Technological Innovation : A Brief Case Study of Japan`s Orientation towards Human Resource Development

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Abstract:
The low economic growth rate due to recession pushed down the per-capita GDP of Japan for six consecutive years from the world's third in 2000 to eighteenth in 2006. Still, Japan continues to lead the world in research and development, investing around 3.39% of it’s GDP in Research and Development compared with 2.6% of U.S.A. and 2 % in the European Union. Japan is witnessing new wave of innovation and Entrepreneurship despite the fact that there is massive loss experienced by Japanese companies due to recent financial crisis. (Ref: A World Bank Report on Unchanging Innovation and Changing Economic Performance in Japan by Adam Posen)


Government is promoting new consortia of knowledge excellence centres and industries to result in decentralized network of research and development across the Japanese islands. Also, I wish to focus on Japanese Government’s efforts on investing more and more in Human Resource Development of Science Technology sector and their conscious efforts to form the consortium of experts and clusters of service companies. This approach is helping different elements of industry to respond positively to government’s initiative in exploring, innovating and communicating the means and methods of successful policy making by motivating the healthy competition. This path of wealth creation and national development eventually contributes to the nation’s ability to commit itself to the larger objectives of International Development by promising more humanitarian aid and technical assistance.
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The prevalent and recently regenerated surge to reorient the strength of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) capabilities to solve the challenge of Sustainable Development are based on firstly understanding STI capacity building processes going on in different countries. This realization then goes through process of exchanging transnational lessons of experience in building STI capacity. Therefore, the government’s capacity for STI policy making to enhance donor capacity so as to design successful STI capacity building projects must be understood in the context of how donor organizations could work together under the supervision and guidance of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and other similar international initiatives to improve their professional capacity building partnerships with developing countries. [1]


Japanese success in innovation can be traced back to first white paper published by Govt of Japan in late forties. The white paper starts by identifying the weaknesses of Japanese industry:
1) The reluctance of Japanese firms in investing for costly R&D activities leading towards lack of domestic self-reliance in technology;
2) Difficulty in transforming the university research output into industrial products, due to the lack of applied research and development.
3) Predominance of know how, tacit knowledge, embodied skills, tricks and craftsmanship in the production process. This is truer about firms within small and medium enterprises (SME). This benefits by causing low productivity of labor and long training periods, and preventing a large-scale diffusion of technology.
4) The vertical hierarchical structure of academic disciplines obstructs the development of technology which strongly requires an interdisciplinary approach;


The inspiration behind the quest of technological capability in Japan aroused by urgent need to address the development impediments in the decade of 1960s, 70s. The choice behind these massive efforts was driven by technological avenues pursued during the 1960's and 1970's. This journey was dictated by social needs, such as finding solutions to pollution, traffic jams, and water shortages. But the main force was the need to fill the technology gap between Japan and the United States. During this entire period, Japan had established a model of a technological path, participating companies to consolidate their technological base to reach success in catching up with American companies in appropriate fields. [2]


The reasons for this progress are articulated in one of the Reports of National Industrial Technology Development (NITSDC) set by Japanese Govt.
In recent years, Japanese firms have achieved, maintained and increased competitiveness by introducing basic industrial technologies from western nations. This was done consciously to achieve ‘process innovation’ (i.e. technically enhancing different manufacturing process) which tremendously improved productivity and product quality. The inherent criteria for this success was uniform standards of technical education, high quality morale, visionary investment in human resources and teamwork reflecting efficient organizational behavior between manufacturing employees and management. In short, Japan made full use of strengths of Japanese society and Japanese business management systems.


While recognizing all these, introspection in the policy making institutions is reflected in one of the reports of Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Year 2000. This can be summarized as: “Japan has to think seriously to compulsorily abandon it’s piecemeal, vertically oriented approach. This also include, moving ahead of university-led basic research so as to empower the nation to provide the foundation for long term and continuous technical innovation.

While assessing the economic performance in parallel successful journey in innovation we will try to understand the framework of the actors and linkages in the innovation system. [3] (http://www.naturaledgeproject.net/NAON1Chapter11.7.aspx)


Few roots of the successful coping strategies and insulating strength which is helping Japan to tackle two decade old economic recession lie in Japanese government initiative in adopting the "Science and Technology Basic Law" in 1995 and implemented policy measures to adapt the way the Science and Technology (S&T) was organized and managed. The reflections from Law which are incorporated in policy building by making the state responsible for formulating and implementing comprehensive policies with regard to the promotion of S&T." Thus the state is expected to take the necessary measures, especially allocating and ensuring utilization of budgetary provision in this regard.
This law emphasizes concern about the cooperation between national research laboratories, universities and the private sector. The ideal balance between basic research, applied research and development has to be supported by timely training of researchers. Significant fact is that particular attention is paid to preserving the autonomy of researchers and specifying more focused research activities within the university sector. This clause has motivated the universities to derive new means of bypassing those applications that were unacceptable to them. The Law envisages the establishment of a basic plan to promote S&T, which will contain operational policies. The Council for Science and Technology has to be consulted prior to formulation of the basic plan.”


