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Japan to reduce rare earth consumption in response to China's export controls
Japan took another step toward lessening its rare earths dependence today, announcing plans to drastically reduce consumption levels in response to China's continued market dominance. Of particular concern to the Japanese government is dysprosium -- a rare earth used in the production of high-powered magnets. China, which accounts for about 95 percent of the world's rare earth supply, has been tightening export controls on the metal in recent months, sending global prices skyward. With its domestic supplies dwindling, Japan has now committed to reducing its dysprosium consumption by 30 percent over the next few years, as part of a $65 million initiative. Much of that money will presumably go toward helping manufacturers develop alternative production and recycling methods, as some already have. Toyota, for instance, has found a way to produce hybrid and electric vehicles without using dysprosium, while Mitsubishi, Panasonic and TDK are currently looking at ways to extract the metal from old air conditioners. If effective, the government's program would reduce domestic consumption by between 200 and 400 tonnes per year.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: glowing green sea, an equinox house and energy-efficient skyscrapers
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Tidal energy made waves around the world this week as Inhabitat reported that Verdant Power was awarded the first license for an East River power project in NYC, while across the pond the UK announced plans for a gigantic 27 gigawatt Marine Energy Park and a new SeaRaser tidal power plant that could be the world's cheapest method of producing electricity. We also watched President Obama set forth a green blueprint for America in his State of the Union Address, despite going on to support oil and gas drilling in his following speech on Thursday. Meanwhile, Scotland made headlines as a new company launched with plans to turn whisky into biofuel, and Google Earth revealed an alarming patch of glowing green sea near a nuclear power plant.It was also a big week for solar-powered architecture as Deutsche Bank completed the world's tallest roof-mounted solar array and the U.S. Department of Energy announced that the 2013 Solar Decathlon will be taking place in sunny Southern California. We also took a peek inside a crazy solar-powered billboard house, and we showcased plans for a super efficient Equinox house that tracks the sun. We also brought you the world's first 1.4 billion Euro home made from shredded bills, and we rounded up the 6 most energy-efficient skyscrapers in New York City.In other news, this week Apple CEO Tim Cook responded in outrage to New York Times accusations that Apple abuses workers' rights in Chinese factories, and green transportation blasted off as auto manufacturers unveiled a trio of high-performance vehicles - theTS030 hybrid race car, Toyota's solar-powered 2000GT, and the sexy Lotus-based PG Elektrus. We also saw researchers developed the world's smallest train from a strand of DNA, while Mitsubishi developed a way to make ships more efficient by blowing tiny air bubbles. Finally, we brought you the hottest news in high-tech fashion as the U.S. military developed a pair of high-tech undies to monitor soldiers' vitals and Chanel built a life-size airplane plane for its spring 2012 Paris Couture Week show.
Hitachi to halt domestic production of Wooo LCD and plasma TVs, Mitsubishi to axe optical discs?
Hitachi's line of domestically produced Wooo TVs is coming to an end, now that the manufacturer has confirmed plans to close a major plant in central Japan. In an announcement issued today, Hitachi said it will shutter its factory in Gifu, where some 100,000 LCD and plasma TVs are produced each month. Citing industry-wide price competition as the deciding factor, the company went on to clarify that the facility will shut down by September of this year, and that it will instead be used to manufacture projectors and chips. Hitachi will, however, continue to offer non-Wooo TVs manufactured by non-Japanese contractors. Japan's Asahi Shimbun, meanwhile, is reporting that Mitsubishi has decided to terminate domestic production of DVDs and Blu-Rays, due to declining sales of each. From now on, optical disc manufacturing will instead be outsourced to partner companies in India and Taiwan. For more details, check out the post-break press release.
