NEC iExpo 2013, Tokyo

“Toward an Information Society Friendly to Humans and the Earth. Underpinning the Future with Social Infrastructure.”

By @DaveMichels

NEC iExpo 2013 took place in the Tokyo International Forum on November 14 and 15. It is a large downtown conference venue, difficult to accurately capture in a single photo.

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As it is a global event, program guides were available in numerous languages.

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Assigned seating, by region, for the keynote. The US section was up toward the back. Some countries, like Japan and Korea, had very large sections. The device upper right was my “babel fish” translation device. Probably the only electronic device in the building that wasn’t made by NEC.

An awards ceremony took place before the keynote, I think – I don’t know as it was not translated.

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The exhibit hall with about 125 booths exhibiting NEC technologies. It was a mixture of theater-like presentations, large booths, and kiosks. Everything was in Japanese, some things were in English

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On Display was the NEC IRV-2060C infrared camera. It can be used to find survivors after a disaster. Typically mounted on a long pole or Drone.

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The greenhouse above was a miniature model. NEC is using cloud technologies and sensors to improve crop yields and lower costs. A big part of the NEC vision is better use of resources are necessary to accommodate an ever increasing population on Earth.

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This is a smaller version of a robot demonstrated at prior NEC events. This new model is called PaPeRo Petit. It is about 9 inches tall.

Many of NEC’s technologies are getting smaller and smarter because they are increasingly using the cloud for back-end processing.

NEC will be rolling out The PaPeRo Petit Partner program in Japan in 2014. It’s a form of assisted living, where PaPeRo assists by monitoring and interacting with people. PaPeRo can monitor activities like taking medicines and sensing motion or falls. It’s can also act as a speakerphone.

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The first two photos are of the same newly released NEC DT770G Cradle Device sporting both a tablet and smartphone. The mobile devices connect via Bluetooth, extending its life by avoiding specific connectors and device form factors. The cradle is adjustable to accommodate a wide range of devices. There is a USB connector, but only for charging. It is available for the 3C and SV platforms. The DT800 on the right is a new IP desktop endpoint. The NEC phones for the Asian markets have shinier faces and more colorful keys than the US models.

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This was a sample application using NEC 3C APIs. The application used the location awareness on the 3C mobile client to create a live/interactive Google Map showing location information of colleagues.

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This was my favorite application of NEC’s video recognition software. The NEC checkout solution can identify different types of produce.

Even different types of red apples.

Produce creates the biggest opportunity for error for grocery cashiers. Could also simplify self check-out solutions.

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Large areas for SDN and Cloud Solutions. Much larger than the pictures suggest.

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NEC has numerous solutions for power management, storage, and distribution. NEC also provides the technology in the Nissan Leaf battery. EV Chargers are growing in popularity along with the growth of electric cars. This one has cloud management.

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It is very hard to capture video resolution with a secondary camera. This is a video projection using the NEC 4KPure Laser Projector. I don’t think this product is generally available yet. The projector itself was the size of a small desk. It is hard to imagine anything higher resolution than this image. I am guessing the screen was about 10’ diagonally.

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NEC is very active in aerospace. The firm builds satellites including the frames, temperature control systems, communications systems, power systems, computers, and flight control systems. NEC also builds ground control systems. NEC claims 60% market share in the Japanese satellite market.

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This year, NEC began selling "carbon nanohorn," a form of carbon nanotube. Carbon nanohornswere discovered in 1998 in a NEC lab. Carbon nanohorns are expected to be used in a variety of ways and industries including as a carrier for drug delivery systems, as capacitors, actuators and fuel cells.

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The NEC Super Tower (NECスーパータワーNEC Sūpātawā). It is the headquarters of NEC Corporation. 590 feet tall and 43 floors (+ 5 underground). It was completed in 1990.

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Views from the 41st floor of the NEC Super Tower on a not so clear day.

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A model in the lobby of the NEC Super Tower. Sea to space.

What the model doesn’t capture is the degree of vertical integration of the solutions. Take 3C for example, it can be hosted on NEC servers, using NEC storage, over an NEC software defined network, connecting to NEC endpoints including phones – and in Japan NEC tablets and PCs.

Although there is a strong story of integrated solutions, through standards and openness none of the above solution requires that the other components are NEC.

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This is my one shot of the NEC Executive Briefing Center in Tokyo. Photo’s were not permitted within. FYI: The EBC is not in the Super Tower headquarters location.

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Here is the America’s delegation with Mr. Nobuhiro Endo– President of NEC Corporation.

Dave Michels, Gordon Maccani, Nobuhiro Endo, Larry Levenberg, Don Stewart, Garry Laxdal, Shinya Anraku.

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