Being aware of the above presented ‘Innovation Model’ and other mentioned facts about Japan’s response to post war and current financial crisis in the context of increasing international competition, let us see what latest White Paper on ‘White Paper on Science and Technology 2008’ says:

1) Promotion of R&D in New Fields:
Japan has to invest in meeting the challenges of environmental problems. It is the world’s unprecedented aging society with a shrinking population. The Japanese government is very proactive to play a leading role in international cooperation and collaboration toward solutions to these social problems which require scientific solutions. This is essential for the benefit of society and so that Japan can maintain and improve its competitiveness. Simultaneously, it is also mandatory that Japan increase investments in all the strategic areas of sciences. Each expected to become an important arena of future research capable of contribution to international competition. This should be continuously improving its international competitiveness toward sustainable economic growth. Apart from these, needed initiatives have to include Promotion of service science; promotion of S&T related science-based industry and responses to newly emerging and interdisciplinary fields.

2) Development and Recruitment of Internationally Competitive Human Resources should be done by Foundation of Establishment of systems to attract outstanding foreign researchers. Creating major research-priority Environment to enhance the research support available to result in emphasizing the role of higher education throughout. This, report explains goes on: “The guarantee of Japan wining out in global competition in research, it is imperative to produce internationally active human resources from Japanese universities. The resources available in universities must be embedded in developing research environments suitable for international students and foreign researchers. In the situation where foreign countries promote R&D mainly from research human resources at the level of doctorate holders, for sustainably creating innovations, Japan has to make doctoral courses more attractive and foster research human resource. All over the world number of students working on their Ph.D. is improving abilities under the environment of global competition. Industries also are involved in foresight analysis so as to know the real strength of the human resources through, on the other hand, need to capitalize on acquiring human resources with doctoral degrees as research potential is very much crucial to an enterprise’s own innovations.”


Behavior of Japanese companies:
Japanese companies engage in continuous innovation by exchanging in even minuscule information which can be of minor improvements in their work of scientific experiments. Also, firms are continuously involved in anticipating changes in market, technology, competition, product, and consumer behavior, trends of scientific and technological rapid up-gradation. The sustaining interaction by firms with their suppliers, customers, distributors, government agencies and competitors for new insights is very categorical. Tacit or Personal Knowledge which is come out of the experience gets accumulated from the outside the company and outside the country, These inputs shared widely within the organization, becomes part of the company's repository of knowledge, and is utilized to develop new technologies and products. A conversion from outside to inside and then outside again takes place in the creation of new products, services or systems. Process of continuous improvement is Kaizen and the place of dense clusters is called Keiretsus. There is need to study how Japanese companies are carrying out User Oriented Product Research which helps to know what are the consumer’s changing need patterns by establishing real time communication with them. I wish to discuss about Kaizen and Kiretsus in my next paper.


Philosophy of Japanese Innovation:
Any innovation is context, culture and society specific. There is always a perceived knowledge and actually uncodified knowledge. Tacit knowledge has technical and cognitive dimensions. The technical component consists of informal skills or crafts, expressed as "know-how", accumulated through years of experience, and difficult to articulate precisely. The cognitive dimension consists of mental models, beliefs, and perceptions that are deeply ingrained and often taken for granted, including visions about what could and what ought to be in the future. Explicit knowledge can be taught through education and training. This knowledge is untransmittable in codified due to some reasons. The most people attribute this aspect of innovation to feelings which are inherent to the certain innovative practices. The most powerful learning comes from direct experience and through trial and error. Learning takes place with the body as well as the mind. The oneness of body and mind is an outgrowth of Zen Buddhism in Japanese thinking. [4]


What has come to realization about Post-war Japanese innovation system is that degree to which domestic competition among firms in high-tech sectors occurred and even was encouraged, despite the status-quo biases of the system. Government deliberately introduced controlled competition in electronics and telecommunication industry. [5]


Individual entrepreneurship continues to be significant factor in Japanese technological development. Govt. of Japan has already introduced “Mentor Introduction Service for Women Entrepreneurship”. This was followed by Amendment in Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment i.e. Equal Opportunity Act in 2006. There are some contemporary reasons which facilitated the rise of New Women in today’s time. Here the concept of loyalty and lifetime employment is slowly loosing it’s charm. Also, seniority based payment structure is paving way for quality and competitive compensation mechanisms


Looking at the shrinking workforce population in Japan the new business leadership is evidently being transferred to highly educated woman who is simultaneously taking care of family, office and new challenges of learning the changing technology and management practices. This is possible here because of lowest cost of connectivity and easily available technological assets in the cluster of people which are easily accessible. For example, internet penetration in Japan has gone up from 37% of total population in 2000 to more than 74 % in 2007. Also this country is cheapest ISP (0.09 $ for 100 Kbps) in whole world not to forget fastest connectivity (26. Mbps).


Starts up are providing safe environment for women to work hard. These start-ups provide anonymity so as to remove prejudice in the minds of male counterparts. As all these new emerging companies are knowledge- ICT bases they are providing flexibility for women to set working hours as per their convenience. This helps them to minimize traditional barriers. More and more new woman could assert themselves and lead start ups in the market place of fierce race. But still some significant problems of society cannot be ignored. Few of the companies which are making their mark as new symbol of rising women entrepreneurship in Japan are: Digimom, Coolgiris, Palias, eSampo, SOHO, Women, Photonet, DeNA, New Year Group and many others.


