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© 2019 The Industrial Technology Research Institute.
ITRI Today is a quarterly publication reporting major events and achievements at ITRI.
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FEATURE
Key Trends at CES 2019
Future Mobility Gradually Becoming Reality
ITRI Marks Its Presence at CES 2019
SPOTLIGHT
Taiwan’s First Driverless Mid-Size Bus Hits the Road
R&D FOCUS
ITRI Launched the Energy-Efficient Smart House
Demonstration Project
Smart Solutions Unveiled for Emerging Trends
Startup Story
AAEC Offers Thin-Film Audio Products for HighPerformance Sound Experience
COLLABORATION
Better Together: Successful Partnerships with ITRI
© 2019 The Industrial Technology Research Institute.
ITRI Today is a quarterly publication reporting major events and achievements at ITRI.
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Feature
Key Trends at CES 2019
IEK Consulting sees connectivity, intelligence, and experience as the three
major themes at this year’s CES.
In an effort to stay abreast of the direction of future development, IEK
Consulting analysts at ITRI attended CES 2019, the world’s largest
consumer electronics tradeshow, and brought back with them first-hand
observations of the latest trends in technology. “Connectivity, intelligence,
and experience are the three major themes that this year’s CES centered
around,” said Chaoyin Chi, Division Director of ITRI’s Industry, Science
and Technology International Strategy Center.
So how will these three key trends make things different? What
opportunities and challenges will come along for industry? Below are the
IEK Consulting perspectives.
1. Commercialization of 5G Technology
The 5G network will enter commercial use in 2019 and over the coming
decade 5G mobile communications and the Internet of Everything will
become a major trend. The first wave of applications will be primarily
vertical (such as audio/visual and healthcare), as such applications develop
faster with large bandwidth and require customized 5G networks,
increasing the demand for edge computing and network slicing.
2. AI Applications Enter Mass Market
Voice assistants are expected to have a penetration rate of over 20% in the
US, meaning that the technology is entering the mass market, and they will
be able to carry out applications featuring shopping identification and
precision marketing. Therefore, greater demand will be seen for far-field,
anti-noise, multi-person, voiceprint and other technologies. Serviceoriented robots are entering a more refined market, with functions ranging
from voice assistants and detection of emotions or companionship, to
outdoor mobile robots that can move autonomously and offer business
applications such as delivery and guiding.
3. Immersive Experience
Breakthroughs continue to be seen in the immersive experience via the
integration of the visual and the multi-sensory. Application scenarios have
expanded from gaming to B2B services, such as medical, training, and
other simulation purposes. Advances in display technology were also seen
at this year’s CES. The world’s first foldable mobile phone was displayed
during the fair, and 8K TVs garnered considerable attention among
international manufacturers. Thanks to advanced splicing technology,
Micro LED brings its advantages to full play, creating 75-219-inch high-end
large-sized displays, offering a new visual experience and flexibly
customized display sizes.
Meanwhile, in the area of leading-edge technology, quantum computers
look to exit the laboratory and become commercialized gradually. Security
issues were also a focus of attention, and IoT equipment safety has become
an important point in marketing.
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Feature
Future Mobility Gradually
Becoming Reality
With advanced vehicle technologies, users will have new experiences in
mobility.
Outside of the home and the office, vehicles constitute the most important
“space” and “time” for modern life. Smart vehicles, therefore, became a
focus of this year’s CES. Lu-Lin Hsieh, Manager of ITRI’s Industry, Science
and Technology International Strategy Center, commented that many
major manufacturers put on display all sorts of smart vehicles, such as selfdriving cars, mini-buses, and delivery vehicles. These new concept vehicles
offer a glimpse into future lifestyle scenarios and bring with them new
technologies and experiences in mobility.
Hsieh noticed that a new integrated vehicle chassis has taken shape,
helping to realize a smart mobile personal space. “Future vehicles will not
only be autonomous, but will also take advantage of a common chassis that
is outfitted with different features to meet a variety of needs,” he said. In
2019, the surrounding sensing architecture of an autonomous vehicle will
adopt high-quality and friendly-priced LiDAR to achieve a high level of
peripheral perception.
