Here is the daily roundup from Japanese consumer tech and tech business websites for Dec. 10, 2014.
Apple to open research facility in Yokohama
Apple (NASDAQ:APPL) had just announced yesterday that it is planning to open a research and development center in Japan, particularly in Yokohama City. The move was part of the company’s plan to expand its business in the Land of the Rising Sun.
There are no specifics yet as to how much the company is about to invest, or when the project for its construction is about to start, but it is touted as soon-to-be one of the largest and most advanced consumer tech research facilities in Asia. In accordance to standard business operations, the upcoming technical development center will be joining all the other Apple R&D facilities in other nearby countries.
NEC showcases new material degradation scanning technology
NEC (TYO: 6701) recently unveiled its new image analysis software designed to scan materials for structural degradation. The software design enables it to be potentially used at only one-tenth the original cost of the same procedure.
Basic checking of structural materials usually involve hiring experts, or with the use of sophisticated sound-based equipment, both of which requires restricting access to the area of a building, structure, or road that needs to be scanned. NEC’s new analysis software allows easier, non-penetrative, non-intrusive scanning by analyzing minute patterns in high-definition magnified images of the material. By detecting certain microscopic cracks and cavities, it is capable of determining the material’s overall level of integrity.
NEC hopes to implement the technology sometime next year.
Mitsubishi develops speakers with near-original sound quality
Mitsubishi Electric (TYO: 6503) announces the development of its new high-end speaker, which is capable of reproducing sounds closest to its original.
The company’s high-end speakers are commonly made of boron carbide, which helps the units deliver sound pressure waves faster than regular speakers. With a new manufacturing process however, the speakers are now capable of delivering even faster sound waves, while emitting lesser surface resonance. The result is a set of speakers capable of reproducing sound with a level of quality that makes it almost near the original.
Mitsubishi Electric plans to implement the technology to home and vehicle speaker systems, eventually replacing its current product line of boron carbide high-end speakers, in the near future.