Foundation or parent firms tend to concentrate in specific local areas according to their specialization. Firms work closely together at each stage of production and across industry tiers, making possible the production of even the smallest lots and the implementation of any process. This fact and culture is directed towards Kiretsus. By pooling their know-how and working together, these small companies are able to undertake portions of large industrial projects quite beyond what any one could handle on its own (Kaizen). In combination they have outstanding development capabilities and provide the infrastructure for creating new products. [6]


In Japan, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are truly a engine of economic growth by removing the ill effects prevalent in the demand lacking and not so friendly pro-employment market society./ SMEs can be regarded as “weak” low-tech firms and hence as the targets of protective policies, have recently been attracting considerable attention as promoters of innovation (Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, 2002, 2004). Special attention is being paid to start-up firms including new ventures that enter the markets with new products and services based on new technologies and ideas or exploit new markets. [7] It is observed that there has not been significant increase in penetration of culture of Venture Capital risk taking initiatives. (Ref: Seminar on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, jointly organized by Stanford University Project on Japan and The University of Tokyo, 28 May 2009)


New Initiatives:
Considering all the issues discussed uptill now, let us take a look at agenda for 21st Century Japanese Govt. has prepared based on this belief:[8]
“It is significant to proceed with the scientific discoveries and technological inventions. These achievements must be realized by collaboration of upstream basic research and downstream applied research by placing out priorities beyond the confines of just daily needs by starting to address wider challenges arised due to uncertainty. This research reflected in scientific papers must be able to produce social and economic values and feed back the benefits to society and people. Therefore, it is necessary to manage purpose-specific basic research and applied research programs appropriately in order to prevent them from becoming mere tools for satisfying researchers' own intellectual curiosity. In this situation, Japan Science and Technology Agency(JST) promotes basic research related to strategic prioritized S&T items as part of its Basic Research Programs. These operations are being under an officer given with the responsibility and discretion which will maintain database concerning the management of research progress in order to achieve the strategic sector set by the government for the purpose of creating innovations. In addition, JST implements the Collaborative Development of Innovative Seeds and Project to develop "innovative seeds" as applied research programs intended to feed back the research achievements to society.”


If all these Japanese policies are looked in the framework of emerging consensus that STI capacity building is an essential tool for sustainable development and poverty reduction then we would be better able to understand the centrality of current discourse about science and technology being at the forefront of development policies characterized by economic and trade polices. But what precisely is meant by STI capacity building? What capacities must be built? How countries can built these capacities? How should policy makers allocate scarce resources to different capacity building objectives and what specific capacities are the highest priorities for any given country at a given stage of development? While trying to figure out answers to these questions awareness about minimum requirements about STI capacity building involves strengthening two types of capacity will help us to move in this direction:
a) To acquire and use existing scientific and technological knowledge
b) To produce and use new knowledge which will be sustainable and major contribution to
Knowledge System
c) It also involves building capacity at four distinct levels
i.Government policy making
ii.Labor force skills and training
iii.Enterprise innovation
iv.Education and training institutions and research institutes


Features of Policy Interventions:
Chalmers Johnson (1982) defines industrial policy as "a explicit feeling of concern for the welfare-ness with the structure of domestic industry. The emerging structure of STI enhances the nation's international competitiveness." Japan's approach to industrial policy, which encompasses competition policy, was relatively interventionist. Regulatory regime started to implement feasible policy prospects and targeting particular industries for development and involving extensive government guidance to industry. Key elements in this approach were: [9]
a) Many industries are being given concession from antitrust rules, including (but not
restricted to) small- and medium-sized companies and depressed industries in need of
restructuring.

b) Cartels were legalized in a variety of circumstances, including recessions; Industry-wide
cost reduction or quality enhancement were deemed necessary and in operation of
achievement. Small and medium-sized companies, are successful in collective bargaining
power was seen as desirable; and exporting, when it was necessary to discourage
"dumping" of Japan's exports in other countries at low prices by smaller companies.
c) The Japanese Fair Trade Commission (FTC) was weak, enforcement of antitrust policy
was lax (Takigawa, 1996) and criminal and civil sanctions in Japan were light
d) The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) sometimes intervened in
business conduct in ways to maintain limited competition.
e) Fifth, a provision of Japanese Anti-monopoly Law limited private suits unless the
Japanese FTC took formal action, at least in the form of a preliminary finding of a violation
and recommendation of remedial action.



Challenges Ahead:
The types of competition that are common in Japan may help explain why some Japanese firms can be innovative and highly successful in world export markets in certain products and yet earn consistently low rates of profitability. In the late 70s and mid 80s Japanese manufacturing companies were threatened by USA for not generating any significant profit beyond the 8 percent mark. The different types of competition also help explain why Japanese firms would be vulnerable to the catch-up of firms from other countries, because firms from other countries can adopt practices such as Total Quality Control and Lean Production Techniques, but then will not practice the excessive diversification and me-too entry or accept the low profits characteristic of Japanese firms.


Few scholars have warned that once Japanese firms are equaled in efficiency, they may not have much else to offer because they have lacked distinctive company strategies. The successful and innovative Japanese firms are also vulnerable because they are dragged down by the inefficiencies of other parts of the Japanese economy because of little competition and heavy government intervention. Many successful Japanese firms have diverted most investment abroad to avoid the high costs of the local market. [10]


While competition has long been vigorous in many Japanese industries and has been noticeably opened in the last decade, serious distortions and impediments to competition remain. Until Japan addresses these issues more frontally, the period of Japanese economic stagnation will be unnecessarily protracted. Almost all discussions of the cause of current Japanese stagnation concentrate on macro economic issues: a lack of aggregate demand, deflation and nonperforming loans held by banks. Many Economists and Planners agree that macroeconomic issues are important, but macroeconomic adjustment alone will not restore economic vitality. Japan's problem is rooted in microeconomics, in how companies compete and distortions to competition. These microeconomic structures reduce productivity, lower the return on new investment, drive companies offshore and artificially elevate local prices. A more flexible economy in which competition is truly open will increase productivity and create new business opportunities. A stimulus to aggregate demand will not be effective unless attractive goods and services are available at attractive prices. Disposing of nonperforming loans must be accompanied by policies that encourage new investment and the formation of new companies to which capital and labor can shift.