As for AI technology, Hsieh indicated that futuristic vehicles would
understand the mood of passengers and dynamically adjust the interior
environment, such as detecting the state of the driver’s eyes and sitting
posture and fine-tuning the position of the seat and tightness of the seat
belt accordingly. AI will judge the mood of the driver and alter lighting or
release fragrances. In addition, imagery signals will be used to detect the
driver’s heart rate for determining whether the driver may be suffering
from fatigue. With respect to the external environment, Ray Tracing
Algorithms can create a virtual driving environment which is very close to
the real world, while automatic labeling technologies will be used massively
to verify the image algorithm training results in a low labor cost and highly
efficient manner.
Regarding the human-machine interface (HMI), Hsieh observed from CES
2019 that passengers can use touch, voice, or gestures to control vehicles.
Moreover, they will benefit from the 5G network to realize real-time video
conferences and enjoy high-definition audio and visual entertainment in
the car.
Lastly, Hsieh mentioned that the use of the Over-the-Air (OTA) technology
and collaborative computing will create more possibilities for new types of
V2X application services in the future.
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Feature
ITRI Marks Its Presence at CES
2019
ITRI’s exhibits at CES 2019 Unveiled Las Vegas received great media attention.
Demonstrating its innovative technologies at CES 2019, ITRI once again
expanded its presence on the global stage. At the official press event CES
Unveiled Las Vegas (Jan. 6), ITRI drew attention from international media
such as Reuters TV, Voice of America, Tech Guide, and
Indiantelevision.com. Moreover, during the four-day CES exhibition that
hosted over 180,000 attendees and 4,500 companies, ITRI attracted many
key industry players to discuss forward-looking applications and
collaboration opportunities.
The tech innovations ITRI exhibited for CES revealed its advanced R&D
capability and determination to solve problems for industry and society.
Among them are the two CES 2019 Innovation Award Honorees: the
Hybrid Power Drone with High Payload and Duration, and ITRI spinoff
ELECLEAN’s disinfectant spray. Both have shown their excellence in
engineering, aesthetic, and design qualities, user value, and positive impact
to quality of life, putting themselves on par with global players such as
iRobot and Honeywell—honorees alike in the Robotics and Drones and
Home Appliances categories respectively. The other highlight was the
Portable UVC LED Water Sterilizer System, a 2018 R&D 100 Award winner
honored for its novel way to produce clean drinking water.
Jane Lanhee Lee, Senior Producer of Reuters TV, was interested in the
features of Hybrid Power Drone with High Payload and Duration,
especially its payload and duration performances. Tech Guide Editor
Stephen Fenech, one of Australia’s most respected tech journalists, was
also impressed by the drone’s applications in utility inspection, agriculture
and emergency rescue. He believes the technology can be very useful for
emergency supply delivery or air drops.
Anil Wanvari from Indiantelevision.com, India’s most widely read online
media, advertising, marketing and satellite television resource, commented
that the Portable UVC LED Water Sterilizer System would be perfect for
use in India, where access to clean drinking water is limited. He stressed
that the mobility and solar battery design of the sterilizer can satisfy the
market demand.
ITRI’s Highlights at CES 2019
Hybrid Power Drone with High Payload and Duration
ITRI’s Hybrid Power Drone with High Payload and Duration is an
octocopter that can hover up to 45 minutes at 30 kg payload, which is over
three times the endurance of a drone powered solely by lithium battery.
This technology solves the problem of insufficient duration and payload for
multi-rotor drones and can be applied to a variety of commercial uses. The
drone can even carry granular fertilizers, proving its capabilities as an
advanced agricultural drone for plant protection. With highly efficient
electric propulsion and fault-tolerant autopilot, it can perform robust
delivery service and long range infrastructure inspection as well.
