The Japanese Businesses going online for real-world changes.
The 21st century has been defined by new challenges. From climate change to viral pandemics, crumbling infrastructure and aging populations, socio-economic crises are not hard to find.
Thankfully, the best of human innovation has been rising to meet those challenges.?Japanese businesses are leading the way through the?Society 5.0 drive to use artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and automation to improve efficiency and quality of life. For industry, a looming labor shortage is an urgent issue. Yoshiyuki Sankai, president and CEO of robotics experts CYBERDYNE Inc., believes automation can help alleviate this demographic-linked crisis.
“This challenge presents an important opportunity for our country,” Sankai said.
“Robotics, AI and IoT technologies were at the heart of the movement for digitalization. Personalization is quickly emerging as the keyword of the next phase: Society 5.0.”- Yoshiyuki Sankai
Hiroshi Ogasawara, president of Yaskawa Electric Corporation added: “Automation covers a wide range of applications. This could be simple machine automation. It could be AI and IoT-driven or have a fair amount of manual input.”
While labor shortages are a pressing human concern, there are also aging-infrastructure challenges, with many roads and bridges requiring repair or replacement.?
Paul Noritaka Tange, chairman of architecture firm Tange Associates, said integrated technology is helping his industry. “We are always challenging ourselves to use new materials and technologies to advance knowledge,” Tange said.
These changes and opportunities affect all industries and sectors. Goji Wada, president of Mutsubishi Rubber Co. Ltd. said that while his company’s output is a very physical product, new technology plays a key role in many areas.
“At our factories, we have introduced digital measuring instruments and material mixing systems to improve quality and save labor,” - Goji Wada
If some of the advances sound like the stuff of Hollywood, that’s not far from the truth.?
Shiro Yahara, president of Pioneer Corporation, said this fantastic new world is already taking shape with the investment in CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) systems such as his firm’s in-car infotainment system NP1.? ”You could get a device like NP1, and your car becomes a smart car,” Yahara said. “If you've heard of the Knight Rider TV show from 40 years ago, he talks to a car that speaks. That’s where we are headed.”
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