Latest news with #Aki
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Asahi Kasei Receives Imperial Invention Prize in Japan for Nickel-Coated Absorption Layer - Mitigating the Deterioration of Electrodes and Contributing to a Stable, Long-Term Electrolyzer Operation
TOKYO & NOVI, Mich. & DÜSSELDORF, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 3, 2025-- Asahi Kasei has received the 2025 Imperial Invention Prize from the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation, the highest award presented at the 2025 National Commendation for Invention. The formal award ceremony is scheduled to be held on July 1, 2025. The company was honored for its invention of a nickel-coated absorption layer, which extends the service life of electrodes for chlor-alkali electrolysis (patent no. 6120804). This honor underscores Asahi Kasei's commitment to continuous innovation in materials science and electrochemical processes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Ion-exchange membrane process for chlor-alkali electrolysis Chlor-alkali electrolysis uses ion-exchange membranes to produce chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrogen through the electrolysis of brine. Since its commercialization by Asahi Kasei in 1975, this process has been adopted at over 160 plants in more than 30 countries worldwide (as of December 2024). In a commitment to its global support, the division held a Grand Opening Ceremony of its Houston, Texas office in late 2024. During this event, Asahi Kasei unveiled its ' DENKAI AS ONE ' model, making it a one-stop solution provider, offering electrolyzers, membranes, design, and operational support. The awarded nickel-coated absorption layer addresses a long-term key issue of the chlor-alkali electrolysis process: When the electrolysis is stopped due to temporary reductions in demand for chlorine and caustic soda, equipment malfunctions, or power outages, the electrodes—especially the cathode—deteriorate due to reverse current. This leads to problems such as increased power consumption and shortened cathode service life. Conventional measures have used mechanical solutions to suppress such reverse current. However, this approach is susceptible to malfunctions and operator errors, making it challenging to avoid cathode deterioration completely. Installing a reverse current absorption layer with a nickel coating offers an alternative method to eliminate the need for mechanical equipment. When stopping the electrolysis process, the reverse current absorption layer undergoes a chemical reaction with the nickel, preventing cathode degradation and enabling the equipment's stable, long-term operation. The nickel-coated reverse current absorption layer overcomes an additional hurdle for electrolyzer operators. Previously, customers often had to compromise porosity for strength and vice versa. Asahi Kasei's technology remedies this issue with its nickel-coated layer, which is both porous and sturdy while remaining processable over large areas. Commercialization was successfully achieved by applying nickel to a substrate with thermal spraying, which involves heating a material to a molten or near-molten state and applying it onto a surface to form a coating. Akiyasu Funakawa, General Manager of Asahi Kasei's Ion Exchange Membrane Research & Development Dept. said, 'Chlorine and caustic soda are indispensable raw materials that form the basis of various products which support our daily lives. This prize is a great encouragement as I continue to work on developing electrolysis technology that contributes to the world.' Toshinori Hachiya, General Manager of the Microza & Water Processing Quality Assurance Dept. at Asahi Kasei, added, 'In response to customer troubles, we have faced many issues and worked with many members to devise ideas. I am very happy that the results of our persistent efforts have been recognized in this way.' Chlor-alkali electrolysis equipment incorporating this technical breakthrough has already been adopted by chemical manufacturers worldwide, with market expansion continuing. Asahi Kasei is also investigating the technology's applicability to other electrolysis processes, such as alkaline water electrolysis for green hydrogen production. In addition to the Imperial Invention Prize, Koshiro Kudo, President of Asahi Kasei, accepted the Award for Distinguished Contribution to Driving the Invention into Implementation on behalf of the company. For additional information on Asahi Kasei's Ion-Exchange Membrane Business, visit The Imperial Invention Prize Akiyasu Funakawa General Manager Ion Exchange Membrane Research & Development Dept. Ion Exchange Membrane & Electrolysis System Division Asahi Kasei Corp. Toshinori Hachiya General Manager Microza & Water Processing Quality Assurance Dept. Microza & Water Processing Division Asahi Kasei Corp. Award for Distinguished Contribution for Driving the Invention into Implementation Koshiro Kudo President and Representative Director Asahi Kasei Corp. (Affiliations are current as of the date of the award.) Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit View source version on CONTACT: North America Contact: Asahi Kasei America Inc. Christian OKeefe [email protected] Contact: Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH Sebastian Schmidt [email protected] KEYWORD: MICHIGAN UNITED STATES JAPAN NORTH AMERICA ASIA PACIFIC EUROPE GERMANY INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BUILDING SYSTEMS CHEMICALS/PLASTICS AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING ALTERNATIVE ENERGY CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY ENERGY MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT NATURAL RESOURCES OTHER TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE UTILITIES RESEARCH SOURCE: Asahi Kasei Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/03/2025 08:30 AM/DISC: 06/03/2025 08:28 AM
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Japan men seek eternal youth with strict daily routines, one looks younger than decade ago
A growing number of men in Japan are embracing strict lifestyle routines to fight ageing. Advertisement One of them, Aki, 33, believes that looking young leads to more romantic opportunities and greater trust and attention at work, according to Japan media ABEMA News. His obsession with looking young began a decade ago after a stinging comment from his boss about his thinning hair making him look old. Around the same time, he went through a break-up. One man who wants to stay looking young only has a single meal of frozen vegetables each day. Photo: Determined to turn things around, Aki created a strict anti-ageing routine. He wears sunscreen every day rain or shine, does not smoke, skips late nights, exercises regularly, and visits beauty salons for skincare. He also has routine stomach check-ups. Aki says his skin looks as youthful as it did 10 years ago. Advertisement 'People became much kinder to me after my appearance changed,' he said.