ELECLEAN Disinfectant Spray
ITRI’s spinoff ELECLEAN developed a portable device that uses water to
produce a disinfectant to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses such as H1N1
Virus and Enterovirus. It uses the world’s first nano-catalysis
electrochemical technology to convert water molecules into reactive oxygen
species (ROS) in 15 minutes. Without adding chemicals, the device
alleviates the need for preservatives, stabilizers, or scents that are common
in conventional disinfectants, and can be applied for multiple purposes
including disinfecting surfaces, cleaning hands, or sanitizing pets.
Portable UVC LED Water Sterilizer System
ITRI’s Portable UVC LED Water Sterilizer System is developed to ensure
clean drinking water supply and avoid the risks caused by contaminated
water. It can provide immediate water sterilization by killing 99.9% of
bacteria such as E.coli in the water. The system uses UV LED as the light
source and reduces the module volume by 1/3, compared to a mercury
lamp sterilizer. The system features small size, low energy consumption,
and a longer lifespan.
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Spotlight
Taiwan’s First Driverless Mid-Size
Bus Hits the Road
Video of ITRI Autonomous Driving Bus.
The global automotive industry enters an unprecedented era of change,
when the mobility landscape is being reshaped by the trends of electric,
automated, and connected vehicles and sharing economy. Among these,
autonomous driving is the most disruptive emerging technology.
Surrounding Sensing Subsystem (S3) Project
As the world speeds up the development of autonomous driving, ITRI
started its Surrounding Sensing Subsystem (S3) Project in 2017 to
accelerate the advancements of self-driving technologies in Taiwan. ITRI’s
S3 is an integrated perception, cognition, and planning development
system designed for level 4 self-driving cars. It supports multiple sensors
including cameras, LiDARs, radars, GPS, and IMU and is equipped with
core technologies such as deep learning image recognition, 3D LiDAR
sensing, multi-sensing fusion, real-time path prediction and SLAM. The
subsystem is designed for urban areas in Asian countries and is suitable for
all weather conditions. With government support, the objective of this
Project is to form a strategic alliance, allowing members from industry,
R&D institutes, and academia to join forces to develop cutting-edge sensing
systems for autonomous driving.
According to Dr. Tzi-Cker Chiueh, ITRI’s Vice President and General
Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories, the
S3 Project offers a number of benefits to the participants. First, it provides
the member companies with an opportunity to communicate their R&D
demands to ITRI, who will try to make the ideas possible and target the
market segments. Secondly, the companies can integrate ITRI’s software
system into their existing hardware products to enhance their products’
sensing capabilities. Finally they can exhibit the products or prototypes to
examine the market reaction. In other words, the alliance partners are able
to test the water without breaking the bank.
Dr. Chiueh believes that with the focus on the sensing technology, the S3
Project can assist Taiwan’s ICT and automotive electronics industries to
upgrade their technological competence and venture into new markets.
Sensing device suppliers, for instance, can benefit from the S3 Project to
equip their products with advanced algorithms and gain a competitive edge
that allows them to tap into the global supply chains of mainstream car
manufacturers.
ITRI launched a month-long public trial of its self-driving bus in central
Taiwan.
ITRI Autonomous Driving Vehicle (ITRI ADV)
Dr. Chiueh further explains that a self-driving car is like a walking
supercomputer, which embodies three key components: perception,
decision, and control. The ITRI-developed surrounding sensing subsystem
is focused on the first part—an integrated perception system of an
autonomous car. The sensor-fusion software system, like a human sensory
system, encompasses sight (cameras), hearing (Internet of Vehicle), touch
(LiDAR), and sense of direction (GPS); to ensure road safety, it needs to be
able to interpret anything that is driving-related and predict future
trajectories or paths of a vehicle.
After almost one and a half years of development, the S3 Project rolled out
its first self-driving bus at the end of 2018 and launched a month-long
public trial in central Taiwan, offering free rides for visitors at Taichung
Shuinan Smart City during the World Flora Expo. Co-developed with
Mobiletron Electronics, RAC Electric Vehicles, and iAuto Technology, ITRI
ADV is Taiwan’s first autonomous driving mid-size bus. It is capable of
carrying up to 17 passengers, driving in signalized and mixed traffic in clear
weather, with a top speed of 30 km/h and a cruising speed of 16 km/h.
