Murata - Innovator in Electronics Articles

What Is Ultra-wideband (UWB) Wireless Communication?

UWB is the abbreviation for Ultra-wideband. UWB wireless communication is wireless communication that uses the ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth. Its main feature is that it enables high-precision positioning. UWB wireless communication has spread to consumer equipment in recent years. For example, UWB wireless communication is being equipped to smartphones to prevent loss and for other purposes and is being equipped to smart keys of luxury cars. It is expected that UWB wireless communication will spread to many fields in the future. We explain here about the features, history, uses, and other elements of this UWB wireless communication.

  • UWB
  • Position Measurement
  • Distance Measurement
  • Wireless communication
  • High frequency

“PIECLEX”, the Electricity-Generating Fibers: Untold Development Story (Applications and Outlook)

In the last issue “Technology and Challenges,” we introduced the advantages of PIECLEX, the inspiration behind its development, and the technical challenges on the road to productization. In this issue titled “Applications and Outlook,” we asked the developers about the potentials and future prospect of PIECLEX as well its social impact concerning the environmental issues.

  • Developer Interview
  • Antimicrobial
  • Carbon neutrality
  • Recycling
  • Piezoelectricity
  • Fibers

“PIECLEX”, the Electricity-Generating Fibers: Untold Development Story (Technology and Challenges)

“PIECLEX” is a type of fabric based on the completely new concept of “Stretch-driven Antimicrobial” that was developed by PIECLEX Co., Ltd., a company that was jointly launched by Murata Manufacturing and Teijin Frontier. We spoke with Mr. Shiomi and Mr. Takumi, two developers at PIECLEX, about the behind-the-scenes development of this new fabric. In this “Technology Explainer Section,” we introduce the advantages of PIECLEX, the inspiration behind its development, and the technical challenges on the road to productization.

  • Developer Interview
  • Antimicrobial
  • Carbon neutrality
  • Recycling
  • Piezoelectricity
  • Fibers

Bringing humans and machines even closer with sensors and AI

Super-Five Senses Created by Combining and Utilizing Sensors and AI

Information that could not be captured by the five senses of humans has become detectable with the evolution of sensors and the increase in sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI). We are now in the process of acquiring perception called the super-five senses with the assistance of machines. We explain here the development of technologies that will realize the super-five senses and the utilization of them.

  • Sensors
  • AI

Static Electricity Troubles, Measures Against ESD and Unexpected Ways of Utilizing Static Electricity: Power Generation Utilizing Static Electricity

Winter is a time when there are concerns about troubles due to static electricity in industrial products such as electronic equipment. We explain here the adhesion of dust and dirt caused by electrification and failures and malfunctions due to electrostatic discharge (ESD). We also introduce research on energy harvesting utilizing static electricity generated during snowfall. In addition, we explain measures against static electricity at manufacturing sites and methods to protect electronic equipment from ESD damage.

  • Static Electricity
  • ESD Protection Devices
  • Energy Harvesting

Electronic Technology Supporting the Evolution of “Next Tech”

“Retailtech” That Discerns Needs and Creates Moving Customer Experiences

Explains retailtech, which utilizes leading-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), IoT, augmented reality (AR), RFID, etc. to achieve an increase in retail industry sales. Retailtech is an information technology movement that realizes high-quality customer experiences without missing a customer.

  • RFID products
  • Solution
  • AI
  • IoT
  • VR/AR

Smart Factories: Giving Form to Digital Transformation in the Manufacturing Industry

The Inseparable Relationship Between Digital Transformation and Decarbonization and Technologies Essential for a Sustainable Manufacturing Industry

We explain here trends in the use of the latest technologies for decarbonization, which is one of the mega-trends surrounding the manufacturing industry. Digital transformation in the manufacturing industry, which is being tackled in smart factories, and decarbonization efforts are two sides of the same coin. It will be important to introduce and utilize advanced information processing technologies such as IoT, AI, and digital twins as a means of realizing RE100-compliant factories.

