25 February 2013 - 11:34 am -Fujifilm Corp. and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have developed a resin sheet that generates electricity, utilizing the temperature difference between human body and the air.
- The power-generating sheet developed by Fujifilm and AIST could be used to provide additional power for portable devices.
The sheet uses the thermoelectric effect, which generates a voltages due to the temperature difference between the surface of an object and its reverse side. The sheet is 0.4mm thick and soft. In a normal environment, the temperature of the air is lower than that of the human body or the surface of clothes. That temperature difference can be used to generate a steady flow of electricity.
It can be used as an additional power source for portable devices by attaching it to a human body or clothes. Heat emitted from TVs, steam in a bathroom, curtains in sunlight or a car’s body can also be used to generate electricity. >> Read More
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21 February 2013 - 9:40 am Japanese corporations are diversifying production in Asia to rely less on China as a production base amid rising labor costs there and growing risks stemming from bilateral tensions.
Funai Electric Co. which makes DVD and Blu-ray Disc recorders and printers in China for export to the U.S. and other markets, plans to gradually shift production of entry-level and midpriced models to a factory it will build in the Philippines.
The new plant, slated to go onstream in 2014, will be located on a roughly 120,000 sq. meter plot that the firm bought in an industrial park near Manila. The overall investment in the factory is estimated at 3-4 billion yen. Funai also plans to lift the output capacity of its television factory in Thailand in the summer of 2014. >> Read More
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08 January 2013 - 9:58 am A NEW product that doesn’t need speakers or even ears has been launched by Panasonic – wireless bone-conduction headphones.
The headphones connect to a TV via the Bluetooth wireless standard and attach to your head like a normal set of headphones. But instead of using your ears, the headphones work like hearing aids by transmitting sound waves through your skull.
They are one of several innovations Panasonic unveiled at the International CES show in Las Vegas. It also showed off a new user interface for its “Smart Viera” TVs, featuring a TV-mounted camera that recognizes the user and sets viewing preferences accordingly.
The Japanese electronics maker also showed off an easy way to send YouTube videos from smartphones to the TV.
