Mobile World Live‘s Asia editor Joseph Waring was in Tokyo this week for CEATEC, Japan’s largest IT & electronics event. Here’s our pick of the best — and by that we also mean ‘strangest’ — action from the showfloor:
Robotic cheerleaders – of course!
MuRata’s cheerleader robots pulled in the crowds at its regularly scheduled demos.
Glowing eyes and hands — all in sync
If you look closely, the cheerleaders are balancing on a black ball. This is made possible by gyro sensors. Each figure has five ultrasonic microphones and four infrared sensors installed in the head and shares data via a wireless network.
ALPS grows leafy vegetables at its booth
The company displayed its range of sensors that can sense environmental data, such as pressure, humidity, temperature, water depth and lighting. It offers a combo temperature-humidity sensor as well as a 3-in-1 optical sensor.
Cleanroom farming
Toshiba also pushed the veggie theme. But the company is taking it a step beyond sensors, providing all the components for in-door gardening – lighting, air conditioning and control systems. A representative said Toshiba aims to “sell vegetables” and is working to offer the entire ecosystem or ‘factory’ for vegetable farming.
Epson’s AR specs
Visitors patiently waited in line for a demo of Epson’s Moverio augmented reality glasses, which have a camera, GSP, multiple sensors and a compass. The glasses tether with a smartphone, which the company said is necessary due to battery life issues. They were launched in Japan in June and retail for JPY60,000-80,000 (US$555-$741).
Robot toy for monitoring the kids
Bocco is a robot toy that allows parents to communicate with their children via the device. Parents can send a voice message or a text message, which is converted to voice. The robot has two buttons for ‘play’ and ‘record’. It also comes with sensors that can detect when lights are on or off and when doors are open. The company plans to release it in February for JPY20,000 (US$185).
Weather-proof your device
US-based HzO can turn any regular smartphone into a battle-ready device ready to take on almost any environment. The thin-film protection is applied at the board level in a vacuum chamber. It was launched in 2012 and a representative said demand is strong and expects 2015 to be a huge year. It’s targeting electronic devices, with wearables expected to give it a strong push, as well as medical devices.
Hydrogen car
Suiso Japan showed off its hydrogen car technology, which Honda will use to power its vehicles. Details were scarce since handouts were only available in Japanese.
Docomo Runtastic demo
Sensors in the hitoe fabric pick up electrical signals, which go to a transmitter that measures heart rate and other vital signs. The info is sent to a smartphone by Bluetooth.
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