Searching ways for International Relationships for direction towards Development through the means of Science-Technology-Innovation cooperation:
Thus, after studying Japan’s various initiatives in the direction of establishing, strengthening and preserving the innovation potential I wish to refer to some of the founding principles which developing countries should reorient sufficient time and expertise for creating possibilities of self-reliant and novel alternatives development to in the future: [11]
a) Training and education in Science and Engineering in Centres of Excellence
b) Use of Foreign Assistance and Technical Assistance driven by strong bilateral agreements
c) Overseas Plant Visits for getting some technical know how and exposure to problem
solving in real time situation
d) For safe financial planning, consultation with foreign capital goods and high technology
suppliers
e) Inward substantial FDI in production R n D facility from more advanced countries
f) Mergers and Acquisitions in national and globalised world
g) Joint R and D Projects which will lead way to future greater cooperation between two
science technology agencies.
h) Flexibility in immigration of Scientists, Engineers and Skilled Labor
i) Establishing R and D facility in high tech countries
j) Attendance to International Exposition, Conference and Lectures
k) Flexible Technology Licensing
l) Imports of capital goods and high technology products at lower prices.


The implications of this new mode of technological progress for development are significant on endogenous innovation processes in developing country situations. In the old industrial S&T model, the focus was on technology transfer and imitation. In the new model, innovation is anything but imitation. Every innovation appears now unique with respect to its application. [12]


Conclusion:
Majority of the development discourse is suffering from ignorance towards potential of collaborative approaches of International Community in fostering relationships on the pillars of science, technology and innovation. The strong bilateral relations and courage of individual countries to initiate experiments based on indigenous needs and capabilities must be the way forward. While realizing the ‘criticism of Aid for Development and Aid for Trade’ is frequently circulating in the discussions, we must take foresighted initiatives to strengthen regional and multilateral relationships which will enhance the possibilities of domestic innovation. But in a true sense the success of these entire international efforts to foster domestic innovation entirely depends more on architecture of Physical and Human Science-Technology-Innovation Infrastructure based on justified financial support and less on foreign help. Japan has shown us direction in this regard.


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References:

[1] Alfred Watkins and Michael Ehst, Ed. Science, Technology, and Innovation, Capacity Building for Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 2008 Alfred Watkins and Michael Ehst, Editors

[2] Yuko Harayama, JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY POLICY: HISTORY AND A NEW PERSPECTIVE, RIETI Discussion Paper Series 01-E-001, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, August 2001

[3] OECD 1999

[4] Kuniko Fujita and Richard Child Hill, Innovative Tokyo, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3507, February 2005

[5] Fransman, Martin, Visions of Innovation: The Firm and Japan, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999

[6] Hill, Richard C. and Fujita, K. 1995. "Osaka's Tokyo Problem." International Journal of Urban & Regional Research, 19-2: 181-193

[7] Hiroyuki Okamuro Jian Xiong Zhang, Ownership Structure and R&D Investment of Japanese Start-up Firms"Center for Economic Institutions Working Paper Series, CEI Working Paper Series, No. 2006-1

[8] MEXT, White Paper on Science and Technology 2008

[9] Johnson, Chalmers. 1982. MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.

[10] Michael E. Porter and Mariko Sakakibara, Competition in Japan, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2004), pp. 27-50, American Economic Association

[11] Mark Taylor, The Political Economy of Technological Innovation: A Change in the Debate,
Massachusetts Inst. Of Technology, 2006

[12] Luc Soete, Science, Technology and Development: Emerging Concepts and Visions, SLPTMD Working Paper Series No. 017, Department of International Development, University of Oxford

Understanding the function of single walled carbon nanotube for new possibilities of Stretchability in Future of Electronics

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The following words of legendary theoretical Physicist Richard P. Feynman who is acclaimed for his contribution towards developing the IDEA of Nanotechnology in 1960s still need to be understood again and again. In his famous lecture, 'There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom- An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics’ he says, “I would like to describe a field, in which little has been done, but in which an enormous amount can be done in principle. This field is not quite the same as the others in that it will not tell us much of fundamental physics ...(in the sense of, `What are the strange particles?')."


He further says, “On the contrary it is more like solid-state physics in the sense that it might tell us much of great interest about the strange phenomena that occur in complex situations. Furthermore, a point that is most important is that it would have an enormous number of technical applications.” We have to keep in mind that that it was much later in 1974 that Noria Taniguchi used the term ‘nanotechnology’ while measuring precise machining tolerances
Continuing the quest of new probabilities to discover the concealed secrets of Nanotechnology, a group of eight Japanese scientists lead by Tsuyoshi Sekitan of Tokyo University has embarked successfully towards realizing yet another possibility of Stretchability which will significantly expand the applications scope of electronics. This research will be path breaking particularly for large-area electronic displays, sensors and actuators. In a research communication “Stretchable active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display using printable elastic conductors” published in Nature online in May 2009.


