> Information Technology and Electronics 
Laboratories
 Vice-President Director General Toshihiko Kanayama |
 Deputy Director General Satoshi Sekiguchi |
 Director, Research Planning Office Tetsuji Yasuda TEL:029-862-6028 E-mail:  |
Green-IT: Conserving energy in / by ITThe energy consumption of computers, networks, and other IT equipment has reached 5% of the total electricity generated in Japan, and continues to increase as network traffic expands at an annual rate of 40%. We are developing an all-optical-path network, which does not require electrical-optical conversion, as well as electronic devices that operate at very low voltages and nonvolatile memories that do not require refreshing, in order to significantly improve the energy efficiency of data centers and computer networks. We are also developing a smart grid that will interconnect solar power and other distributed energy sources via high-speed power-line communication to contribute to IT-based improvement of the energy efficiency of society. |
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| A 128-kbit RRAM chip array fabricated on an 8-inch wafer | |
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| The communication technology helps monitor the power generation in each solar panel, which is useful for the maintenance of the panel and the prompt detection of malfunctions in the panel. | |
Ensuring safety in people’s lives by means of ITInnovations with new technologies and machines require careful examination to ensure that they have no adverse effects on society. We are developing robot safety standards and safety certification technologies to create an environment for introducing life support robots into the home to provide nursing care and welfare. In addition, we are developing technologies to improve the reliability of embedded systems by automated software testing and model checking, while educating engineers in this field at the same time. In cloud computing environment, information security technologies that allow prompt system recovery even if a password is leaked is being developed. |
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| Robotic Arm for Persons with Upper-limb DisAbilities (RAPUDA) | |
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| Standard evaluation circuit board for tolerability of cryptographic modules for side-channel attacks | |
Innovative electronic devicesSince the invention of the transistor, new electronic devices such as the IC and the CCD sensor have prompted innovation. We are engaged in research on devices that trigger innovation, such as new logic devices to replace CMOS, high-speed and low-power nonvolatile memories to replace DRAMs, organic transistors suitable for flexible displays, and strongly correlated electronic devices that produce new functions based on electrical, magnetic, and optical interaction. |
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| SEM image of the fabricated double-gate MOSFET. | Organic thin-film transistor array fabricated entirely by printing process on a flexible plastic film |
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| Electron microscope image of a cross-section of the perpendicularly magnetized TMR element developed (left), and a schematic of the cross-sectional structure (right) | |
Science-based innovation of service industryhe service industry accounts for 70% of the industries in Japan. It has been pointed out that unlike the manufacturing industry, which has achieved high productivity by automated robots on a large scale, the Japanese service industry is small and inefficient. We are performing scientific analyses based on observation of the behavior of service providers and recipients to improve service productivity, and conducting research on efficient methods for designing new services. Using Web services, we are also integrating AIST’s contents and media in different areas such as geological and environmental information, in order to create new innovations based on new services. |
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| Measurements of hostess activities in japanese restaurant | |
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| A speech information retrieval system in which its performance can be improved by users' contribution |
Heads and outlines of laboratories