Apart from driving on the designated route, the bus can read traffic signs,
stop for pedestrians, brake for emergencies, and make U turns.
“In 2019, we will accumulate bigger road data and train our bus to be
smarter; capabilities such as driving at night, or in the rain, and handling
intricate traffic conditions are expected to be added to our bus, while
system reliability and software quality will be continuously enhanced,” said
Dr. Chiueh.
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R&D Focus
ITRI Launched the Energy-Efficient
Smart House Demonstration Project
Rendering of the energy-efficient smart demonstration houses in Shalun Smart
Green Energy Science City.
Looking to create new possibilities for eco-friendly housing and lifestyles,
ITRI has launched an energy-efficient smart house demonstration project
in Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City (SGESC), working together
with TEPCO Power Grid (TEPCO PG) and Tokyo Gas. The project will
integrate the two Japanese companies’ next-generation energy metering
platform with ITRI’s own smart energy management system and the smart
home appliance protocol formulated by the Taiwan Smart Energy Industry
Association (TaiSEIA).
Dr. Robert Yie-Zu Hu, ITRI’s Vice President and General Director of the
Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, indicated that
seven energy-efficient demonstration houses will be built in SGESC.
TEPCO PG and Tokyo Gas will install the metering system, while ITRI will
provide the demonstration area, along with TaiSEIA smart appliances, PV,
and an energy storage system. Big Data from the houses will be collected
and analyzed, including water, electricity, and gas consumption, use of
appliances, and energy generation/storage. This data will be used to further
develop advanced energy management technology, while also providing
reference for smart and green lifestyles.
The next-generation energy metering system co-developed by TEPCO PG
and Tokyo Gas uses groundbreaking technology to integrate electricity,
water, and gas meters. The system transmits data from the water and gas
meters through a wireless Wi-SUN network to the electricity meter,
following which the data is delivered to the home gateway. The home
gateway, which operates according to TaiSEIA specifications, then controls
the smart appliances. This consequently links data between the smart
power meter and the appliances, and the Big Data analytics can then be
used by power plants to understand the power usage patterns. The power
distributor will be able to control the state of user energy consumption,
acting as a virtual power plant and alleviating power outages during peak
loads.
ITRI’s smart energy management system is tantamount to a power
dispatching brain. It uses the Big Data collected by the home gateway to
establish a predictive model using AI, enabling optimized power
management according to different scenarios. For instance, if the weather
is predicted to be hot and sunny, the system can estimate that PV power
generation will exceed peak usage, following which it will distribute energy
storage in the evening and reserve a portion of the storage capacity for
regulation. On the other hand, if the forecast predicts cloudy and rainy
conditions the next day, renewable energies will likely be unable to provide
sufficient power during the peak daytime period. The smart energy
management system will then fully charge storage reserves with cheaper
nighttime power. This day-ahead short-term load forecast technology can
help achieve the goal of smart power distribution.
The Big Data collected via water, power, gas, and appliance use at the
demonstration houses can be used to analyze the behavior of the residents
and develop future smart lifestyle technologies. Looking at services for
senior citizens, for example, some retirees at home will cook three meals a
day, and bathe and use the toilet regularly, resulting in a stable demand for
power, water, and gas. If demand, however, doesn't correspond to
historical patterns, this could signal something abnormal occurred at
home. This prompts the system to call someone to check on the person
living alone, providing a safeguard in case of an accident or emergency.
The seven energy-efficient smart demonstration houses in SGESC cover a
total floor area of 1,355 square meters. The hardware and software for this
project are expected to be finished by the end of 2019, and system
verification and data collection and analysis will be completed by the end of
2020.