Tom's Guide
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I saw Nvidia's RTX-powered AI avatar in action, and this digital human interface has a sense of humor
Nvidia is making that fabricated, human-like AI we see in movies more of a reality, and that didn't really hit me until I saw its Project R2X, an AI avatar that essentially lives on your PC, in action at Computex 2025. We've seen how AI is advancing in different spaces, from ChatGPT being an amazing education tool to Google Veo 3 and Flow being the future of AI filmmaking. But, instead of just typing in prompts, what about a realistic-looking digital human interface you can actually interact with right on your PC? As in, one that will look and talk to you like, well, a person. That's Nvidia's Project R2X in a nutshell. Sure, it's not like there isn't AI avatars around that can easily be generated, but one that can act as your personal assistant through your PC is different. Honestly, it was jarring to see Aki, the Nvidia AI avatar I saw during the demo, casually standing right on the PC's display with a Nvidia hoodie on, staring right at me — waiting for its next instructions. But I didn't realize it came with a sense of humor. Remember when Matthew McConaughey told monolithic robot TARS to drop its humor to 75% in Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar?" and it still had a few jokes? Well, I was getting those same vibes. Just by speaking to Nvidia's avatar and giving it directions, its voice, personality and appearance can completely change to your liking. Will Nvidia's Project R2X be a major help to developers and tech enthusiasts in need of getting tasks done through agentic AI? Without a doubt, but putting a conversational, human-like spin on this AI gives it some spark — and here's how it went. Nvidia's Project R2X is a digital human interface that helps developers and enthusiasts with PC tasks autonomously. In other words, it's like a personal AI avatar on your desktop that can be used to can scan complex files, carry out workflows, optimize PC settings, mod games and answer questions just by speaking to it — all through RTX-powered systems. By using RTX Neural Faces to generate a 3D avatar, Audio2Face to make sync lip and tongue movement when speaking and Nvidia ACE 2.4 to apply facial blur animations, Nvidia's AI assistant gains a lifelike appeal. As for how it gets all of its information, it can be used with AI models like OpenAI's GPT-4o, xAI's Grok or, if you're familiar with Python, code and customize to your liking (dealer's choice). There's also Nvidia's NIM (Nvidia Inference Microservices) and AI Blueprints that give it more artificial brain power, like turning a PDF into a full-blown podcast. If you give it eyes (i.e., a webcam), it can even see you and your surroundings. Not unlike other recent visual AI like Copilot Vision, it can tell you exactly what an object is in reality. Plus, similar to Microsoft Recall, it can see what's on display and guide you through activities, like how to edit an image, generate a video or use various apps. So, not completely unlike what we've seen with Google Gemini or ChatGPT, especially as they continue to evolve. However, Nvidia's Project R2X puts a face on it all, and it gives you the choice of quick customization to your liking. The AI avatar prototype was revealed at CES 2025, but it's now getting closer to being released (I was told it would be available this summer). As it was brought up in the demo, from the way it slightly tilts its head when being asked a question to its subtle movements and blinks as it idly waits for instructions, Nvidia's Project R2X can feel a tad uncanny at first. And that's purely because this AI avatar is something to see and speak to. "As soon as you see a face, it naturally invokes a humanoid input, so you actually want to start talking to it like a person," the Nvidia representative stated. That rings true, as I was automatically aware of its presence, like somebody else being in the room. At least it knows how to break the ice. During the demo, a Nvidia representative asked Aki to change its voice from its upbeat, helpful tone to something extremely robotic. The AI avatar replied with a very sarcastic "I can't actually change my voice. If there's anything else you'd like to know or need help with, let me know" in the robot voice that was asked. As soon as you see a face, it naturally invokes a humanoid input, so you actually want to start talking to it like a person Then, when told to change to a somber, medical advisor type tone, Aki said the same thing but changed voice as it was saying it. Was this deliberate or AI irony? I'm not sure, but with its detailed facial expressions, it certainly looked like Project R2X had a sense of humor. Now, AI can crack some jokes, as we've seen ChatGPT drop some fiery roasts when asked, but putting a realistic face to it makes it feel far more engaging (and