Japanese airport offers robo-assistants to help travelers find their way
Add / Remove The variety of tasks which robots now undertake is mind-boggling from cooking fresh meals from a menu in under 5 minutes to checking in baggage at the airport to providing bespoke...
View ArticleLearning code through sweets
Add / Remove Here at Springwise, we don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of innovations we’ve covered that are designed to teach children how to code. Two recent examples are...
View ArticleEnvironmental guerilla marketing
Add / Remove The housing crisis has hit many extremely hard, apparently even the hermit crab. Environmental degradation in Japan has created a shortage of shells for these creatures, forcing many...
View ArticleLive rent free by the sea
Back in April we covered a coworking space in Berlin that was offering free desk space to freelancers in exchange for monthly content contributions. In a similar exchange of services, Japanese...
View ArticleJapan translates tourist info with connected megaphone
Add / Remove Called Megahonyaku, Panasonic’s connected megaphone translates Japanese into Chinese, Korean and English. Preset with 300 phrases, users can select different words for different...
View ArticleJapan introduces toilet paper for smartphones
Add / Remove Building on the nation’s reputation for cleanliness, Japan’s largest telecommunications company NTT Docomo recently introduced rolls of paper for cleaning smartphone screens in restrooms...
View ArticleOld clothing to be turned into airplane biofuel
Add / Remove Japan Airlines, Tokyo’s Green Earth Institute and recycling company Japan Environmental Planning (Jeplan) have formed a partnership to develop commercial bioethanol. Using Jeplan’s...
View ArticleDrone pollinators could help relieve overburdened bees
Add / Remove As bee populations worldwide become increasingly fragile, and in many places, much reduced in numbers, scientists are fighting against time to find ways to help them flourish once more. At...
View ArticlePlanetarium runs simulated forest relaxation sessions
Add / Remove Available from February to October, the Konica Minolta Planetarium’s relaxation program now includes Star Night Healing events. Designed to help city-dwellers relax, the events recreate...
View ArticleMidwives advise on Tokyo taxi service for pregnant women
Add / Remove A growing trend among Japanese cities is specialized taxi services for pregnant women. Starting in 2012, midwives began working with taxi companies to enable them to provide the additional...
View ArticleLuxurious car hosts foodies touring Tokyo’s gourmet scene
Add / Remove We’ve previously seen how a shuttle bus has been conceived as an office-style space for commuters, and now Tokyo-based All-Star Restaurant is teaming up with Volvo and UberEATS to provide...
View ArticleJapanese robot teaches toddlers about coding
Add / Remove Japanese Icon Corp is currently crowdfunding for a new concept that’s designed to get kids understanding the thinking patterns of programming from a very young age. So young, in fact, that...
View ArticlePod Skyscraper design is a vending machine for apartments
Add / Remove Malaysian architect Haseef Rafiei was given an honourable mention at this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition for his inventive Pod Skyscraper concept. Inspired by Japan’s culture of...
View ArticleNext-gen bicycle tire to deliver the “Air Free Concept”
Add / Remove Punctures are the bane of all cyclists, and Bridgestone might be on the verge of eliminating them for good. The company’s new tire is called the “Air Free Concept”, and is an evolution of...
View ArticleJapanese fishermen offer morning wake up call service
Add / Remove Nobody likes to wake up at the crack of dawn, especially to a grating and irritating alarm buzz. But imagine getting a personal call from a friendly fisherman working off the Sanriku Coast...
View ArticleUltra luxurious Japanese train unveiled
Add / Remove “Japan is not a large country, but it is an expansive country – a country with depth” reads the concept statement from the East Japan Railway Company on its latest innovation – the Train...
View ArticleEar device uses authentication technology to prevent fraud
Add / Remove Japan-based NEC Corporation has unveiled the prototype of its earphone device that enables safe and secure computing. The device is equipped with NEC’s unique otoacoustic authentication...
View ArticleNew high-tech wearable keeps cows cool
Add / Remove Dairy cows are particularly susceptible to high heat. According to the United Kingdom’s National Animal Disease Information Service, at temperatures above 25°C (77°F), cows can become heat...
View ArticleNewspaper prints news on bottles of water
Add / Remove This is part of a series of articles that looks at innovative campaigns that have been successfully repeated throughout the years and still offer some inspiration for companies in the...
View ArticleNon-melting popsicles developed from strawberry extract
Add / Remove We have seen 3D-printed popsicles and foodie popsicles in flavors such as pineapple-basil. Now, an accidental discovery at the Biotherapy Development Research Center, in Kanazawa, Japan,...
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