  • Smart Factory
  • Decarbonization
  • Carbon neutrality
  • DX
  • IoT
  • AI

Choosing Solutions You Can Use Now for Making a Small Start and Scaling Up the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

It has been a while since the expression Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) started spreading and eventually became established, and more and more sophisticated and diverse solutions and use cases have emerged. Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons, there are still factories that have not yet begun to implement IIoT or have deployed it only partially for certain processes. In this article, we discuss some of the problems or bottlenecks commonly encountered when deploying IIoT, explain how to choose solutions you can use now for making a small start or scaling up operations, and provide some related hints.

  • IIoT
  • Small Start
  • Smart Factory
  • Solution

Open Innovation × PKSHA

Accelerating the Evolution of AI Technologies and the Social Implementation of Applications With Open Innovation Based on Collaboration Between Different Fields

For this project, we spoke with Katsuya Uenoyama, the Representative Director of PKSHA Technology, a company with a proven track record in blazing a trail of AI application. In Part 2, we spoke with Uenoyama about the aims of the open innovation that PKSHA is pursuing and the AI evolution that can be expected as a result.

  • AI
  • Co-Creation
  • Researcher Interview
  • DX

Open Innovation × PKSHA

Expanding the Impact of AI Utilization to More Fields Through the "Co-evolution" of Research and Development and Social Implementation

With services utilizing AI steadily increasing, PKSHA Technology is a company with a proven track record in blazing a trail of AI application. In this article, we spoke with PKSHA Representative Director Katsuya Uenoyama about the key points of blazing a trail of AI application in various fields.

  • AI
  • Co-Creation
  • Researcher Interview
  • DX

Electronic Technology Supporting the Evolution of “Next Tech”

“Edu Tech” Encourages Individuality and Bridges the Unequal Opportunity Gap

Educating the next generation is essential to the task of making society and business more sustainable. This page explains Edu Tech, which aims to bring about innovation in the educational field. Edu Tech is a movement that makes use of technology such as ICT, sensing, and VR to expand educational opportunities and realize individualized education, expanding human individuality and possibilities through the development of technology.

  • Education
  • SDGs
  • AI
  • Robot

Potential for Sensing Technologies to Contribute to Smart Agriculture (Measures Against Salt Damage by Breeding a Rice Strain): Development of a Resistant Rice Strain to Salt Damage in Preparation for Climate Change

Tohoku University and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization have developed a rice plant resistant to salt damage. Tohoku University and Murata Manufacturing are jointly conducting the Demonstration Experiment to Analyze the Factors Behind Salt Damage Resistance in the Surface Rooting Rice Plant Strain using soil sensors from June 2022 to March 2023. The aim of this experiment is to analyze the factors behind the salt damage resistance in that rice plant. How can sensing technologies contribute to the selective breeding of agricultural produce? We spoke with Eiko Hanzawa, a technical expert at Tohoku University involved in research, about an overview of rice plants with salt damage resistance and the utilization of sensing technologies.

  • Agriculture
  • Researcher Interview
  • DX
  • Sensors
  • Soil sensor

Electronic Technology Supporting the Evolution of “Next Tech”

“Home Tech” Creates Comfortable and Sustainable Living Spaces Based on Data

This page explains Home Tech, which involves the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT to enable a sustainable and affluent lifestyle. This movement aims to leverage home management and control technology to enable more effective and waste-free utilization of household equipment and consumer electronics products.

  • Smart Home
  • AI
  • IoT

Electrification of Aircraft Engines and the Latest Autopilot System Technologies

Aircraft engines have strict safety standards. Therefore, electrifying them has been considered unfeasible on both a technical and commercial basis. However, it is becoming increasingly likely that it will be possible to electrify aircraft engines due to the development of lightweight materials and the progress of electronics technologies. How far have aircraft engine electrification and autopilot systems progressed now? We explain here the current state and future of electric aircraft engines and autopilot systems as well as the latest information on realizing them, with a focus on electronics technologies.

  • Carbon neutrality
  • Power electronics
  • Automated Driving
  • Logistics

How Will Murata’s Soil Sensors Change Agriculture? Smarter Watering Management for Greenhouse Horticulture, Fruit Growing, and Outdoor Cultivation

Isn’t one of the ideals of agriculture to maintain sustainability with a good balance between cultural development, the environment, the economy, living things, and communities? Murata Manufacturing has started the mass production of high-performance soil sensors that contribute to the realization of that ideal.