brutal, if it ends up roasting me). As the representative touched on, it's easy to change the tone, appeal and personality of its AI agent just by asking it, or by making the AI assistant from scratch. "We'll be releasing this as a blueprint reference, and we'll release the source, as well as the application as an .exe," the Nvidia rep said. "So people can open up their own Unreal scene and put in whatever 3D asset they want. If you want it to be your own character, you write your own prompt for personality and you get your own personalized assistant." Nvidia's Project R2X can assist with a wealth of tasks just by asking it, and by applying the apps you want it to work with in its interface, it can also connect to Project G-Assist (another helpful AI tool from Team Green). From being able to open up in-game overlay analytics to connecting other apps like Discord or Spotify to start a stream or play some tunes, all it takes is asking your own AI avatar and it will be done in only moments. It aims to streamline workflows (or gaming flows?) to make navigating around your PC even easier (that's right, just like an assistant), and for developers, content creators or streamers, that's a helpful feature to have. It's one thing to get answers from a chatbot, but it's another to have a human-like AI agent giving you a step-by-step guide on how to tackle tasks, apply mods in games and work in the background autonomously. Nvidia Project R2X impresses, but its ability to change personality and add a touch of humor to your daily PC activities makes it feel more, well, genuine. If a 3D-generated AI model constantly looking at you from your screen is a tad too eerie, by the way, the avatar can be minimized, resized and put anywhere on screen. Nvidia joked it would even want an animation of it moving around the screen as you dragged it (which wouldn't be a bad idea). Nvidia Project R2X is set to be available to all sometime this summer, and it will be interesting to see how RTX 50-series GPU holders will make use of the digital human interface. More importantly, however, how they will customize their AI avatar to be a nice, friendly assistant or a wise-cracking, sarcastic jokester that will give your ego a battering with roasts.
Japan Forward
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
Electric Eel Shock on 30 Wild Years of Rock'n'Roll
With their rallying cry of "Rock'n'roll can rescue the world!" Japanese metal band Electric Eel Shock put on a blistering live show that is hard to forget. The band celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024 and is currently in the midst of an extensive 36-date tour of the United Kingdom and Europe. Comprising guitarist/vocalist Akihito "Aki" Morimoto, bassist Kazuto Maekawa, and drummer Tomoharu "Gian" Ito, EES has run on pure passion for three decades. It has survived without major label support by maintaining a rough and ready fan base of metal maniacs. This trio comes packed with stories of bootstrapped tours, crowdfunded albums, on-stage nudity (Gian usually wears nothing but a strategically placed sock), and their struggles in pursuit of the rock'n'roll dream. Their extremely accomplished musicality is matched only by their wild sense of humor. I first saw EES in London around 25 years ago, and have been a fan ever since. I jumped on the phone with Aki, Gian, and support bassist George Iwamoto (standing in for Maekawa, who was unable to join this tour) as they arrived in Sheffield, England. We had a lively chat about growing old on stage, touring the world, and the power of heavy metal. Oh, and read to the end to find out how to get a free T-shirt! Aki: Our music has a backbone of 1980s heavy metal, but we're not really a heavy metal band. We play stupid party rock. We want all kinds of audiences to enjoy our performances, so we're really a universal band. We can play at punk festivals, metal festivals, or pop-rock festivals, and smash it every time! Aki: We don't think about it too deeply. But we're from Osaka, and people from Osaka like to keep the people around them entertained. We put that into our shows. We care a lot about musicianship and technical ability, of course, but wanting to put on a fun show comes naturally. EES on their current tour, with support bassist George Iwamoto on the right. Aki: Not really, no. Myself and Gian, we love to entertain people. Kazuto has become a bit boring in his old age though. Our stand-in bassist George is great fun, so Kazuto might be in danger of being replaced! George: I have so much fun playing together with the members of Eel Shock, and giving the audience a good time. Aki: George might be even more popular than me now. It's becoming a problem! We've been friends for 20 years. He's learned all our songs, and he whips the audience into a frenzy. He's great. Mind you, we're paying him, so… Aki: I have to use an intravenous drip! Actually, I've always been in good health, but