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Monday, June 30, 2014

Microvision + Enhanced Surfaces (Google, Whirlpool, Microsoft, Sony, Ford, Range Rover)

Microvision's PicoP technology can project images onto nearly any surface.

This makes moving pictures available anywhere -- which has obvious benefits for enjoyment and information.

The ability to interact with the images makes PicoP even more valuable as something to enhance surfaces. There have been samples that have appeared in the last year, and collecting those samples on one page, in one post is useful to see the potential.


First, the "Surface Phone" -- a concept prototype. 

This uses both a Microvision PicoP & and iPhone 5




On the video start paying attention at 1:10. At the time this was released, we weren't certain that this was PicoP inside, but now we're virtually certain. This could come to any coffee shop, restaurant, or your own kitchen table. -- It's not difficult to imagine any number of industrial or educational uses for this technology.



Whirlpool -- Interactive Cooktop

This is an example of an enhanced surface. With practical application, and of course, not difficult to imagine wide adaptation of this -- or applications beyond cooking.


Penbook

This prototype was created using a PicoP. The video does a great job explaining the benefits. This makes going paperless very easy, the sample applications are excellent, and it is easy to see how this could become very popular and to soon be seen as "essential."

While the prototype seems a little "clunky" thi



PEN BOOK .pdf

IN CAR DISPLAYS -- 

FORD in China -- with Sony

Look for Sony @ :41

I suspect that no one will allow this kind of intense display on a windshield, but it does a great job of showing what is possible.

Not certain that it's PicoP, but all of this is possible with PicoP, and with Sony in the mix (and with previous confirmation that Microvision and Ford are working together, likelihood is high.)



Range Rover Transparent Hood


Not certain that this is PicoP, but it is very likely. Other HUD technologies would be difficult to implement in this way. (IMHO)




Google & Dor Tal Enhanced Surface Concept

Much of the demo system in the video is software based, but the displays are possible now with PicoP.




Microsoft -- Omni Touch and Surround Web





Saturday, June 28, 2014

New Sony Division, Sony Visual Products

http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-visual-products-now-open-business/79844.html

Sony Visual Products now open for business



Sony officially splits its TV business to another company, Sony Visual Products, which will soon start its corporate operations at the beginning of July.
sonyvisualproducts00 Sony Visual Products now open for business

Sony had just completed the inauguration of Sony Visual Products, a new company that would now handle the corporate tech giant’s TV business -related commercial endeavors. As previously announced, the new company will start business operations this July 1st.
The establishment of Sony Visual Products was one of the numerous proposals presented by Sony last May of this year in its campaign to reform the corporation’s general business structure. One of the primary objectives stated for the new company was to turn back profitability for Sony’s TV business, which was already slowly suffering a few years back from several financial and marketing difficulties. With a separate managing company, Sony hopes for a general positive financial turnaround, and expects administration and management of its TV business to be faster and more efficient.
As announced by the previous press release, Masashi Imamura, Sony’s former SVP, Corporate Executive and President of Home Entertainment and Sound Business Group, will now be the President and Representative Director of Sony Visual Products Inc.
Source: My Navi (JP)

Christian Crisostomo is your average tech geek who loves learning about any new stuff that is related to technology and tech development. He's currently mesmerized at the wonders of technology in East Asia, writing about all the stuff that he has seen and learned there.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Space Player by Panasonic

This is an old post that accidentally ended up here during updates. (See the categories on the right??)

I left it here, because apparently release of this product is imminent.

Cheers.




