ANS TechGlance

    Metrol is a unique and leading company specialized in manufacturing ultra precision switches used for position detection and dimension discrimination, and owns international patents. Metrol's products are quite unique and structurally different from the conventional limit switches, proximity sensors, and photoelectric sensors.     The company's strength is not only in its products and technologies but also in its global market coverage where Metrol's market share has reached at a 70 percent market.  Achieving the rate is uneasy unless taking a variety of sales methods. Take for instance, Metrol has more than 50 sales partners, while holding a few sales offices outside of Japan.  The company also effectively uses Internet technology such as Email marketing, on-line sales for a limited products, etc.  Metrol is categorized as a technology based SME, but its approaches are quite dynamic while its technologies are, needless to say, supporting ...

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has announced that the institute successfully developed the electron holography method stereoscopic technology which enables the ultimate viewing zone angle of 15 degrees and 4 cm diagonal display size color video display .  In this development, by applying its own display technology to increase viewing area to high-resolution device with  3300  mega-pixels, the newly developed device is able to gain three time wider viewing zone angles than  conventional devices and about two times broader two times broader video  holographic display. It seems that 3D video display technology development is accelerated to bring us to a virtually "real" world without glasses. Source: NICT's news release (Japanese) 9/28/10

There are many companies that focus on assisting people in enhancing quality of life. KGS Corporation founded in 1953 keeps developing and suppying new ideas of products for visually impaired persons. Braille Memo, BM16, as an example, looks an excellent device of portable notebook with which a user can take a memo at anyplace anytime. According to the product description, it equips convenient accessories functions such as a clock, an electronic calculator and a calendar that enable a user to manage indispensable information on daily basis. Electrical communications interface of BM16 is reportedly limited to RS232C. More compact and handy type of Braille Memo Pocket seems to be available now, and it has USB and Bluetooth interfaces, so that wireless communications capability is obviously available between the pocket sized Braille memo device and a personal computer. This type of devices are not showy but very important technology products to help us improve our lives in the so...

Ultra-high speed video camera systems demonstrated by Keyence reportedly provides 24,000 frames per second, that can analyse extremely high speed movement. High-tech just keeps enhancing its capability. Source: DigInfo News via YouTube 6/15/09

Tribute to digital technologies, there seems to be no boundary between a photo shooting camera and video camera. A major camera supplier like Canon announced the dual functions camera while major consumer electronics devices manufactures, such as Sony and Panasonic that have video cameras as one of major product portfolio are starting to sell newly developed dual-mode camera. NOTE: This YouTube video will be replaced with an English version soon. Source: DigInfo via YouTube 4/7/09

How quickly to find a star or stars in the sky depends on clearness of the sky, whether conditions, knowledge level of a planisphere and on quality of an astronomical telescope. StellarWindow seems to ease us quickly to find a star by putting up a flat panel screen (actually tablet pc ) with which an USB type sensor is connected and StellerWindow software is installed. This fantasy animation video well present on how to use it. According to the supplier, 3 TEC , the package price which includes the software package and the USB device but excludes the tablet PC, is Japanese Yen25,000.- plus consumption tax within Japan. Source: 3 TEC Corporation & its groups' page 3/6/09

There are a few good sites that well summarize a trend of Japanese science and technologies in English. This video site created by National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology ( AIST ) is one of the good ones. Its URL is http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/video/ . More sites would be expected to be provided by many other organizations maintaining at least this level of quality in English. 3/5/09

Bio Battery sounds interesting .   The technology product seems to be changing our concept of battery when it's commercially available in the market.  Source: DigInfo via YouTube 3/4/09

Sugimoto Laboratroy of Chuo University presented on their newly developed technology of  2.5  Ghz CMOS differential LC VCO  (voltage controlled oscillator) at SEMICON Japan 2008.    It is expected that the new technology will  significantly improve S/N ratio voltage controlled oscillator.  Source:  DigInfo News via YouTube  2/5/09

This video borescope seems to be very easy to use.  As presented in this YouTube video, there must be a variety of industrial applications. 12/18/08

A very thin component (2.4mm x 4.7mm x 34.5mm)  is a distribute mode actuator which is made of piezoelectric thin films formed on metal plate.   This device enables a flat panel screen to vibrate to make sounds.  The flat display panel may vary from a mobile communications device to a desktop display system such as a personal computer.  According to a news release from the supplier , Authentic, Ltd. , the Authentic's DMA device is embedded in a mobile clinical assisting system of Philips FIMI. I personally wish and expect that a further improved version of this device will be used when an organic electroluminescence display is commercially available some time in the near future. Photo: Authentic's DMA Source: Authentic's web site 12/7/08

This seems to be a simple but great idea to integrate stereo microphones with earphones.   With this microphone-earphone, which Adphox supplies, you can pick up and record any sounds as you hear and wherever you are because the microphones are positions onto your ears.    Why don't you try a few demo sounds at the supplier's site ?  Wearing high quality headsets is recommendable for listening. Source: Adphox Corporation 12/6/08

UV LED has a great potential for various applications and devices, such as a sensor, an indicator, an air cleaning device, a resin hardening device, lighting and display, and even in biotechnology field.    A curing unit equipped with 25 pcs of UV LED Module (photo above)  is for UV curing, one of the possible applications.  The optical output power is more than 3W.  The above video demonstrates one of display applications for fun.   Nitride Semiconductors , a highly specialized supplier of UV LED, describes its self with four bullets, Cutting Edge ( Waza in Japanese), Ecology ( Yawaragi in Japanse ), High Quality ( Takumi in Japanese), and Fun ( Tanoshimi  in Japanese) that is quite impressive and right fit in the present world.  Source: Nitride Semiconductors

TOMY has announced a new digital camera that has a built-in printer inside.  It is a full-featured 5 Megapixel digital camera with a built-in full color ZINK (trademark)  priner that is powered by ZINK Imaging Inc's printing technology.    The new product has been born by the marrige of the two technologies of digital camera and printer.  It allows you to capture, view, and immediately print their images without ink, anywhere.   The new products will be available first in Japan late November, 2008.   Source: ZINK Imaging & YouTube 11/6/08