from last year I've started to get a bad hip, so next year we might have to cut our overseas tour down to like four dates. But we're still going strong. I do think it helps that we've had basically the same lineup for 30 years, though. The band members are part of our appeal to our fans. Perhaps if we became super famous, we'd start arguing and some members would quit the band, so we're extremely lucky that we've managed to stay unpopular. Electric Eel Shock pose for the camera. (©Makkus Photo) Gian: As you get older you start to sweat differently. But actually, being naked on stage makes things easier in many ways. When people throw beer at you, your clothes don't get wet. Drummer Gian plays almost completely naked, hitting his drum kit with the comically long sock that protects his modesty. Gian: No, it's become my routine. Sometimes it causes trouble though, so I have to put clothes on — like when I got arrested while we were performing in Hong Kong, or the time we played a show in a church. I have to obey the rules sometimes. Aki: Absolutely. Japan has always been a difficult country for metal, but in places like the UK, everybody knows metal. In Japan, we have to play down our metal roots to appeal to local music fans. I was extremely curious about the rise of Babymetal. Their music isn't to my taste, but when Babymetal began becoming popular in Japan, a lot of secret metal fans started to come out of the woodwork in Japan. A lot of people had been hiding their love of heavy metal, especially older guys, so it was wonderful to see them become liberated by Babymetal. Aki: I actually like how hard it is. On this tour, we're driving everywhere ourselves, and I love it. We once toured on a Nightliner bus, with flat beds — the sort of bus you'd see Mötley Crüe riding. Every day we'd go from our bunks on the bus to the venue, then get back on the bus and drive to the next place — and all we ever saw of each city was the space between the door of the bus and the door of the venue. We could be in Paris or in Madrid, but it was all the same. Knowing that you've driven hundreds of kilometers yourself and being able to point out each city on a map makes it feel much more real. Aki: Oh, we have loads of problems. It's tough, but we can always look back on it afterward as a fun time. It was pretty bad when Gian was arrested in Hong Kong, and we've had so many problems with our van breaking down. The cover of Electric Eel Shock's 2024 album Heavy Metal Black Belt. Once, the windscreen wipers stopped working and we had to drive through the snow, so we rigged up a string so that whoever was in the passenger seat could pull the wiper back and forth manually. We don't let problems like that stop us from getting to the venue on time. Aki: We don't really have concepts for our albums, but I always feel that each one is like a snapshot of who we are at that time. The title refers to the fact that the album starts with several heavy metal songs, but after that, there are a range of other styles as well. Aki: Scum Vader is about becoming a father. Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, right? I have a son, and I was reflecting on whether or not I was a good father. I can be too bossy, so Scum Vader is me. We can't have all our songs be party songs. Aki: Yeah, that's a party song. The title is a reference to Cyndi Lauper. I never used to like music like Cyndi Lauper and Wham! when I was at school, because I liked heavy metal, but now I have grown to appreciate her music. So I wanted to mix those elements together. I guess that's another song of self-reflection. I must be growing up. Aki: I've learned how important it is to be connected with people. Wherever we go in the world, we have people who want to see us and support us, and that's a really powerful feeling. I can point almost anywhere on a map and I'll have friends waiting for me there. George: Playing as a stand-in for Kazuto, I've been amazed to see how fans in each place welcome Electric Eel Shock. What an amazing band. It's a relationship that goes beyond language barriers. Gian: I've learned over the years that people in foreign countries have open minds. People are so friendly — even though I don't speak English, they come to talk to me and tell us we're "awesome." If you have people treating you with so much love every day, you can't help but be affected. Aki: Come see our shows! We'll be touring until late June, and I think our performances are fun for anyone. If you tell us after the show that you discovered us on JAPAN Forward, we'll give you a free T-shirt! Aki: For real. Please come say hi! Electric Eel Shock is currently on tour in Europe and the UK until June 22, including shows in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, and Spain. For full tour dates and further information, visit their website. Interview by: Daniel Robson Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) .