Osaka, Japan - Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has developed the "Space Player", a new type of lighting equipment combining the functions of traditional lighting and video projectors to create new options and ideas in spatial lighting for the ambient lighting market. The Space Player will go on sale in Japan from July 1, 2014.
Panasonic has been working to enhance the value of lighting design for interior and exterior spaces, making full use of its hardware technologies related to lighting fixtures, including dimming and color controls, as well as its lighting software technologies, such as "Feu" - Panasonic's unique numerical index for illumination design which quantitatively measures the spatial brightness experienced.
The newly developed Space Player realizes a new concept of "projection lighting," utilizing projected visuals for lighting to create a wide variety of ambient lighting possibilities that were previously unavailable. For example, the new projection spotlight can light up an object while projecting video or product descriptions onto the surrounding space, or capture the attention of customers on a product on display through moving illuminations.
In addition to a design which is in the shape of a spotlight, allowing it to fit in any surroundings, this Space Player adopts a wiring duct installation method, a structure where the lighting direction can be freely changed and the ability to playback from SD cards or over a Wi-Fi network. These features make the Space Player easy to install in stores and facilities. The Space Player will be available in black and white.
Panasonic will not only sell the Space Player unit, but provide total ambient lighting solutions for entire spaces by offering the Space Player in combination with its suite of other lighting products. Panasonic will also offer video content for the Space Player to meet the various needs of its customers, thereby developing the lighting business by providing everything from hardware (manufacture and sale of lighting fixtures) to software (space design proposals by using its proprietary software technologies like "Feu") to video content.
Through the creation of a new projection lighting market, the company will aim to achieve sales of 20 billion yen for its whole ambient lighting business, including the Space Player, by fiscal year 2019 ending March 31, 2019.
*Space Player is a registered trademark (under application) of the Panasonic Group.

Features of the Space Player

1. Equipped with projector function for projection lighting

  • One-touch switching between "lighting mode" and "projector mode" by remote control (comes with a remote control)
  • Can realize a wide range of ambient lighting by using video as the projected light.
  • In addition to standalone playback of pictures and videos from an SD card, capable of projecting images and video from a diverse range of sources, such as from a PC or tablet over a Wi-Fi network or using an HDMI connection
  • Can play pictures or video from an SD card, change the brightness of the light source, or switch the power on or off following a schedule
  • Utilizes a laser as the light source, realizing a lifetime of 20,000 hours (when brightness falls to 50% of the original level), reducing the burden of replacing lamps when used in facilities and stores for long periods of time

2. A design that fits well with its surroundings and a high degree of freedom in installation

  • Spotlight-shaped design that fits well with spaces, such as facilities and stores, that require the high-level design
  • Product lineup of two colors (black/white) that fit well with interior colors
  • Adoption of a wiring duct installation method to easily fix, unfix and relocate after installation
  • Adjustable structure that can deliver light in every direction downward below the horizontal line
  • Remote control-operated electric powered 2.2 x zoom and focus, enabling remote operation by hand even when installed in high locations

3. Sales of the original content for ambient lighting designs

Panasonic will offer projected content that is suitable for the spaces where the Space Player will be used or ambient lighting plans.

Examples of Use


Clothing shop
• Lighting up an object while projecting video images onto its surrounding space (e.g. video that conveys concept of product and video of expected usage environment)
• Can direct attention on display products by using moving illumination

Restaurant
• Lighting up dishes to look more attractive, and drinking glasses to further sparkle
• Projecting brief explanation of foods and drinks on the table or along the walls
• Projecting tablecloth patterns, beautiful texture or window frames on a wall

Art gallery and museum
• Projecting detailed explanations of paintings and exhibits or instructions for usage of articles on display near to them, and using them as captions
• Improving the appeal to visitors by using small-scale projection mapping on exhibits and fixtures and equipment on display

Specifications

Brightness1,000 lumen
Light source
(lifetime)
Laser diode
(maintenance-free light source for 20,000 hours: until brightness falls to 50% of the original level)
Resolution1,039,680 pixels (equivalent to WXGA)
Power consumption (voltage)125 W (for 100 V wiring duct only)
Focus/zoomElectric powered focus/Electric powered zoom
(2.2x zoom ratio)
Lighting directionDownward below horizontal direction
Playback sources
Stand alone:Playback of still pictures/videos from SD card
Wired:Playback connecting to PC or DVD player via HDMI cable
Wireless:Playback connecting to PC or tablet over Wi-Fi network

UPS -- New Facility -- New Sorting Technology

June 25, 2014, 9:06 a.m. EDT

UPS Expands Memphis Facility

Expanded facility will increase package processing capacity by more than 80 percent




MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jun 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --
Construction recently began to expand by one-third the UPS® UPS +0.22% package distribution facility on Swinnea Road in Memphis.  The project will add approximately 140,000 square feet of building space bringing the total to more than 430,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $70 million. The facility will improve processing rates through increased capacity and expanded use of UPS's next generation sorting technology when completed in early 2016.
UPS expects to add 350 new jobs over a three-year period to meet volume growth at this site. These jobs include tractor trailer and delivery drivers, package handlers, management, maintenance and support staff. According to the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County (EDGE), the project will create nearly $9.8 million in new tax revenue for the metro area.
The larger facility footprint and new sorting technology will handle increasing UPS volume in the mid-South driven largely from double-digit e-commerce volume growth.  The facility's automated conveyors will sort packages more efficiently than conventional conveyor systems and six-sided scanning cameras will capture package data and sort packages automatically. 
"Facility upgrades will help give us the latest technology and additional capacity to process both ground and air express volume growing from e-commerce business shippers located here, and consumer demand that is driving online retail sales," said Ken Harms, UPS president of the Mid-South District.

The Memphis UPS hub is a centerpiece for the efficient movement of package volume between Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The site currently employs more than 1,300 employees locally. 
Situated on 83 acres of land adjacent to Memphis International Airport, the facility integrates processing both for the UPS air gateway and ground hub, as well as dispatch for local pickup and delivery operations in the area. The company is leasing an additional 27 acres from the Airport Authority which will support an 80 percent increase in package processing. 
Another project component is expansion of the surface yard for tractor trailers to provide a larger staging ground for packages coming into and out of the building.
Some preliminary improvements will be in place by November when UPS increases its capacity for the peak holiday season which is expected to grow from both e-commerce and retail omni-channel distribution patterns.
UPS also recently installed a new UPS Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fueling station on the Memphis property. As a part of UPS's "rolling laboratory" approach to alternative fuel technologies, 59 new LNG tractor trailers have been placed in Memphis and join other new LNG big rigs fueling at new stations built in Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss.
About UPS
UPS UPS +0.22% is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com . To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS .

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Project Tango

No time at the moment to write any commentary, and I haven't had time to review this in depth yet, but this is something I will be looking at closely.

A page I can't open yet has a suspected PicoP sighting. Will update when I find that.

Project Tango At WSJ

Project Tango at Google


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Apple & Microvision Connected

Scraped, because I suspect it will change.

Link at Linkedin.com

Jonathan Heng

Jonathan Heng

Manufacturing Operations and Supplier Quality Manager at Microvision
Current
  1. Apple
  2. Microvision
Previous
  1. Microvision
  2. ACM Holdings
  3. LKT Industrial Berhad
Education
  1. Curtin University of Technology
169connections







SUMMARY:

A result oriented manager with ten years of experience in project management for various industries such as automation, operations, manufacturing, semiconductors and quality control. Proven ability to support high complexity projects with track records of successful launching and managing such projects including cross cultural/functional management experience..
Pico Projector Technology
Pico Projector Technology
Scanning Mirror MEMS
Scanning Mirror MEMS
IC Testing and Packaging
IC Testing and Packaging
ShowWX Pico Projector
ShowWX Pico Projector

Experience




Operations Program Manager

Apple
shenzhen



Manufacturing Operations & Supplier Quality Manager

Microvision
dongguan, guangdong, china
- Extend my role as project manager for operations within Asia Pacific.
- Operations Project and Supplier Quality lead.
- Intermediary between suppliers and headquarter engineering.
- Select supplier that matches the company needs.
- Assess risk with each supplier for each projects.
(Open)2 recommendations
  • Mark Helsel
    Mark Helsel
    Sr. Staff Engineer at Microvision
    I worked with Jonathan for over three years in his roles as a manufacturing engineer and quality manager. Microvision's...View
  • Jan Rose Heeg
    Jan Rose Heeg
    Global Supply Chain Engineering Manager at Spacelabs Healthcare
    Jonathan reported to me for two years at Microvision. In that time, he led ongoing operations activity at our major...View
PicoP-Display-Technology
PicoP-Display-Technology
PicoP Projection Technology
PicoP Projection Technology



Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Microvision
Dongguan, Guangdong, China
- Project engineer for new products being introduced for manufacturing within the Asia Pacific region (mainly China and Taiwan)
- Manufacturing lead in Asia Pacific
- Work with and manage contract manufacturers within the Asia Pacific region.
- Plan and deploy manufacturing and test equipment at manufacturer sites.
- Test and verify new equipment and product firmware/software is ready for production.
- Manange communication between the headquarter and on site supplier.
(Open)3 recommendations, including:
  • Robert Hilker
    Robert Hilker
    Manager HW Test Engineering | Microsoft E&D MFTG MTE
    Jonathan joined my team in 2010. His role was to represent MicroVision’s Manufacturing Engineering and Process development...View
  • Brian Langendoen
    Brian Langendoen
    VP of Operations at amphibian pte. ltd.
    Jonathan was a very valuable asset to our team, with excellent communication skills, professionalism, & technical ability....View
1 more recommendation
ShowWX Classic
ShowWX Classic
ShowWX+ with HDMI
ShowWX+ with HDMI



Program Manager

ACM Holdings
Penang, Malaysia
- Secure new automation projects.
- Manage various customer accounts.
- Oversee all new project from the initial stage until it enters mass production.
(Open)2 recommendations
  • Ong Siong He
    Ong Siong He
    Program Manager at ACM, Alliance Cnotract Manufacturing Sdn Bhd.(466778-V)
    Jonathan is very resourcefull, committed and trustworthy in his job. A good team player and leader as well. He has a high...View
  • Calvin Wong
    Calvin Wong
    Director Troppus IT & Management
    Jonathan was a meticulous and hard working colleague who can be trusted to always get the job done right.View
Wafer Inspection System
Wafer Inspection System



Engineering Section Head

ACM Holdings
Penang, Malaysia
- Manage a team of technician and technical specialist for day to day activities.
- Explore cost reduction opportunities via engineering and process change.
- Joint development with customer for new projects mainly related to automation equipment
- Create a streamlined process for manufacturing
(Open)1 recommendation
  • Greg Siu
    Greg Siu
    Hardware Engineering Director at Aixtron Inc.
    I worked with Johathan in collaboration to transfer US based semiconductor capital equipment manufacturing off shore to ASM in Malaysia. As the ASM project lead, Jonathan provided an excellent liaison between our two companies. His broad...View
Diffusion, oxidation and LPCVD applications for 300-mm wafers
Diffusion, oxidation and LPCVD applications for 300-mm wafers
High Capacity Electrical Tester
High Capacity Electrical Tester



Assembly Engineer

ACM Holdings



Field Service Engineer

LKT Industrial Berhad

- Setup automated test handler at customer site independently. 60 systems were setup in China and 3 systems in Taiwan.
- Integrate tester and automated test handler together with knowledge of semiconductor testing method.
- Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical and software of test handler that can affect performance, safety and ergonomics.
- Draw out improvement plans for machines to cater for customers needs based on data and findings obtained.
- Coordinate all field service activities locally and overseas.
- Work together with mechanical designer to come up with better design.
- Frequent involvement in testing of prototype machines and its modules. Testing involves reliability and performance.
Testing and Packaging of IC
Testing and Packaging of IC
Testing and Packaging of IC
Testing and Packaging of IC



Technical Consultant

Sychro Computers

- Provide computer systems solutions for customer in the areas of PC requirements, networking and software.
- Developed a systematic test method for quality control that have significantly reduced the amount of faulty computer systems
- Analyse and solve software related problems under Windows operating system platform
- Check hardware and software compatibility for new components out in the market
- Developed OEM pre-installation disc for Windows that saves a significant time in software installation and test
- Inventory management to ensure sufficient stock is always available
- Provide training to technicians and work attachment students
- Webmaster for the company’s website