Why Single Wall Carbon Nanotube?
Nanotubes were discovered by Sumio Ijima at NEC Fundamental Research Laboratory of Japan in 1991. Because of their simple and well defined structure, such single walled nanotubes serve as a model system both for theoretical calculations and for key experiments. Nanotubes exhibit unique quantum wire properties that derive from tube’s nanometer diameters in combination with special electronic structure of graphite.

Low resistance conductors are crucial for the development of ultra-low-cost electronic systems such as radio frequency identification tags. Low resistance conductors are required to enable the fabrication of high-Q inductors, capacitors, tuned circuits, and interconnect. The fabrication of these circuits by printing will enable a dramatic reduction in cost, through the elimination of lithography, vacuum processing, and the need for high-cost substrates.

Carbon nanotubes have been regarded since their discovery as potential molecular quantum wires. In the case of multi walled nanotubes, many tubes are arranged in coaxial manner. Here electrical properties of each tube vary from tube to tube. Single wall nanotubes have been important because of their high yields and structural uniformity. Because of structural symmetry and stiffness of SWNTs, their molecular wave functions may extend over the entire tube. According to the research completed around 1998 by group led by Tans J sander SWNTs indeed act as a genuine quantum wire.


Unlike for conventional devices, stretchable electronics can cover arbitrary surfaces and movable parts. However, a large hurdle is the manufacture of large-area highly stretchable electrical wirings with high conductivity. In this research scientists have tried to address the how the process of highly precision oriented manufacturing of printable elastic conductors comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is uniformly dispersed in a fluorinated rubber. In this mechanism, electrical conduction happens through well separated, discrete electronic states that are quantum mechanically coherent over long distance i.e. approximately 140 nanometer.
Looking back in time, an 1998 assessment of an important strategy for realizing flexible electronics directs us towards use of solution-processable materials that can be directly printed and integrated into high-performance electronic components on plastic. This study was communicated in 1998 by a group of scientists led by Jeong Ho Cho.

Although examples of functional inks based on metallic, semiconducting and insulating materials have been developed, enhanced printability but performance is still a challenge. Printable high-capacitance dielectrics that serve as gate insulators in organic thin-film transistors are a particular priority.

Solid polymer electrolytes (a salt dissolved in a polymer matrix) have been investigated for this purpose, but they suffer from slow polarization response, limiting transistor speed to less than 100 Hz. The significance of this research lies in developing new approach towards emerging class of polymer electrolytes known as ‘ion gels’. These ion gels can serve as printable, high-capacitance gate insulators in organic thin-film transistors. The specific capacitance exceeds that of conventional ceramic or polymeric gate dielectrics, enabling transistor operation at low voltages with kilohertz switching frequencies.


The current 2009 progress has been on the front of using an ionic liquid and jet-milling. Here scientists are trying to produce long and fine SWNT bundles that can form well-developed conducting networks in the rubber. Conductivity of more than 100 S cm-1 and stretchability of more than 100% are obtained. Making full use of this extraordinary conductivity, we constructed a rubber-like stretchable active-matrix display comprising integrated printed elastic conductors, organic transistors and organic light-emitting diodes. The display could be stretched by 30–50% and spread over a hemisphere without any mechanical or electrical damage.
The early projections about resolution were made by Zhenan Bao in 2004. He says, “Although the advent of organic electronics promises the development of such futuristic applications as electronic paper, the limited resolution with which these materials can be patterned is hampering the progress.”


Although printing is an emerging approach for low-cost, large-area manufacturing of electronic circuits, it has to be taken into consideration the disadvantages it has in terms of poor resolution, large overlap capacitances, and film thickness limitations. These deficiencies may result in slow circuit speeds and high operating voltages. In 2007 Yong-Young Noh has demonstrated that ‘a self-aligned printing approach’ allows downscaling of printed organic thin-film transistors to channel lengths of 100–400 nm. The use of a ‘cross linkable polymer gate dielectric’ with 30–50 nm thickness ensures that basic scaling requirements are fulfilled and that operating voltages are below 5 V. This enhancement in efficiency is shown by the device architecture which minimizes contact resistance effects, enabling clean scaling of transistor current with channel length.


The work of another scientist in 2009 has helped to reach a level of paradigm shift in respect with continuing efforts to develop semiconducting inks. These type of inks are based on carbon nanotubes have mobilities that are comparable with those of polycrystalline silicon, and could one day match the performance of single-crystal silicon. Thanks to work done by Takao Someya in this regard, a host of applications based on this inexpensive approach to electronics are expected to emerge rapidly once the commercial feasibility of this application is established.

Replacement of conventional metallic emitter in increased Use of carbon nanotubes removes the need for ultrahigh vacuum in these devices. This saves energy because nanotube field emit at room temperature and no heating is required. This capability has been achieved by scientific community and this marked very significant step towards the real commercial products based on carbon nanotubes.


Many potential applications have been proposed for carbon nanotubes, including conductive and high-strength composites; energy storage and energy conversion devices; sensors; field emission displays and radiation sources; hydrogen storage media; and nanometer-sized semiconductor devices, probes, and interconnects. Some of these applications are now realized in products. Others are demonstrated in early to advanced devices, and one, hydrogen storage, is clouded by controversy. Nanotube cost, polydispersity in nanotube type, and limitations in processing and assembly methods are important barriers for some applications of single-walled nanotubes.
Nanotechnology as we know is enabling technology that will pave the way for novelty in every stream of technology. Research in this technology began with developing an understanding of materials with novel characteristics at the nano-scale. Attempts to achieve control over conductivity, opacity, strength, ductility, reactivity, etc. in different combinations of matter, are among the earliest of research forays in this field.