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R&D Focus
Smart Solutions Unveiled for
Emerging Trends
The rapid development of 5G and IoT technologies has been powering
smart living and opening up new horizons for future lifestyles. To address
the emerging demands, ITRI has been dedicated to developing innovative
solutions in areas such as smart healthcare, smart homes, gaming, and
eSports. Innovations such as a contactless respiration monitor, a smart
door lock, and mobile edge computing technology were unveiled at MWC
2019 in Barcelona in late February.
ITRI Contactless Respiration Measurement Device via
WiFi
Unlike common breathing monitors that need physical contact for
respiration detection, ITRI developed a CSI (Channel State Information)based indoor monitor system that measures one’s breathing in real time by
a non-contact method. The user only needs to connect the device to the
WiFi access point, and then the respiration condition can be detected.
Through signal processing, the monitor recognizes physiological signs
immediately and sends a report to the designated mobile device for data
storage and further analysis.
ITRI developed a CSI-based indoor system to detect breathing by a non-contact
method.
ITRI Bluetooth Smart Door Lock
ITRI worked with the electronic lock company KEEFREE (Long Cyuan Co.
Ltd.) to develop a Bluetooth smart door lock. The innovation allows you to
open, close and lock doors from your mobile phone. It can also share
virtual keys and manage them remotely. Moreover, it enables auto-unlock
when close to the door or manual door opening via direct contact with the
smartphone. The device can even track the history of lock openings and
closures.
A smart door lock was developed by ITRI and KEEFREE.
ITRI iMEC
In the new generation of 5G networks where mobile edge computing plays
a key role, ITRI iMEC (Intelligent Mobile Edge Computing), co-developed
with Gigabyte, provides a new network architecture that gives better user
experience. The data does not travel to centralized servers but rather to the
periphery, which is closer to the users. This allows faster data traffic,
improves server response time, and lowers latency.
In scenarios such as virtual reality, augmented reality, or video streaming,
this new technology takes the lead. For instance, ITRI iMEC was integrated
with a virtual simulator for eSports developed by Brogent Technologies,
one of the world-leading simulator producers. The demo at MWC 2019 has
successfully shown the product’s agility and power supported by the ITRI
iMEC platform, which allows multiple players to explore the virtual
experience at the same time, and provides them with total freedom of
movement and control.
ITRI iMEC was applied in Brogent Technologies’ virtual simulator for eSports.
ITRI iMEC has also been applied in products such as the smart glasses
developed by Jorjin Technologies, another exhibit at this years’ MWC. With
ITRI iMEC, the smart glasses allow browsing both on the device and
through the computer; moreover, their remote function offers instant
visual images to experts, who are able to give instructions in real time.
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Startup Story
AAEC Offers Thin-Film Audio
Products for High-Performance
Sound Experience
The traditional audio and acoustic industry has experienced a massive
change in recent years. Powerful trends like Internet of Things (IoT) and
Artificial Intelligence (AI) have triggered a new wave of technological
revolution, inspiring many product innovations in the market, for example,
smart speakers. The common traits these new-generation audio products
share include lightness, thinness, and high-performance sound quality. To
enable these features, advanced thin-film technology is a desirable option.
Dr. YS Jeng founded Arima Acoustic Engineering Corp. for developing
applications of thin-film technology in 2017.
Arima Acoustic Engineering Corporation (AAEC) Thin-Film
Technology
Seeing the distinct advantages of thin-film acoustic applications, Dr. YS
Jeng founded Arima Acoustic Engineering Corporation (AAEC) in 2017,
with its core competence being the AAEC thin-film acoustic technology
transferred from ITRI. This cutting edge technology harnesses the highfrequency sound-generating characteristics of its piezoelectric PVDF film
and improves the quality of a sound-generating component by expanding
the sound spectrum. After delving into the product development for almost
one and a half years since its inception, AAEC now offers a comprehensive
range of audio and acoustic products including thin-film earphones,
speakers, audio components, as well as thin-film modules and speaker
module system designs.
