JTW Digest, April 12, 2024

Author

Eldar Syzdykov
April 12, 2024

Digital Agency: Leveraging Digital Technologies to Streamline Nursing Care

The Japanese Digital Agency held a press conference to emphasize the integration of digital technologies in the nursing care sector. 

They highlighted a shift from cumbersome paper-based processes to a more streamlined digital system. Historically, the nursing care sector required extensive paperwork for creating and sharing care plans between management offices and service providers. 

To combat this, a Care Plan Data Linkage System was introduced, enabling digital communication of care plans and service records via the internet. 

However, adoption has been slow, attributed to a lack of awareness among care providers. 

The Digital Agency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, is now focusing on promoting this system, enhancing its user interface, and developing API integrations to encourage wider usage. This initiative is crucial for improving efficiency in nursing care and addressing the industry's worker shortage.

Optical Current Sensor 'OpECS' Revolutionizes High-Frequency, High-Current Measurements

Citizen Fine Device Co., Ltd. has developed the world's first current sensor called "OpECS" that uses an optical probe to accurately measure current waveforms. This innovative sensor can handle high frequencies up to 150MHz and large currents up to ±140A, making it suitable for applications involving power semiconductors used in electric vehicles, renewable energy, smart grids, and 5G.

The key features of OpECS include:

1. Magneto-optical measurement using an optical probe enables high-frequency, large-current current measurement without being affected by electromagnetic noise or damage from high currents.

2. Ultra-small sensor head (0.45mm diameter) allows measurement in narrow spaces that were previously inaccessible.

3. Extremely low inductance impact on the measurement circuit, enabling use in a wide range of applications beyond just power semiconductors.

4. Ability to also measure magnetic field distribution, enabling new insights into motor coils and inductors.

Citizen Fine Device is partnering with a major measurement instrument company, Iwasaki Tsushinki, to begin selling OpECS in the domestic Japanese market starting in late April 2024. The company plans to expand sales globally through OEM partnerships in the future.

Hybrid Semiconductor-Spintronics Approach Yields Scalable, Energy-Efficient Probabilistic Computing

Researchers from Tohoku University, in collaboration with a researcher from the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed a novel approach to probabilistic computing that combines semiconductor circuits and spintronics elements. Probabilistic algorithms are widely used in artificial intelligence and machine learning, but current semiconductor-based implementations suffer from a mismatch between the deterministic hardware and the probabilistic software.

The researchers have created a "stochastic computer" that can efficiently execute probabilistic algorithms by leveraging semiconductor circuits to generate pseudorandom numbers and spintronics elements to provide physical random number sources. This hybrid approach offers several key advantages:

1. The overall circuit area can be reduced by around 4 orders of magnitude compared to current semiconductor-only probabilistic computing implementations.

2. Energy consumption can be lowered by approximately 3 orders of magnitude.

3. The stochastic computer is easier to manufacture than previous proposals for probabilistic computing hardware.

The researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of this near-future stochastic computer design and predict that further advancements in spintronic stochastic computing could enable highly efficient hardware for AI and machine learning applications. This work was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Kyoto University and Canon Develop Automated, Cost-Effective Process for Producing Patient-Specific iPS Cells

Kyoto University iPS Cell Research Foundation and Canon have jointly developed a new technology to automate the production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from a patient's own blood. iPS cells hold great promise for regenerative medicine, as they can be differentiated into various cell types and transplanted back into the patient with reduced risk of rejection.

However, the traditional manual production of iPS cells has been prohibitively expensive, costing around 40 million yen per person. The new automated process developed by Kyoto University and Canon aims to significantly reduce these costs, with a target of lowering the cost per person to around 1 million yen.

The key innovations include:

1. Automated system that removes unnecessary blood components and introduces the necessary genes to generate iPS cells, a process that takes about 20 days.

2. Stabilized quality control by minimizing human handling - the only manual steps are setting up the blood and reagents, and removing the final iPS cell container.

3. Goal of providing the patient-derived iPS cells to universities and companies conducting clinical trials, and eventually for direct patient treatment.

This collaborative effort is part of Kyoto University's "my iPS project" to develop an affordable and accessible process for producing medical iPS cells. The partners aim to commercialize the automated iPS cell production system as early as next year, making this technology more widely available for regenerative medicine applications.

ShinMaywa Unveils All-Electric Dump Truck Based on Mitsubishi Fuso's e-Canter Platform

ShinMaywa Industries has released a new all-electric dump truck model based on Mitsubishi Fuso's e-Canter electric truck and bus platform. The EV dump truck combines the e-Canter's fully electric drivetrain with a custom-designed dump body and equipment.

Key features of the new EV dump truck include:

- Available in two chassis sizes (S and M) with battery capacities of 41 kWh and 83 kWh, providing driving ranges up to 236 km.

- Powered dump equipment operated via a motorized ePTO (power take-off) system, controlled using a joystick.

- Large dump body dimensions of up to 5.3 m long, 2 m wide, and 1.2 m high, with a maximum payload of 3,000 kg.

- Fully electric operation enables silent, zero-emission operation, making it suitable for waste hauling, construction, and other applications.

ShinMaywa is targeting sales of 5 units of the EV dump truck in 2024, with pricing set based on the fluctuating costs of the base e-Canter vehicle. This model builds on Mitsubishi Fuso's electric commercial vehicle platform to provide a more sustainable alternative to traditional diesel-powered dump trucks.