Microcomputer Applications

Fifth SuperH Open Forum Demonstrates Progress on Advanced Research into Microcomputer Applications such as Human Welfare and Disaster Relief

The SuperH Forum is sponsored by the research and development departments of Renesas and Hitachi to support R&D and education that contribute to the realization of a society based on ubiquitous networks. The annual event highlights the results of research relating to these activities and also presents an update on what is happening with the SuperH microcomputer product line. This year it was held on August 30, 2006, once again at the East Ochanomizu Building, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

The Fifth SuperH Open Forum welcomed approximately 250 researchers, engineers, and students who are involved with microcomputer-related R&D and educational activities. The schedule of the event encompassed two presentation sessions, during which five researchers explained and discussed pioneering research results and Renesas discussed the latest news from the SuperH family. The exhibition space at the event offered poster sessions from the featured researchers, along with demonstrations of actual systems.

The first presentation was "The Challenge of Welfare Engineering―Science and Business Assist Human Body Functions," by Professor Tohru Ifukube from the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, who is involved in research into ways of assisting people with impaired sight or hearing. He described results from his research, which include a tactile display, automatic speech subtitling system, artificial larynx, software for reading text from a screen, and speaking musical instruments for people who have impaired speech. Professor Ifukube described how progress in developing technology that utilizes the latest in IT with reference to animal ecology and the development of new communication technologies are contributing to future areas of engineering such as virtual reality and robotics. For more information, click here .

Next, Professor Kiyohiro Shikano of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology gave a presentation entitled, "The Challenge of Developing an Audio Information Guidance System." He described his development work on the application to communications of "non-audible murmur" speech that is too quiet to be heard from nearby, and "blind source separation" technology, which assists with hearing when two separate sources are producing sound simultaneously. Professor Shikano also presented model test results from the "Takemaru-kun" audio information guidance system installed in a public institution, and reported on the issues currently facing the field of audio information guidance.

The final presentation of the first session was "Progress on Commercialization of a Next-Generation Intelligent Wheelchair (Wheelchair Robot)," by Hideo Mori, Director of ROTA Inc. and Professor Emeritus of the University of Yamanashi. He described how the intelligent wheelchair for people with visual disabilities is fitted with a video camera, optical sensors, and contact sensors and is able to travel over a route it has learned or that is marked out using QR bar codes. The guidance module uses a visual recognition system that makes use of sign patterns, a method similar to the one that animals use to find their way around by identifying particular features of objects. For more information, click here .

In the second session, Koki Noguchi, General Manager of the System Solutions Division at Renesas Technology gave the presentation, "SuperH Technology Trends and Product Development," which discussed the current status and future direction of the SuperH family of microcomputers. Topics covered for the SH-2 series devices included digital audio systems that support USB memory and further miniaturization of flash memory. For the SH-Mobile devices, Mr. Noguchi emphasized the extent of development platform support, using as an example the products designed specifically for one-segment broadcasting. Among the projected developments he mentioned for the SH-Navi SoC device were the inclusion of an image-recognition function and anti-noise measures using SiP (System in Package) technology.

The next speaker was Eiji Koyanagi, Deputy Director of the Future Robotic Technology Center at the Chiba Institute of Technology, whose talk was entitled "Development of a Rescue Robot and Related Issues." The rescue robot is able to make its way over obstructions using a number of caterpillar crawlers. Nine different versions have been produced so far, including models with the capability and motive power to operate in water. For improved reliability, the latest model uses a device with an SH-4 CPU core in its main controller and H8 microcomputers for motor control. Mr. Koyanagi explained that realizing a practical rescue robot ideally requires a multi-vision system that can obtain a similar quantity of information to the field of view of a person. Accomplishing that, he said, requires a microcomputer that can deliver high levels of both processing performance and reliability. For more information, click here .

The final presentation of the event was "The HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) Wearable Robot Suit that Amplifies and Extends Human Body Function," from Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai from the Graduate School of the University of Tsukuba. The robot suit can extend, amplify, and strengthen human body function. Moreover, it can support the movement of the wearer even before the individual starts moving by using bioelectrical signals to sense movement. A venture business has been established and the technology has now reached the commercialization phase. The robot suit is expected to be used in fields such as work augmentation, rehabilitation, and training, as well as to assist care givers.

The presentations, exhibitions, and demonstrations at the 2006 SuperH Forum allowed the engineers, researchers, and students who attended to see first hand how robots and various other advanced technologies are becoming a reality. The attendees also had the chance to see how widely the SuperH family is being used in this process and the important roles that the Renesas microcomputers are playing.

For more information on SuperH processors, click here .