Dr. YS Jeng, President of AAEC, pointed out that existing standard audio
devices use the traditional dynamic coil technology, a low-cost and stable
technology that is suitable for mass production. However, its heavy
diaphragm and wire coil limit the movement of the assembly, which in turn
restricts not only product designs but also the sound frequency and
transient response. AAEC thin-film technology can make up for the
shortcomings of the traditional dynamic coil technology. The
characteristics of the thin film enable the reduced weight, high-fidelity (HiFi) sound quality, and bendable features for sound systems, headphones
and even mobile phones. These can meet the stringent requirements of
today’s audio and sound products and thus provide users with
extraordinary sound experience.
AAEC thin-film audio products boast several significant advantages with their
superb capabilities in sound performance, dust/moisture/weather resistance,
and energy saving.
According to Dr. Jeng, AAEC thin-film technology boasts several significant
advantages over its electrostatic thin-film counterparts. First, AAEC thin
film self-oscillates and boosts better instant response. Secondly, it is dustand moisture-proof with extra weather resistance, whereas other thin-film
products are sensitive to environment and weather change. Thirdly, AAEC
thin-film requires less driving voltage which helps save more energy. More
importantly, AAEC thin-film technology possesses a high capacity for mass
production at a reasonable price. “We make the thin-film technology
affordable for use in the manufacture of mainstream consumer audio
products, as opposed to other manufacturers that only use thin-film in
high-end products due to the higher cost,” Dr. Jeng emphasized.
AAEC’s Business Opportunities and Future Prospects
The company has been working with a number of customers on the
development of thin-film sound and acoustic products including Bluetooth
earphones, gaming headsets, and mobile and laptop peripheral devices.
The commercial audio products, powered by AAEC thin-film technology,
are expected to enter the market in the second half of this year. In the
meantime, the company is also looking into bringing the technology into
other industries; for example, smart healthcare—to develop a smart AI bed
to monitor patients’ vital signs. “As we talk more with different customers,
we’re seeing more possibilities of using our thin-film technology in various
applications across different industries. For the future, we hope to explore
more opportunities and develop new applications. Our aim is to realize the
full potential of AAEC thin-film technology to help us grow further in the
market,” said Dr. Jeng confidently.
Foundation
Investors
May 2017
70% of shares held by the Arima Group
and another 30% held by ITRI and the
AAEC team in Taiwan
Core Competency
Thin-film electroacoustic technology
transferred from ITRI
Featured Products
Thin-film earphones, speakers, and
their component/module design
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Collaboration
Better Together: Successful
Partnerships with ITRI
Two heads are better than one, and collaboration is believed to be a key to
accessing innovation, increasing impact, and solving problems. This is why
ITRI has been building close ties with top-notch organizations around the
world. Up to date, the Institute has more than 150 global partners across
the industrial, academic, and research sectors. It will continue to link
worldwide resources and foster international alliances that leverage each
other’s strengths to achieve productive synergy. Below we will share some
of our successful global collaborations, including the long-term
partnerships with Oxford Instruments, National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and Stanford University.
R&D Cooperation with Oxford Instruments
ITRI-AIST R&D Collaboration Space
ITRI-Stanford Platform Fosters Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Collaboration
R&D Cooperation with Oxford
Instruments
Oxford Instruments, established in 1959, is the University of Oxford’s first
startup company and is now the world’s leading multinational corporation
in precision instruments. It has been a long-term partner for ITRI,
leveraging the expertise of both sides to strengthen the cooperative
relationship in the development of innovative technologies.
ITRI and Oxford Instruments first signed an MoU on cooperation in 2006,
following which ITRI’s Smart Microsystem Technology Center and Oxford
Instruments engaged in close cooperation and successfully developed HBLED-related technology. In 2011, Oxford Instruments established a
research center at ITRI, focusing on developing high power components,
high-κ dielectric, waveguide materials, and wide-bandgap materials and
components.
ITRI and Oxford Instruments signed an MoU on expanding cooperation in
August 2017.
