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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Solar-powered AI eye achieves near-human colour and motion detection
What if we told you that scientists have managed to create a self-powered artificial intelligence (AI) eye that can mimic human vision? The first thought that comes to mind is Star Wars droids that can see and process everything, or may be the menacing red eyes of the robot from The Terminator film. Either way, there's no need to freak out about AI-driven apocalypse yet. Researchers in Japan created this artificial eye that uses the power of solar cells to distinguish colours with high accuracy - down to 10 nanometres of wavelength difference. This AI eye is designed to perform logic operations and recognise motion and colour with up to 82 accuracy. How? It has the unique ability to produce both positive and negative electrical responses based on light input. Think that's it? Think again, for this AI eye requires no external power and is able to filter information much like a biological retina. In the future, as this tech becomes mature, humans could have efficient machine visions for use in autonomous vehicles, wearable health monitors, and even remote sensors. In the paper published in Scientific Reports, scientists call this eye an "optoelectronic artificial synapse" - a synthetic brain cell that responds to light. Akin to your human eyes that send electrical signals to your brain when you see red versus blue, this AI eye perceives the wavelength of light in its way and then generates positive or negative electrical responses. The human eye is extremely energy efficient and filters information before sending it ahead to the brain. Today's machine systems, however, demand a lot of energy. To bridge this gap, scientists hoped to mimic the way our eye functions. The research team from the Tokyo University of Science found a solution by combining two dye-sensitised solar cells that act like small solar panels; all trained to respond differently to various colours of light. In essence, one cell would respond strongly to blue light, while the others would do the same to red. What happens, then? When the eye encounters light, it triggers a positive voltage for blue wavelengths or a negative voltage for red ones. This response is its power, unlike traditional photodetectors that can only produce positive signals. Its ability to separate colours actually make it a robust rival to human vision. The scientists found that the device was able to perform basic logic operations and was able to handle functions with ease owing to its ability to switch between positive and negative responses, depending on intensity and light colour. To take it a step further, they tested the device for "physical reservoir computing" - an approach to machine learning that's inspired by the human brain, wherein physical properties of the material do the most work instead of computer processors. The team tested the device with sequences of coloured light, each encoding a unique signal. The system successfully distinguished patterns up to six digits in length, enabling recognition of 64 distinct combinations - which is truly remarkable for such a simple set up. They also wanted to see if the device could spot different kinds of human movement, no matter the colour. They filmed six actions - bending, waving with one hand, waving with two hands, jumping, running, and moving sideways - and turned these into patterns of red, green, and blue light. The artificial eye managed to get it right 82% of the time, working out both the movement and the colour. That's nearly as good as you'd get from much fancier systems. This solar-powered device generates its own energy from light, enabling autonomous sensors to run indefinitely without external power. Crazy, right? In addition, its bio-inspired design filters out unnecessary data at the hardware level, making it far more efficient than traditional machine vision. It can be used for compact surveillance, medical monitoring, and remote sensors, though more advanced signal processing is needed for complex scenes. Either way, this innovation brings us closer to artificial vision systems that meld biological efficiency with electronic precision.
India.com
29-04-2025
- India.com
Meet man, the genius who created QR Code that is now used in UPI payments, his name is..., he is from...
Today, QR codes are everywhere — whether it's scanning a restaurant menu, making digital payments, boarding a plane, or verifying a product's authenticity. These small black-and-white squares have made accessing information and completing tasks faster and more convenient. While they may seem simple, the story behind their invention is truly remarkable. It all began with a brilliant engineer named Masahiro Hara. Masahiro Hara, a Japanese engineer, is the person who invented the QR code. His innovation has changed not just how businesses work but also how people interact with technology all around the world. Hara was born in Tokyo in 1957. As a child, he loved solving puzzles and was always curious about how things worked. He later studied at the Tokyo University of Science, one of Japan's top universities, where he sharpened his skills in engineering and technology. After finishing his education, Hara started working at Denso Corporation, a major manufacturer of car parts and a part of the Toyota Group. There, he worked on developing barcode scanning systems to make car manufacturing more efficient. However, traditional barcodes had their problems i.e. they could hold only a small amount of information and needed to be lined up just right for scanners to read them. Outside of his work, Hara is a family man. He is married and has children, although he prefers to keep his personal life private. Even today, he remains interested in how QR codes are being used in new ways, such as for cashless payments and fighting fake products. How the QR code was born Masahiro Hara realized there had to be a better way to store and scan more information than what traditional barcodes allowed. Barcodes could only hold limited data and had to be scanned in a specific direction. So, Hara set out to create something new. He got inspiration from a classic Japanese board game called 'Go,' which uses black and white pieces placed on a square grid. This gave him the idea for a two-dimensional code that could be scanned from any angle. After months of hard work with his team at Denso, Hara created the QR code in 1994. Unlike standard barcodes, QR codes could hold much more information — even letters and numbers — and could be scanned instantly from any direction. It was a breakthrough technology. Originally, QR codes were meant for tracking car parts in factories. But soon, people found many other ways to use them in shopping, hospitals, transport, movies, and more. What helped QR codes spread even faster was that Denso Wave, the company behind it, didn't charge anyone to use it. They chose not to patent the QR code, so developers and businesses around the world could use it for free and make their own versions. Even though it became one of the most widely used tools in the world, Hara and his team never made money from the invention as they simply wanted it to be useful for everyone.