Henceforth, while there are challenging goals about nanotechnology in front of science-technology experts as answering to the call of emerging expectations of scientific and business community. There do not appear to be any fundamental barriers for achieving it. A proper marriage of Physics, Chemistry and Electrical Engineering may be up to the task. Electronics may begin to go the way of Biology and use the carbon atom as its backbone. And realistically there are some good signs in this direction.


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References:

1) Stretchable active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display using printable elastic conductors, Tsuyoshi Sekitani, Hiroyoshi Nakajima, Hiroki Maeda, Takanori Fukushima, Takuzo Aida, Kenji Hata & Takao Someya, Nature Materials 8, 494 - 499 (2009) Published online: 10 May 2009 doi:10.1038/nmat2459

2) Plastic-Compatible Low Resistance Printable Gold Nanoparticle Conductors for Flexible Electronics; Daniel Huang, Frank Liao, Steven Molesa, David Redinger, and Vivek Subramanian, J. Electrochem. Soc. 150, G412 (2003), DOI:10.1149/1.1582466

3) Printable ion-gel gate dielectrics for low-voltage polymer thin-film transistors on plastic; Jeong Ho Cho, Jiyoul Lee, Yu Xia, BongSoo Kim, Yiyong He, Michael J. Renn, Timothy P. Lodge & C. Daniel Frisbie; Nature Materials 7, 900 - 906 (2008) Published online: 19 October 2008 doi:10.1038/nmat2291

4) Downscaling of self-aligned, all-printed polymer thin-film transistors; Yong-Young Noh, Ni Zhao, Mario Caironi & Henning Sirringhaus ; Nature Nanotechnology 2, 784 789 (2007); Published online: 18 November 2007 doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.365;

5) Conducting polymers: Fine printing; Zhenan Bao ; Nature Materials 3, 137 - 138 (2004), doi:10.1038/nmat1079 Zhenan Bao is at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.

6) Carbon Nanotubes--the Route Toward Applications, Ray H. Baughman, Anvar A. Zakhidov, Walt A. de Heer; Science 2 August 2002: Vol. 297. no. 5582, pp. 787 – 792 DOI: 10.1126/science.1060928

7) Carbon nanotubes as molecular quantum wires, C Dekker, Physics Today, 1999 - www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu

Sustainibility Science and Sustainable Innovation

"Adaptation to climate change has emerged as one of the most important concerns in the global development agenda. How we adapt, and the solutions we create to overcome the adverse impacts of climate change must be developed locally, while being supported by regional and global knowledge and experiences. For adaptation strategies to evolve locally, local human resources and technical capacities should be developed, particularly in the vulnerable regions of the world. This can be achieved through postgraduate education, where the necessary research can be conducted in partnership with implementing agencies and local communities.

Currently, the knowledge gap on adaptation is vast. Knowledge and expertise remains primarily at the international level and is failing to reach those in the developing world who need it most. Higher education institutions in developing countries do have a critical role to play. To enable this, closer cooperation is needed between higher education institutions, through partnerships, interdisciplinary research, student and faculty exchanges, and collaborative degree programs. These would connect stakeholders and support the sharing of experience and data necessary for effective adaptation in the Region."

Bearing strong belief expressed above, United Nations University has organised a three day conference about "Role of Higher Education in adapting for Climate Change" during 10-12 June in UNU, Tokyo. Organisation of this conference marks significant development because of new and very recent realisation to define the ‘Sustainability Science’ as an emerging discipline that seeks to understand the interactions within and between global, social, and human systems, the complex mechanisms that lead to the degradation of these systems, and the concomitant risks to human well-being and security.

It also seeks to provide the vision and methodology that will lead to the restoration global, social, and human systems. A particular challenge is how to transform the educational system and process to make this possible. The goal of sustainability education (Education for Sustainable Development, ESD) is to equip the younger generation with leadership skills, management capabilities, and the broad knowledge needed to create the new systems that can lead to global sustainability.

To remain open for redefining our traditional concept of sustanibility is very crucial. This urgency has been amified by Uncertainty in Climate Change. Garry D. Brewer in his analysis has dealt with probable Uncertainties involved of every conceivable sort.(Inventing the future: scenarios, imagination, mastery and control published in Sustainibility Science of Springer in 2007) He says, "As the time frame into the future extends, uncertainties essentially dominate conventional theories, tools, experiences, habits, processes, and so forth. The scientific consensus linking human activity to climate change is now all but settled according to The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The consensus says little, however, about who should be doing what and for what reasons under this singular, even unique circumstance. There are no data about the future on which to rely. We are challenged to imagine many different and possible “futures” as humankind seeks to exert its mastery and control."

Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Vice Rector of UNU and Director of Institute for Sustanibility and Peace is one of the founding architect of this new thinking. He explains how the new approach of 'Sustanibility Science' which is also a Journal edited by him, can change our traditional perspective of problem solving.In current mode of addressing specific problems we are adopting piecemeal approaches. However considering the massive complex problems of Climate Change we should adopt holistic approached discussed above.

The Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science of the University of Tokyo (IR3S-http://en.ir3s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ir3s)is established with active partnership with UNU after emerging consensus that existing academic inquiries based on the traditional reductionism are not adequate for resolving our complex and intertwining contemporary problems, and therefore we need some form of "structuring of knowledge" in order to overcome these problems. Sustainability is typical of issues that require the application of "structured knowledge. Hiroshi Komiyama, Executive Director, IR3S maintains that the IR3S will promote education and research in Asia, which in every sense holds the key to understanding and solving these pressing problems.

The Conference stressed on developing coping strategies through different novel initiatives in Higher Education. The different speakers emphasised need to adopt Adaptation strategies which are Anticipatory, Public and Planned. In this regard new role of Social Scientists was debated. The ability of intellectual and leadership community to cope stress and change will be decisive factor in responding to the UNCERTAINTIES of Climate Change. There was vigorous discussion about how to develop capability by fostering new alliances of more and more platforms of interdisciplinary research. There is urgent need to start new wave of research partnership with development agencies. This will really help affected communities to recieve information, guidance and vision from Development agencies to deal with the crisis in real time situation. In this respect role of higher education becomes extremely critical as it is the primary source to provide the wise leadership and knowledgeble courage to develop the gravity of perspective.

Going ahead in coming days Concept of Sustainable Innovation is bound to be discussed again and again. Sustainable Innovation is being looked from the prism of Environmentally and socially creative ways of expanding productivity and creating economic opportunities. Sustainable innovation means balancing our developmental needs with our planet’s ecosystems and environmental limits over the long term (without compromising the needs of future G).This type of innovation inclueds Functionality, Efficiency, Aesthetics, Minimal Cost and so on...

The principal elements of this new orientation to Innovation will be 1)Guiding technologies to create opportunities for jobs and income for all in a sustainable manner, 2)Belieivng that innovations can create opportunities to fight poverty and improve quality of life, 3)Exploring the possibilities of innovations to lower ecological footprint, especially carbon footprint on our planet,4)Developing a concerted global compact to develop and use clean and zero emission technologies and 5)To visualise new probablities of Transfer and diffusion of such technologies in LDCs by using appropriate local knowledge.

So, there is New Innovation Dynamics emerging in times ahead !!!
Prof. Govindan Pariyal whoi is Director of Institute of Advance Studies believes that this new dynamics hopefully will bridge the gap between science and research with societal needs (social & technical innovation). New approach has tremendous potential to sustainably bridg downstream applications to ustream research discoveries. It is increasingly believed that moving beyond price signals for market clearance, let innovation to its evolutionary selection mode. It is clear that private sector will not allocate resources under the existing incentives structures without the visible hand of the government & civil society. Therefore there is need of bold taxation and regulatory measures. So, 'Open innovation' and 'user-producer interactions in manufacturing processes' are the biggest buzzwords of new century.

In coming postings we hope to discuss these issues in detail. Till then; have a pleasant feel of Monsoon in India !!!

"We're better, you know it." (Blue Ray) Vs "We're evolutionary, not revolutionary." (HD-DVD)

During the rampant financial crisis, Japanese companies are facing severe challenge to minimise the losses. As The Economist noted on 14th May 2009: " Toyota reported its first annual loss in 71 years, of ¥437 billion ($4.3 billion), reversing a record net profit of ¥1.71 trillion a year earlier. Hitachi suffered a ¥787 billion loss. Toshiba lost ¥343 billion and wants to raise ¥500 billion in fresh capital. Around 30% of Japan’s 3,820 public companies are expected to post losses for 2008, according to Nikkei, a financial-news service. So dire is the situation that the Diet, Japan’s parliament, passed legislation in April authorising the government to help bail out struggling companies. Pioneer, an electronics firm, and Elpida, a chipmaker, are said to be angling for ¥80 billion between them.

Since many days I was curious to know about long stand-off between Blu-ray and HD-DVD standards. Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD drives use a blue-violet laser with a wavelength of 405 nanometers, as compared to a red lasers 650 nanometers. This shorter wavelength light can be focused into a smaller spot, allowing engineers to cram more data within a given space. Together with tighter track density and other enhancements, the blue-laser capability boosts capacity far beyond 4.7-gigabytes of a conventional DVD.Blu-ray stores more information than traditional DVDs and has more storage capacity than HD DVD (50 GB vs. 30 GB on a dual-layer disc).

Recently, the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA) has created a taskforce to ease the “integration of 3D technology into the Blu-ray Disc format”. Its ultimate aim is to define a standard for stereoscopic 3D content on a Blu-ray Disc, but nothing’s yet been mentioned about how this will be achieved or when such a standard could come into force. The BDA claimed that the format is “the ideal platform for bringing 3D technology to mainstream home entertainment”, thanks chiefly to its “flexibility and incomparable picture quality”. Its storage capacity will help too, we'd say. Executives from the film industry, and from the consumer electronics and IT sectors, will make up the taskforce. Blue-ray 3D films sold with cardboard red and blue glasses are already available. But it’s possible that the BDA taskforce will look towards higher quality options when defining the standard, such as shutter glasses



While reading these recent reports in the month of May and June; hours after a interaction with Mr. Hirotsune Akamatsu, General Manager, Enginnering Planning Division of Toshiba, I am eager to share with you the 'Technology Management' approaches adopted by Toshiba as one of the leading representative of huge Digital Media Network Industry of Japan. In Feb 2008 it was clear that High Definition DVD will represent one of the quickest ever option for competing formats and may effectively hand the entire HD movie format war to chief opponent of Toshiba, Blu-ray. The rapid fall began with movie studio Warner Bros.' plan to drop HD DVD just before the Consumer Electronics Show in January 08, which handed a clear majority of HD movies to Blu-ray and forced the HD DVD Promotional Group to cancel its keynote presentation for the event. The shift led to a sustained marketshare lead for Blu-ray almost immediately afterwards and spurred several independent studios to echo Warner's Blu-ray only policy.