In 2017, Oxford Instruments announced that it was expanding cooperation
with ITRI, increasing personnel at its R&D base located at ITRI by adding
its subsidiary, Oxford Instruments NanoScience. Key areas for cooperation
include MEMS, micro-LED, silicon photonics, and other semiconductor
optoelectronic components and equipment technologies.
In the 2017 MoU signing ceremony, Dr. Jia-Ruey Duann, ITRI’s Senior
Vice President, stated that ITRI possesses abundant talent and capabilities
in semiconductor and optoelectronics R&D. The expanded research
capacities under the latest agreement, he believes, will not only aid in the
development of traditional LED-related technology but will also focus on
the advancements of micro-LED and silicon photonics. It is hoped that the
collaborative efforts will promote semiconductor technology applications
here and expedite economic growth in Asian emerging markets, he said.
Mr. Adam Jaufurally, Finance Director of Oxford Instruments Plasma
Technology, pointed out that Oxford Instruments provides its advanced
products and services throughout the world, and that it is attracted to
Taiwan due to the key leading technology and comprehensive industrial
chain exhibited within its semiconductor industry. ITRI plays an important
role in technology R&D, and therefore Oxford Instruments is interested in
expanding its collaboration with ITRI and Taiwan industry. The company
will jointly hold precision testing/analysis training courses with ITRI,
making ITRI an important base for Oxford Instruments in the Asia-Pacific
in training engineering R&D personnel, he added.
The British Office Taipei expressed strong support for technology
cooperation between Taiwan and the UK. Representative Ms. Catherine
Nettleton said the British government looks quite favorably on Oxford
Instruments’ cooperation with ITRI, along with bilateral interaction in
technology and innovation. The UK, she said, will actively assist British
enterprises and startups in engaging in R&D cooperation in Taiwan.
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Collaboration
ITRI-AIST R&D Collaboration Space
While ITRI is Taiwan’s largest industrial technology research institution,
the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
(AIST) is one of Japan’s largest public research organizations. The two
share similar missions, namely bolstering the commercialization of
innovative R&D and increasing the competitiveness of their respective
nations in the global economy.
Cooperation between ITRI and AIST dates back to 2003; every other year
the two hold a joint technology R&D seminar to discuss potential topics for
collaboration. The two signed their first memorandum of cooperation in
2005, which subsequently paved the way for substantive advancements in
photocatalysts, photovoltaics, thermoelectric materials, disaster prevention
technology, and measurement and standards.
ITRI-AIST R&D Collaboration Space Opening Ceremony.
In late October, 2017, ITRI and AIST jointly announced the creation of the
ITRI-AIST R&D Collaboration Space at ITRI’s headquarters. Aimed at
expanding the range of innovation-oriented R&D cooperation between
Taiwan and Japan, ITRI hopes the initiative will also introduce cuttingedge innovations that can be commercialized here and solidify Taiwan
industry’s capacities in state-of-the-art technologies. With each side able to
emphasize their respective strengths in basic science, applied R&D and
commercialization, the sharing of resources via the ITRI-AIST R&D
Collaboration Space plays a vital role in enhancing research successes.
Dr. Sean S. H. Wang, President of ITRI International Inc., remarked that
the two organizations have long engaged in cooperation at ITRI
International Inc. and research centers in Japan, thereby establishing a
deep-seated mutually cooperative relationship. ITRI and AIST reached an
agreement to create research hubs in Japan and Taiwan, respectively. In
August 2017 when ITRI dispatched a technology team to Japan, the two
formally set up the AIST-ITRI R&D Collaboration Space in Tsukuba
Science City, developing the network of cooperation between the public,
industrial, and academic communities.
Dr. Ryoji Chubachi, President of AIST, expressed that the R&D
Collaboration Spaces established in Japan and Taiwan will become the
foundation for deepening ITRI and AIST’s partnership and strengthening
multi-disciplinary technology collaboration. He further hopes that in the
future the ITRI-AIST R&D Collaboration Space can help build links with
related enterprises in the Hsinchu Science Park to expand cooperation with
Taiwan’s industry.
