ILEA000687784: Formont Holdings' Guidance Robot No. 1

Foxter's Hybrid Image Processing System for AI Visual Inspection

Foxter Corporation (Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture) will release in May a hybrid image processing system that combines Preferred Networks' (PFN, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) artificial intelligence (AI) visual inspection and conventional image processing methods.The company will market the system in Japan and China in cooperation with a subsidiary of the OPTEX Group, which is engaged in the manufacture of lighting for image processing, in terms of sales and service. The sales target is 200 units a year. Auto parts manufacturers and others have already begun to introduce the system on a trial basis. The device in the center of the photo is the AI Stellar Controller. (Photo taken on March 16, 2020, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

Dressing and undressing assistance robot at Kyushu Institute of Technology Graduate School

These cases are stored as a learning database. The robot will be able to respond to the differences between each person and each piece of clothing. The robot is a twin-armed robot with a payload of 2.3 kilograms, and it is a cooperative type, so there is no risk of injury to people even if it bumps into them while working. The placement of a camera that can respond to the sudden movement of a person is an issue, but Professor Shibata says, "In large facilities or places where the changing room can be fixed, such as hospitals, the camera can be installed on the ceiling. They aim to make improvements and put the system to practical use as soon as possible. (= December 20, 2019, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

Uyenotecnica's visual inspection system for food products

Ueno Technica (Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture) has developed a device (photo) that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the visual inspection of food products. A horizontally articulated (SCARA) robot equipped with a camera can identify and remove defective products from randomly placed products. We plan to launch the product by next summer and propose its introduction to food manufacturers. The AI will store a large number of image data in advance and determine good and bad products based on wrinkles and burrs in the packaging material. It is expected to reduce the burden on workers by automating the judgment of defective food products, which relies on manual labor. It is expected to be useful in solving the labor shortage at production sites, and is being marketed to food manufacturers. Photo taken on November 28, 2019, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Kashiwazaki Mayor Sakurai receives a proposal from TEPCO to decommission the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station.

Masahiro Sakurai, the mayor of Kashiwazaki City in Niigata Prefecture, said on April 19 that the decommissioning plan for the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station submitted by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Holdings, Inc. In August, the company announced its intention to decide on a policy of decommissioning one or more nuclear reactors within five years if it were to resume operations of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No. 6 and No. 7 reactors and secure a non-fossil power source ratio of more than 40%, combining renewable energy and nuclear power. Although the reactors passed the government's safety inspection in December 2017, Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi has said that he will not discuss restarting the reactors until the results of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Verification Commission's review are available. Kashiwazaki City Mayor Sakurai and TEPCO HD President Kobayakawa at Kashiwazaki City Hall on November 19, 2019, Credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Kyocera's ultrasonic transducers

Kyocera has begun development of a compact, high-power focused ultrasound transducer (transducer). It is a piezoelectric device that uses Kyocera's inkjet head technology and is expected to be used mainly for cauterizing cancer cells. The company has produced a demonstration device that shows how ultrasonic waves are focused, and has started market research and application development. Since the ultrasonic waves are focused by multiple unit devices, research and development is being conducted to minimize variations in precision and characteristics so that each device does not vary and the ultrasonic waves are at the frequency where they reach their maximum. We are also considering scaling up by increasing the number of devices. In addition to the cauterization of cancer cells, the company is also considering the use of ultrasonic sensors to develop new applications. Photo taken on September 6, 2019, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Mitsubishi Estate's Disaster Drill Using Robots

Mitsubishi Estate conducted a comprehensive disaster drill using security robots for foreign residents at several office buildings in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, including the Otemachi Park Building and Marunouchi Building. The robot is the SQ-2, which was jointly developed by the company and Seac Sense (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), and is capable of autonomous driving. "How can I help you? and so on in English. SQ-2 is 1,300 millimeters tall, weighs 65 kilograms, and is equipped with a proprietary three-dimensional laser sensor, artificial intelligence (AI) functions, a high-resolution camera, and a fisheye camera. Mitsubishi Estate said, "We are increasing the number of English-speaking security guards due to the increase in inbound tourism and the holding of the Olympics, but there is a limit. We want to make up for it by using robots. (Photo taken on August 30, 2019, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

EV Japan's hydroelectric power generation system

EV Japan (Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture) will start selling small hydraulic power generation equipment that reuses automobile generators and batteries in September. Starting with the completion at the end of August of a demonstration unit consisting of a water wheel and a generator in Gojo City, Nara Prefecture, the company will begin to propose the unit to local governments and power companies as an independent and emergency power source in mountainous areas. The company manufactures and sells electric vehicles (EVs) based on engine cars, golf carts, etc., electric tractors, and EV buses developed in-house. The company intends to spread inexpensive hydroelectric power generation facilities in mountainous areas, etc., which will lead to the introduction of its own electric vehicles. In response to this trend, EV Japan aims to develop new markets such as sales and maintenance of special EVs and power generation equipment. Photo taken on August 24, 2019, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Demonstration experiment using Osaka City University's fuel-cell vehicles to operate ships on hydrogen

Shigeyuki Minami, a special-appointment professor at the Organization for Advanced Research and Development, Osaka City University, and his colleagues on April 1 unveiled a demonstration experiment of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship (photo) that can drive a fuel cell vehicle as a hydrogen power generation system. It was jointly developed with Current Dynamics (Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City). It will be equipped with Toyota Motor Corporation's "MIRAI" fuel cell vehicle and can carry up to 50 cubic meters of hydrogen. It has already obtained an operation license from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It can travel for about 13 hours at a speed of 8 kilometers per hour, and about 93 hours at a speed of 4 kilometers per hour. Professor Minami said, "We would like to confirm that it is safe and can run for a long time, and use this as a trigger for the development of fuel cell ships. (= August 1, 2019, photo location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

Automatic replenishment system developed by HCI and RoboPlus

HCI (Izumiotsu City, Osaka Prefecture) and Robo-Plus (Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture) have jointly developed a robot system to automatically replenish beverages in convenience stores and supermarkets. The replenishment time from the storage shelf to the showcase is about 20 seconds per item. A sensor attached to the robot constantly monitors the number of products in the showcase, and when the number of products decreases, the robot checks the barcodes of the products taken out from the storage shelves one by one and displays them with the front facing forward. A tablet terminal can be used to check the replenishment status of storage shelves and display shelves from a distance, and notifications of stock-outs can be received. the company plans to propose the system to retailers starting in August and continue to improve it based on customer requests. Photo taken on July 29, 2019, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Sumitomo Corporation's well-designed LED signboard

Sumitomo Corporation is expanding sales of light-emitting diode (LED) signboards with built-in solar panels that offer superior design. The company has started to make full-scale proposals for use in disaster prevention, such as evacuation guidance signs, as well as for traffic and transportation applications, advertising, commercial facilities, and temporary fencing at construction sites. Prices start from the 100,000 yen range, and the products will be marketed widely, including overseas. The company aims to sell 2,000 units in the next two years. The battery used is a rechargeable nickel-hydrogen AA storage battery. The company hopes to develop new applications by combining it with sensors, cameras, Wi-Fi, and other devices. Photo taken on July 25, 2019, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Formont Holdings' Guidance Robot No. 1

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