[March 15, 2019] |
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Japanese Startups Aim to Solve Consumer and Societal Challenges with New Technologies Demonstrated at SXSW 2019
Japanese startups demonstrated how to solve societal challenges and make
lives easier with innovative technologies at SXSW (News - Alert) 2019. These startups,
part of the government's J-Startup program to incubate
globally-competitive startups, are the face of the new business
environment in Japan as a global innovation hub. Specifically tailored
to encourage invention and creative problem-solving, the J-Startup
program produces startups that are using human imagination to bring
greater joy, better environmental stewardship, and groundbreaking
innovation to industry and everyday life.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190315005334/en/
J-Startup Booth in the Austin Convention Center (Photo: Business Wire)
SXSW Product and Service Demonstration
Ten startups exhibited at the J-Startup Booth, which was organized by
the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO (News - Alert)), in the Japan Pavilion in
the Austin Convention Center and demonstrated their products and
services during the Japan Innovation Hour on March 12 in the
International Innovation Platform. The demonstrations drew high
attendance and the audience was able to view solutions that included
applications spanning artificial intelligence (AI), wearable
technologies, smart home solutions, and more:
AI for Every Industry
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ArchiTek
chip, a startup that addresses the pressing need to lower the cost and
increase the performance of artificial intelligence, demonstrated its
low power, high performance chip that runs computer vision and AI
algorithms with high performance. The chip can be used for autonomous
vehicles, security cameras, cybersecurity systems, robotics, and data
centers. It aims to make AI more affordable and integrated into
mainstream applications.
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Empath
Inc. demonstrated its
program that identifies emotions - joy, calm, anger, and sorrow -using
artificial intelligence, regardless of language. This startup's
mission is to develop and provide technology where all people can
understand and help each other, with specific use cases in
telemarketing. It's currently being used by 1,000 customers across 50
countries.
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LOAD&ROAD
demonstrated its tea-brewing innovation, Teplo, a smart-tea brewer
that uses a heart-rate sensor to collect mental state data and
securely share it with a mobile app to brew a perfectly personalized
cup of tea. It recently won the CES
Innovation Award for Home Appliances.
Healthtech and Wearables Transforming Modern Wellness
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AI
SILK demonstrated its new, non-irritating wearable material,
created by turning raw silk into highly conductive, comfortable, and
durable clothing. The material features electrodes that collect vital
physical data with precision to help individuals regain and maintain
health following an injury or illness.
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DFree
demonstrated the first health wearable device for urinary
incontinence, developed by Triple W, that uses a non-invasive and
non-harmful ultrasound sensor to monitor bladder fullness and notify
the individual or a caregiver via a smartphone or tablet when it's
time to go to the bathroom. It's an alternative to diapers and
medications for adults, children, and people with disabilities who
need to manage the loss of bladder control. It recently won the CES (News - Alert)
2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Fitness, Sports, and Biotech
category.
Advancing Science Through New Approaches
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Life
is Tech is the coding education company, which is going to
launch an online/real hybrid role-playing coding game in collaboration
with Disney (News - Alert). It solves geographical gaps by combining entertainment
and coding education.
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Spiber
designs and produces protein materials such as spider silk, ushering
in a new age of manufacturing where the large-scale adoption of
bio-produced protein materials can finally become a reality. Its
target markets include the apparel and automotive industries, with the
potential for immeasurable impact and widespread commercial adoption.
Using Tech to Celebrate Culture and Entertainment
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ALE
Co., Ltd. demonstrated the world's first man-made meteor
shower project, Sky Canvas. It uses space as a stage to accomplish
shooting star performances, created by meteor particles released from
a space satellite into the atmosphere that create artificial meteor
showers visible in an area of up to 200 kilometers in diameter on
earth. The Sky Canvas is mainly used in the entertainment industry and
has potential scientific research use cases as well.
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Unipos
demonstrated its new app that allows employees to recognize and
celebrate their co-workers' workplace contributions through "peer
bonus" notifications using popular collaboration tools like Slack,
Chatwork, Workplace, and Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams.
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Yume
Cloud Inc. created Masu
Glass, a new, luminous way to enjoy sake. Masu is a traditional
Japanese wooden cup for sake and the Masu Glass combines tradition
with modern IoT technology to colorfully illuminate a sake drinker's
movements, pours, toasts, as well as surrounding sounds and musical
beats. The creators of Masu Glass want to encourage people around the
world to experience the age-old sake culture in a fun and contemporary
way.
The exhibition is a part of the J-Startup Program, a pioneering
government initiative launched in June 2018 designed to create optimal
environmental conditions to foster 20 unicorns by 2023. Around 100
J-Startup companies were recommended by the Japanese business community
as the ones with the potential to achieve unicorn status. These startups
receive support from successful entrepreneurs and investors so they can
succeed globally and bring new value to future societies around the
world. The Government of Japan has focused on strengthening innovation
ecosystems to incorporate external dynamism beyond its borders and
developed a more effective regulatory environment through the
business-friendly Abenomics policy initiative.
For more information about J-Startup program, please see: https://www.j-startup.go.jp/en/.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190315005334/en/
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