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Sedef Uncu Aki Named CEO at Next Gen Materials Company Gozen
Next-gen materials and biotechnology company Gozen has undergone a leadership switch as it preps for its next phase of expansion. Sedef Uncu Aki has been named chief executive officer, effective immediately. Founder and current CEO Ece Gözen will transition into chief innovation officer and creative director. The team will work closely together to steer Gozen's growth phase. More from WWD EXCLUSIVE: Textile Recycler Recover, Intradeco Enter Joint Venture for El Salvador Facility EXCLUSIVE: Balenciaga Bolsters Executive Ranks With New Deputy CEO Gucci to Unveil Cruise 2026 Collection at Historic Brand Archive 'Now our facility is up and running and Lunaform is in commercial use, we've moved from start-up to scale-up,' Gözen told WWD. 'This enables me to focus on pushing Gozen forward through design and innovation, working hands-on with partners, and unearthing the full creative potential of Lunaform.' Gozen is behind the Lunaform material made famous by the sold-out Balenciaga Maxi Bathrobe Coat, which debuted on the runway in the spring 2024 collection. It also launched a dress collaboration with Beymen Group in April. Aki will oversee the delivery of Lunaform across the mass, premium and luxury segments and focus on driving commercialization for the material. Fashion will remain the primary category, and the company will seek to expand into automotive, interiors and consumer electronics. 'Our shared leadership reflects our commitment to Gozen's vision and our ambition to scale Lunaform globally. That means structure, systems and commercial focus — areas in which I bring experience, playbooks and many lessons learned,' she said. Aki steps into the role with extensive experience in textile technology and management and decades in the denim industry with successive roles at Turkish manufacturers Bossa Denim and Orta Anadolu working with brands including Stella McCartney and H&M, among others. She joined Gozen last year as chief product officer. Gozen opened a 40,000-square-foot production facility in Turkey earlier this year, which can produce 150,000 square feet of its grown-cellulose material. That facility can scale up to 1 million square feet, which would translate into about 40,000 garments. The company's current headcount is 20. Aki will focus on building and refining sales channels to maximize market penetration, creating long-term partnerships, as well as streamline internal operations. 'This means developing the right infrastructure, talent and digital capabilities to support scalable production and innovation. By designing an agile internal operating system, we can ensure that we're not only meeting customer needs with precision, but also driving strong financial outcomes,' she said. Before founding the company, Gözen trained as a designer and received Vogue Italia's Most Visionary Designer award under her own womenswear label in 2012. The new role will build on that experience, with Gözen steering the team's creative leadership and design strategy. That will entail collaborating with key partner design teams to help them understand the technical benchmarks of working with the product, which Gözen said is on par with or surpasses the strength of animal leather. 'We are doubling down on design. Our identity — being design-led from Day One — is not just how we create our materials, it's a key part of how we grow their adoption,' Aki said. 'As its inventor, Ece [Gözen] understands the potential of Lunaform better than anyone else. She intuitively 'gets' how to excite designers and work with them to turn Lunaform into products that push boundaries and meet functional needs.' 'One of Lunaform's most exciting features is how it behaves in the hands of designers. Thanks to its unique memory and structure, we can experiment live with design teams — shaping and forming the material without sewing or gluing. This opens up new forms of artistic expression and enables more efficient, holistic design processes. These moments of co-creation are at the core of our brand,' Gözen said. More than 50 brands are now actively prototyping with Lunaform. 'We are working with them closely to fast-track sampling and help them translate prototypes into market-ready products,' Gözen added. The company raised $3.3 million in seed funding in 2023, with San Francisco-based deep-tech venture capital firm SOSV as part of the round. The company is 'strongly positioned' but remains open to partnering with additional investors. 'With Ece driving innovation and Sedef steering growth, Gozen is led by a creator shaping its vision and a builder at the heart of its operations,' said SOSV managing director Po Bronson. 'The new team structure strengthens Gozen's ability to scale with focus and to harness its creative capabilities — exactly what's needed to continue growing the adoption of Lunaform.' Best of WWD Walmart Calls California Waste Dumping Lawsuit 'Unjustified' Year in Review: Sustainability's Biggest Controversies of 2021 Year in Review: Sustainability's New Strides Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