  • Agriculture
  • Researcher Interview
  • DX
  • Sensors
  • Soil sensor

A Brief Introduction to PMbus®

Power system developers increasingly deploy power management capability to optimize performance, uptime, and end-user experience for the complete range of any system powered by FEP PSU’s e.g.data, server, storage, industrial, and medical applications. Systems consist of a wide variety of devices, i.e., “targets”. Being able to control, configure, and monitor each device over a digital communication bus is required to achieve these objectives.

  • Data-driven
  • Edge computing
  • Local Networks
  • Connectivity
  • Solution

Achieving a Prosperous and Continuous Society Through a Fusion of the Real and the Virtual – How Murata is Supporting the Realization of the Vision of the Future

Digital transformation and the solving of social issues are the key to creating a prosperous and more sustainable future. We spoke to Murata's president, Norio Nakajima, and asked him about the shape of the future society that Murata envisions, the significance of Murata's business reform, and the direction of technological developments that the company is working on in order to realize this vision.

  • IoT
  • 5G
  • Digital twin
  • VR/AR
  • CASE

How does “soft robotics” make strengths of flexibility and ambiguity?

This article presents the methodology and technology behind “soft robotics” and also introduces some example applications. Soft robotics turns flexibility and ambiguity into strengths, in contrast to solid and powerful conventional robots that are designed to carry out tasks precisely, exactly as programmed. The article also describes “flexible electronics,” which has an affinity with soft robotics.

  • Material
  • Robot
  • Flexible electronics

What is the “Fifth Industrial Revolution,” Which Will Deepen the Integration Between People and Technology?

The Fifth Industrial Revolution incorporates concepts such as “sustainability,” “human-centeredness,” and “concern for the environment” in addition to the transformation of the industrial structure that was debated in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Here, we introduce the issues of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the initiatives of each country as well as the latest trends in the Fifth Industrial Revolution centered on the key technologies, etc., that are required within the latter.

  • Robot
  • Gyro Sensors
  • Accelerometers

Smart Factories: Giving Form to Digital Transformation in the Manufacturing Industry

From automation to autonomy and collaboration, manufacturing robots are advancing to become smarter

Robots used in plants are becoming smarter and more advanced. They are not simply automating routine tasks but independently performing situation-specific tasks, and moving in a coordinated manner with the movements of people. This article introduces scenarios in which cutting-edge robots are used and the roles that they play using automobile and semiconductor plants as examples.

  • Smart Factory
  • Robot
  • DX
  • IoT
  • AI
  • Sensors

Fundamental Knowledge of High-Frequency Characteristics in Inductors and Capacitors – Impedance and Resonance (1)

・Aims and content of this fundamental knowledge series
・Direct current/alternating current, resistance/inductors/capacitors, voltage/current/electric power, relation to Ohm's Law
・Voltage and current of a direct current circuit connected to an ideal resistance/inductor/capacitor

  • High frequency
  • RF Inductor
  • Inductor for Power Lines
  • Inductors
  • Capacitor
  • Ceramic Capacitor
  • Resistors

Potential for Sensing Technologies to Contribute to Smart Agriculture (Restoration of Agricultural Land in Tohoku): Power of Soil Sensors to Facilitate the Acquisition of Big Data in Agriculture

The tsunami resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 caused extensive damage to agricultural land in Japan. There were concerns about salt damage to crops due to seawater intrusion. Therefore, desalination work on the affected agricultural land was carried out over a wide area as part of the project to recover from the disaster. A demonstration test was also conducted to observe the salinity utilizing soil sensors on agricultural land after desalination. What is the potential for sensing technologies to contribute to agriculture? We spoke with Hitoshi Kanno, a former associate professor at the Graduate School of Tohoku University, about an overview of the desalination work and the utilization of sensing technologies in smart agriculture.

  • Agriculture
  • Researcher Interview
  • DX
  • Sensors
  • Soil sensor

Building IIoT Systems to Serve as the Foundations of DX and GX with Beyond 5G/6G and More Advanced IoT Devices (Part 2)

Professor Nakao of the University of Tokyo and Murata Manufacturing discuss here the state of IIoT systems indispensable for implementing digital transformation (DX), which promotes the digitalization of operations and green transformation (GX) that aims for decarbonization. They also talk about the present and future of the technologies sought for that. We explain the technologies sought on the edge side in IIoT systems and the direction of the evolution of that.

