CHIBA, Japan — A pingpong-playing robot, a flying origami bird and a mirror that some might find a little too honest for comfort were on display at a huge tech show in Japan on Wednesday.

The gadgets are all part of this year’s Cutting-edge IT & Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition (CEATEC), Asia’s largest electronics fair, just outside Tokyo.

Prominent among the pack was a robot arm made by automation parts maker Omron that can play — and coach — humans at ping pong.

“Immediately after the player hits the ball, the location of the robot’s return ball is displayed on the table-tennis board, helping the player’s next return,” spokesman Masayuki Atsumi said.

The robot uses both a camera and an array of sensors to detect the balls movement and play a near flawless rally, though Omron is not marketing the robot for sale. The same technology can be used in vehicles to avoid collisions, said the company, which is known for its healthcare products.

High above attendees, the sound of flapping wings could be heard. Rohm, a major maker of semiconductor devices and other electronic parts, had managed to create a foot-long origami crane bird — weighing just 31 grams — that can fly thanks to an ultra-light motor.

“Making everything light was a difficult part in developing this,” spokesman Takumi Furukawa said.

The same company has also invented a sensor that can be placed in luggage to reveal whether suitcases get bashed around by handlers during flights — and reveal a suitcase’s location should it get lost in transit. Furukawa said the sensor was a prototype that they hoped could be commercialized by a luggage manufacturer.

Electronics giant Panasonic also displayed its vision of what a high-tech home could look like, complete with a variety of gadgets and appliances that communicate with each other. That includes a mirror which, when hooked up to the rest of the gadgets in the home, can display your body mass index (BMI) — a measure of body fat based on height and weight – when a user sits down in front of it.

The mirror can also gauge how healthy your skin is as well as overlay virtual cosmetics on a user’s face to help guide their morning make-up routine after a regret-tinged night on the tiles.

The same home also boasted a dining room table and window which can react to conversations — displaying, for example, images of a recent trip a family might have taken once they start talking about it.

Company spokesman Daisuke Uehara said the presentation was an idea of what a home might look like in 2018-20.

“There are no concrete commercialization plans but we already have this technology to realize if customers wanted it,” he said.

About 530 companies are taking part in the trade show, around one-quarter of them foreign exhibitors from 19 countries and regions, led by China, Taiwan and the United States.

By Kyoko Hasegawa

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015

Webinar: Improve Your Safety and Operations With 3D LiDAR and Video Intelligence

A May 6 IndustryWeek-hosted webinar, sponsored by HItachi Vantara

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT (GMT -5, New York)
Duration: 1 Hour
Event Type: Live Webinar
Cost: Free

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Description

Safety and efficiency are two critical items for any manufacturer. Forward thinking manufacturers are leveraging AI and IoT to create smart spaces in their factories, warehouses, and facilities to deliver insights and alerts that improve these key elements of worker safety and operational efficiency.

With 3D LiDAR and video intelligence manufacturers can measure what was once unmeasurable, and refine operations with new data – accelerating progress towards Manufacturing 4.0 and delivering advantages to stay ahead of the competition.

But what are these new technologies, exactly? How are they delivering value today? How can collaborative intelligence help you get started on the path to intelligent manufacturing using these solutions?

Join this webinar to learn the answers to these questions as well as real world examples of manufacturers using Lumada Video Insights and Hitachi Smart Spaces, including the following:

How a company improved process times and gained efficiencies at increasingly granular levels using 3D LiDAR and video intelligence to measure and refine human and machine interaction.
An example of 3D LiDAR currently being used for worker training and guidance that helps the company shorten the learning curve for product assembly.
How companies can automate safety equipment violation detection and reduce collisions, reducing injuries and associated workers' compensation costs.
How your company can help fight the next waves of COVID-19 through innovative technologies that enable improvements in containment, prevention, and compliance management and reporting.

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Speakers

Mark Jules, Vice President, Hitachi Vantara

Mark Jules is Vice President at Hitachi Vantara. He heads up Smart Spaces and Video Intelligence, which delivers software and hardware solutions that support safer, smarter and more efficient communities, businesses, and organizations through the Internet of Things (IoT), video innovations, and connected intelligence. Mark joined Hitachi in 2014, following its acquisition of the Avrio RMS Group, a public safety solutions company, where he served as the company’s CEO for more than a decade. Prior to Avrio, he was the President and Founder of Protean Solutions, a provider of mobile platforms for battlefield and emergency communications.

James Destro, General Manager, Manufacturing Practice, Hitachi Vantara

James Destro currently heads the Manufacturing Practice at Hitachi Vantara. His practice focuses on delivering high value outcomes through deep domain consulting and digital solutions that leverage advanced analytics to Hitachi’s manufacturing customers globally. James’ background includes more than 20 years of industrial digital solutions leadership in the manufacturing, oil and gas, chemicals, and aviation industries.

Technical Details

This webinar will be conducted using a slides-and-audio format. After you complete your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with details for joining the webinar.

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