India Today
28-04-2025
- Business
- India Today
How a Japanese carmaker created QR codes that changed payments, travel and more
In today's fast-paced world, QR codes have become a near-ubiquitous part of everyday life. Whether it's scanning a restaurant menu, making digital payments, boarding a flight, or verifying products for authenticity, QR (Quick Response) codes have made transactions and access to information faster and small, square patterns of black-and-white modules may seem like a simple invention, but behind their creation lies an extraordinary story -- and an extraordinary man: Masahiro BEHIND QR CODES Masahiro Hara, the Japanese engineer who invented the QR code, transformed not just the way businesses operate, but also how people interact with technology globally. Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1957, Hara was always a curious mind, fascinated by puzzles and pursued his education at the Tokyo University of Science, one of Japan's most esteemed institutions, where he honed his skills in engineering and information CAREER AT DENSO CORPORATIONAfter completing his studies, Hara joined Denso Corporation, a leading automotive components manufacturer and a member of the Toyota Group. At Denso, Hara initially worked in product development and was involved in creating barcode scanning systems to streamline automotive manufacturing barcodes were effective, they had significant limitations -- they could store only a small amount of data and required precise alignment for OF THE QR CODE advertisementRealising the need for a more efficient system that could hold larger volumes of information and be scanned from any angle, Hara set out to innovate. Inspired by the principles of playing "Go," a traditional Japanese board game involving black-and-white stones placed on a square grid, Hara devised the concept of a two-dimensional code. Fireman's coat (19th century) decorated with a spider hovering over an abadoned Go board (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) In 1994, after months of hard work and collaboration with his team at Denso, Hara developed the QR traditional barcodes, QR codes could store hundreds of times more data, including alphanumeric characters, and could be scanned swiftly from any direction -- a true ADOPTION AND APPLICATIONS Initially intended for tracking automotive parts, QR codes quickly found applications across industries worldwide, from retail and healthcare to entertainment and transportation. The technology's open patent policy further accelerated its global adoption, allowing businesses and developers to use it freely without licencing inventing one of the world's most widely used technologies, Masahiro Hara and Denso Wave chose not to patent the QR code, allowing it to be freely used and adapted globally. This decision greatly accelerated its adoption and QR codes were primarily used within factories for inventory management and logistics, and it was only in the early 2000s-with the rise of smartphones-that they began appearing in public-facing applications and gained widespread PERSONAL LIFE Hara is married and has children, though he has kept much of his private life away from the limelight. Even in recent years, he has shown keen interest in the evolving applications of QR codes, including their use in contactless payments and combating counterfeit every time we scan a QR code, whether to make a payment, download an app, or access exclusive content, we owe a silent thanks to Masahiro Hara -- the visionary who revolutionised the way the world connects information with action.
Bloomberg
18-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Ex-Nomura Strategist Says Analysts Can't Forecast Japan Stocks
Analysts' forecasts for Japanese stocks show little correlation with their actual performance, according to an analysis of 20 years of data from a former chief strategist at Nomura Holdings Inc. who now teaches at a university in Tokyo. Annual analyst forecasts for the Nikkei 225 Stock Average compiled by Bloomberg and the index's year-end levels showed a slight negative correlation of -0.2, according to Hiromichi Tamura, professor at the Tokyo University of Science's graduate school of management.