  • IIoT
  • Developer Interview

Building IIoT Systems to Serve as the Foundations of DX and GX with Beyond 5G/6G and More Advanced IoT Devices (Part 1)

Professor Nakao of the University of Tokyo and Murata Manufacturing discuss here the state of IIoT systems indispensable for implementing for digital transformation (DX), which promotes the digitalization of operations and green transformation (GX) that aims for decarbonization. They also talk about the present and future of the technologies sought for that. We explain the technologies sought on the edge side (on-site) and the direction of the evolution of that focusing on the communications infrastructure indispensable for advanced data transmission in IIoT systems.

  • IIoT
  • Developer Interview

Energy-Saving Technology and Carbon Neutrality on High-Speed Railways

Railways are more energy-efficient than other modes of passenger transportation, with CO2 emissions per ton-kilometer roughly one-seventh those of passenger cars. This is due to the energy-saving effects of power electronics, the electronics technology garnering the most attention amid calls to reduce CO2 emissions in order to achieve carbon neutrality. This article explains the evolution and principles of power electronics for drive motors in rolling stock (electric trains).

  • Carbon neutrality
  • Power electronics

3D City Models Accelerate the Creation of Smart Cities and Digital Twins, Data-Driven Efforts in Electronics

Sophisticated 3D city models are indispensable for creating smart cities and digital twins. Many countries are developing and establishing open data compatible with the international standard CityGML. This article presents various applications of sophisticated 3D city models—including city planning, disaster prevention planning, and simulating the installation and operation of electronic equipment—using Plateau, Japan’s CityGML-compatible 3D city model considered to be the most extensive in the world.

  • Smart City
  • Digital twin
  • DX
  • Sensors
  • Data-driven
  • VR/AR

Murata Is Seeking Partners to begin discussions for a New Transparent and Bendable Conductive Film along with the Application of New Ideas to Open up the IoT Era (Technical Explanation)

Murata Manufacturing is now developing a new material with unprecedented strong points. This new material combines transparency, flexibility, conductivity, and safety. Furthermore, it realizes high workability to be able to easily draw circuit patterns and other elements with diverse methods. Murata is seeking partners to discuss with us the application of new ideas using this new material regardless of your business or industry.

  • Material
  • Developer Interview

Murata Is Seeking Partners to begin discussions for a New Transparent and Bendable Conductive Film along with the Application of New Ideas to Open up the IoT Era (Application Image)

Transparent and Bendable Conductive Film (tentative name) currently being developed by Murata Manufacturing combines transparency, flexibility, conductivity, and safety. It is also a material with excellent workability. This means it has great hidden potential to be applied. Unlocking those strong points makes it possible to produce innovative devices that have a high affinity with situations in life and society as sought in the IoT era.

  • Material
  • Developer Interview

Digital Technologies That Realize the Diversification of Primary Industries

The diversification of primary industries refers to the aim to have producers (primary industries) also perform processing (secondary industries) and distribution and sales (tertiary industries) in order to diversify their management. The purpose of this is to curb price fluctuations with the wholesale of produce to increase added value and to improve the income of producers while revitalizing regions at the same time.

  • Agriculture
  • IoT
  • Sensors

Smart Factory Case Study

How to Fill the Gap in the Proficiency of Workers? Iwate Murata Manufacturing Edition (Part 1)

We introduce here the process when promoting the conversion of a regular factory into a smart factory and the keys to promoting that. We do that based on the example of Iwate Murata Manufacturing, which has eliminated the gap in the proficiency of workers to achieve task standardization and productivity improvement through conversion into a smart factory.

  • Smart Factory
  • DX
  • IoT
  • Solution

Smart Factory Case Study

What Is the First Step to Converting a Regular Factory into a Smart Factory? Komoro Murata Manufacturing (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this article, we introduce initiatives on predictive maintenance and visualization of the equipment operating situation derived from realizations obtained in the EMS. We also look at the clues to cultivating an awareness to make improvements in the manufacturing site that forms the key to converting a regular factory into a smart factory.

  • Smart Factory
  • DX
  • IoT
  • Solution