In this context Mr.Hirotsune was analysing the formation of DVD Consortium in 1996. He talked about Patent Portfolio of Toshiba, Consortium of DVD manufactureres in Japan which was founded to avoid the conflict of different standards and the mechanism of commercialisation of specific technology with the help of institutionalised mechanism which is run by the force of mutual interests of different partner companies in the same industry.This consortium has three main divisions of operation. One at Policy level, other at Legal level and third at Technological level.


Among the core constituents of the Consortium, Policy group consisting of different Corporate Managers are responsible to define and initiate future strategy for entering in new technology areas. Legal team takes care about having common approach towards avoiding Anti-Trust cases consuming the huge time and tremendous cost of the partner industires and also IPR and compliance isssues. Technology group tries to address the benchmarks, standards and compatibility issues by envisioning possible conflict and technological viabilities. Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA) works under the Task Force and Secretary Office followed by deputy offices of Joint Technical Committe, Compliance Committe and Promotion Committe.

The "Blu-ray Disc Founder group" was started in May 20, 2002 by nine leading electronic companies: Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung[2]. In order to enable more companies to participate on May 18, 2004, it announced that Blu-ray Disc Founders will shift to Blu-ray Disc Association in October. Blu-ray Disc Association It was inaugurated on October 4, 2004 by 14 companies of Board of Directors which added 20th Century Fox to the 13 above-mentioned companies, Contributors of 22 companies, General members of 37 companies, and a total of 73 companies.


Currently Toshiba founding member of HD-DVD Consortium, along with few companies is pitted against large alliance lead by Sony who are following Blue Ray for development of coming technological innovation of 3D TV. This fight for marketplace is interesting to watch for. Tohsiba looks way ahead comapred to efforts of other competitors in development of 3D Tv while Sony in gaming consoles powered by their '3Play Station' version, Toshiba claims that they are in the process of developing 4000* 2000 Pixel resolution having 60 frames per second. It appears that Sony with their 3PS gaming system will have lead in the market of 3D Animation but Toshiba`s strength in downloadable and sharing platfomr may outdo Sony in maintaing their market.This is due the fact that Sony is struggling to increase the customer base for PS3.


Unfortunately, Blu-ray does not offer much for games. The extra storage capacity is not needed since Xbox 360 games come on traditional DVDs. The PS3 Blu-ray drive also has a slower read speed than a standard DVD drive, causing longer game load times. Furthermore, there are less than 300 movies currently out in the Blu-ray format. If Sony wants the PS3 to succeed with Blu-ray, it must capitalize on Blu-ray content.


A study of 2009 by 'Competitive Strategy of California Institute of Technology' says that "Console gaming is currently entering a new generation with the introduction of the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3), Microsoft Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. Sony, with its PlayStation 2, was the market leader in the previous generation with an estimated share of 70%, while Microsoft and Nintendo split the rest of the market. However, Sony is in danger of losing market share with the PS3, mainly due to the PS3’s significantly higher cost.If you are interested in details please click this link (http://www.mcafee.cc/Classes/BEM106/Papers/2007/sonyps3.pdf)



Annex:
What is the ongoing development in Blue Ray Research:(Source: Wickipedia)

Although the Blu-ray Disc specification has been finalized, engineers continue working to advance the technology. Quad-layer (100 GB) discs have been demonstrated on a drive with modified optics (TDK version) and standard unaltered optics ("Hitachi used a standard drive.")In August 2006, TDK announced that they have created a working experimental Blu-ray Disc capable of holding 200 GB of data on a single side, using six 33 GB data layers.

In January 2007, Hitachi showcased a 100 GB Blu-ray Disc, which consists of four layers containing 25 GB each. Unlike TDK and Panasonic's 100 GB discs, they claim this disc is readable on standard Blu-ray Disc drives that are currently in circulation, and it is believed that a firmware update is the only requirement to make it readable to current players and drives.

In December 2008, Pioneer Corporation unveiled a 400 GB Blu-ray Disc, which contains 16 data layers, 25 GB each, and will be compatible with current players after a firmware update. A planned launch is in the 2009-2010 time frame for ROM and 2010-2013 for rewritable discs. Ongoing development is under way to create a 1 TB Blu-ray Disc as soon as 2013.

At CES 2009 Panasonic unveiled the DMP-B15, the first portable Blu-ray Disc player and Sharp introduced the LC-BD60U and LC-BD80U series, the first LCD HDTVs with integrated Blu-ray Disc players. Sharp has also announced that they will sell HDTVs with integrated Blu-ray Disc recorders in the United States by the end of 2009.

As of April 2008, a joint licensing agreement for Blu-ray Disc has not yet been finalized. A joint licensing agreement would make it easier for companies to get a license for Blu-ray Disc without having to go to each individual company that owns a Blu-ray Disc patent. For this reason a joint licensing agreement was eventually made for DVD by the DVD6C Licensing Agency.

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