in cost-competition, offers highly-efficient and high-purity color development, and realizes longevity, without using rare metals.

Selection and appraisals:
The technology is expected to gain worldwide acceptance as the fourth generation organic light emitting EL technology capable of high coloration, high purity, high efficiency, and at low cost, created from the optimum combination of TADF and fluorescent materials. Kyulux is currently strengthening its patent strategy with current applications for 400 patents and more than 50 registrations. Having strategic investors such as Samsung, LG, and Japan Display, Kyulux also contracted with a major Chinese panel manufacturer. In the future, it is looking into extending the panel life for mass production.

■ Semi Grand Prix
Innovative solution for labor problem by next-generation avatar robot
Meltin MMI (Booth No. S016)

Overview:
Avatars enable activities at any environment regardless of where you are. Avatars can help reduce accidents, streamline operations, and eliminate HR shortages in jobs that are demanding, dirty and dangerous as well as in sparsely populated areas, even at job sites where serious accidents involving death may occur but are difficult to introduce conventional robots. For the first time in the world, MELTIN realized a substitution of human work by developing a robot hand that simultaneously satisfies five elements [1. degree of freedom (more movements), 2. power, 3. speed, 4. size, and 5. durability] necessary for human hand substitution.

Selection and appraisals:
Realization of avatars means that the elderly can fill job roles that require physical strength and power. And by integrating the avatar with biological signal analysis technology, there is a possibility of operating the avatar simply by “thinking” even if the person is bedridden. The technology was highly evaluated not only for its ability to eliminate human resource shortages in demanding, dirty and dangerous job sites as well as in depopulated areas, but also for its ability to solve various worker issues by a method that was impossible so far.

Category Awards

Industries/Markets

■ Grand Prix
Cognitive Data Sensing Platform "NAONA"
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Booth No.: H071)

Overview:
NAONA is a platform that senses “relevant information” and provides the data. “Relevant information” is information that exists between two or more people or things, such as degree of empathy between people or someone’s attention being shown to a particular item. NAONA first processes the data at a gateway, obtained through a physical sensor, extracts featured values, and converts it into “relevant information” after combining the data in the cloud. This data can be used to change people’s behavior, improve profitability, and improve customer satisfaction.

Selection and appraisals:
The technology was evaluated for its potential to create new markets; it isn’t merely a sensing technology, it proposes a solution that improves relevancy by utilizing data, and encourages end users by getting into their core desire to “improve relevancy”. It is anticipated to become a new social infrastructure, through its ability to connect NAONA to a variety of sensors such as microphones, cameras and temperature sensors, and through visualization of the “relevant information”. The technology is expected to start business from March 2019 as it raises the importance of carrying out recognition of relevancy in the development of AI and robots in a way that only humans could do until now. This would also be a new opportunity for Murata Manufacturing, a company that normally sells hardware, to forge into a new business.

■ Semi Grand Prix
Fully-autonomous Tidying-up Robot for Home
Preferred Networks, Inc. (Booth No. A060)

Overview:
PFN has developed a fully automatic tidying-up robot system (its software). At CEATEC, PFM will conduct a demo using Toyota’s HSR robot. It will “tidy-up a messy room” all on its own with applied recognition technology utilizing the latest deep-learning technology that was difficult with conventional systems. Also, applying spoken language understanding technology, it can perform natural communication with people, allowing a user to verbally instruct the robot on how to organize things.

Selection and appraisals:
Until now, it was difficult for AI to be as precise as human beings when it comes to the labor-intensive task of “tidying up” such as looking at an object, recognizing its shape, grabbing it and placing it somewhere else. It is vital for robots used at homes to be able to operate by understanding the instructions given to it by people. By understanding instructions based on people's words and actions, it becomes possible for the general public to intuitively operate the robot, broadening the scope of its application. The robot accomplished tasks of tidying up rooms with a practical level of accuracy, which is difficult with conventional systems. Its impact on the market and society will increase by providing added value and commercializing it in the future.