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Collaboration
ITRI-Stanford Platform Fosters
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Introduction of ITRI-Stanford Platform.
The ITRI-Stanford Platform has provided great opportunity for mutual
interaction and collaboration building between ITRI and Stanford
University since 2004. Annual conferences are held to discuss the latest
technology trends and applications, and researchers from Taiwan and the
U.S. visit each other on a regular basis. As Stephen Su, ITRI’s VP and
General Director of the Industry, Science, and Technology International
Strategy Center, described, the ITRI-Stanford Platform is one of the longstanding programs to support the exchange of ideas on technology
innovation and entrepreneurship, with a successful track record of
translating the inspirations into concrete achievements for both
institutions.
The idea of establishing the platform is attributed to the shared vision of
former ITRI President Chin-Tay Shih and Director General of Department
of Industrial Technology (DOIT) of Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA)
Jung-Chiou Hwang, who were eager to forge a connection with Stanford
University and Silicon Valley. Taiwan used to have extensive interaction
with Silicon Valley in terms of talents, capital and technology during the
1980s and 1990s, especially in the Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) industry. This relationship had gradually waned over the
years, due in part to increasing economic focus on cross-strait markets.
Hence the desire to reconnect with Silicon Valley as a model for technology
industry transformation in Taiwan, where hardware-software system
integration is critical to continued success. There is no doubt that Stanford
University is the kernel of Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem.
On Stanford’s side, the Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (SPRIE) under the Institute for International Studies
(IIS) was responsible for launching the ITRI-Stanford Platform. SPRIE was
started by two founding fathers: Henry Rowen and Bill Miller. Both
gentlemen are highly venerable scholars: Henry Rowen was the Assistant
Secretary of Defense and the CEO of the major U.S. think tank RAND, and
Bill Miller was Stanford’s provost and the CEO of SRI International.
The ITRI-Stanford Platform has become a significant medium of emerging
technology exchange, connecting participants from four sides: ITRI, MOEA
of Taiwan, Stanford University, and major enterprises in Silicon Valley and
Taiwan. Each year, the platform focuses on a specific theme; past topics
include the connection between Silicon Valley and Hsinchu Science Park,
innovation talents, smart green cities, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and
quantum computing. These exchanges have resulted in several remarkable
achievements. For instance, the forum in 2012 made the Taiwan chemical
industry aware of the significant progress of shale gas and oil in the U.S. In
2017, the visit to Taiwan by Professor Silvio Savarese, Director of Stanford
AI LAB (SAIL)-Toyota Center for AI Research initiated an ongoing
collaboration project with ITRI and National Tsing Hua University. In
addition, ITRI has seized the opportunity to link with the Google Moonshot
Project–Solve for X, recognizing outstanding entrepreneurship and
startups in Taiwan. ITRI spinoff Green Cellulose Corporation was the first
recognized Moonshot in Taiwan, showcasing their innovative biobutanol
technology and solutions to the world.
In 2013, the platform developed a deeper connection with Stanford
University as well as Silicon Valley after SPRIE was merged with the
University’s Graduate School of Business (GSB). Since 2014, Chuck Eesley,
Professor of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program in the School of
Engineering (SOE), has served as the academic coordinator representing
Stanford in the ITRI-Stanford Platform. As the platform continues to
evolve, Taiwan enjoys new opportunities via the established connections
with Silicon Valley. “We want to understand what people at ITRI are
working on and what the real world problems are in the semiconductor
industry and other related industries. It’s been a really productive forum,”
commented Professor Eesley when he attended an AI forum under the
ITRI-Stanford Platform in June 2018.
Stephen Su summarized three major benefits of this platform: 1.
networking of experts on innovation and entrepreneurship; 2. tangible
technology innovation projects that both sides could complement each
other in various types of collaborations; 3. learning and discovering of less
familiar areas, such as the innovation ecosystem. As the platform grows, it
is hoped that more and more institutions can join to contribute to and
benefit from the interactions, fostering a thriving communication space for
leading research institutes to mobilize R&D resources for solving global
challenges.
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