Mitsubishi Electric's EMIRAI concept goes back to the future, refuses to fly (video)
The Jetsons were a lie, people. If you want a flying car, glue a parachute to a Matchbox racer. Automotive companies like Mitsubishi Electric have a distinctly different idea about our auto future, one where we'll all be driving in a 1980s-by-way-of-2011 Tron roadster with seatback-embedded (glasses-free) 3D TVs and a big 'ol curved rear projection display. At least, that's the vision put forth by the company's EMIRAI concept, shown off at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. The demo vehicle's biggest innovation, supposedly on deck for the next decade and beyond, is its biometrically-sensitive interface, which can adjust the position of your seat based on current heart rate and facial temperature. There's also a driver side touch panel configured to recognize handwriting (Japanese, for now) and dynamically-changing buttons, mounted on the W-shaped "steering wheel," that rise and fall in correlation to the dashboard's UI. It's neat stuff, no doubt, but we'll let you go ahead and get excited at your own risk. Because until production models hit showroom floors, it's all still very much promises, promises. Check out the video after the break for a brief peek at the wheels of tomorrow.
Mitsubishi Electric to build world's fastest elevator, usher in the death of small talk
Cheer up, ladies, because Mitsubishi Electric is about to make your elevator ride substantially less awkward. Yesterday, the company unveiled plans to construct what it hopes will become the world's fastest lifts, as part of a new project in China. The forthcoming set of elevators will be housed within the still-incomplete Shanghai Tower, where they'll travel between the basement and 119th floor at a speed of 59 feet per second -- a rate that would narrowly eclipse the current Guinness world record, which sits at about 55 feet per second. These elevators, of course, would be significantly slower if they were filled with vomit, which is why Mitsubishi will add active roller guides, vibration-dampening roof covers and pneumatic controls to make the ride a bit easier on the human body. Unfortunately, it'll be a while before these flesh wagons enter the record books, as the Shanghai Tower likely won't be completed until 2014. Willy Wonka, however, has already begun the appeals process. Elevate past the break for more information in the full press release. [Image courtesy of AMC]
CEDIA 2011 odds and ends wrap up: THX, TiVo and plenty of projectors
Another CEDIA is in the books, and if you weren't there, just know the story was -- as it has been in many corners of the country -- the economy. Oh sure, projectors that cost only $10k still seemed value priced, but everywhere you looked companies were extending their products a little closer to the mass market. Whether it's a heavy duty wall mounts, wireless hi fi systems or, most surprisingly, $300 powered shades from companies like Lutron, custom theater equipment is getting cheaper and ready to work in more homes. Interested in remaking a home theater while spending less than $10k and without building an entirely new house around it? 2011 may be your year. As far as the hardware on display, we also got a look at TiVo's new Premiere Elite DVR (hint: it looks and runs like a TiVo) and Dish Network's new Tailgater portable satellite dish. Another treat was an MHL-to-HDMI adapter from DVDO that could make hooking your celly up to pretty much any TV on the go and charging it at the same time easy. At the THX booth, it had its stamp slapped on LG's newest Nano LED lit 3D LCD, as well as a new program for soundbar / subwoofer combinations it says will result in more accurate sound for implementations where surround speakers don't make sense. We also got a demo of its new Media Director protocol that can automatically configure compatible home theater equipment based on the content being watched. The Star Wars Blu-ray discs will be the first ones to ship with the embedded metadata, while partnerships with chipmakers mean software updates could start rolling out shortly for manufacturers that choose to deliver them -- the demo ran on an HDI Dune player -- and next year's new devices should ship with the feature included. The usual slew of projectors included new models from Mitsubishi and Digital Projection, with automatic settings for ultrawidescreen viewing as one of the hot features (other than 4K) this year. For a better look at some of the things we spotted on the show floor check the gallery below, and details in their press releases after the break. %Gallery-133809%
Mitsubishi i-MiEV goes cheaper and further in Japan, scores 112 MPGe in the US of A
We're still waiting for our first i-MiEV deliveries here in the US and in Japan they're already prepping new variations on the tiny electric car for the 2012 model year. One, the M, goes the budget route, slashing 1.38 million yen (about $17,000) off the price of the 2011 model. It does sacrifice some range, 40km worth, to meet that price -- you'll need to plug in about every 120km (75 miles). A second option, the G, weighs in at 3.8 million yen (almost $47,000) but boosts the between charge range to 180km (110 miles). The M will start appearing in Japanese showrooms on July 25 and the i-MiEV G will follow in August. Meanwhile, the American edition, known as the Mitsubishi i, is edging ever closer to release. The all important EPA tests are out of the way, and the i scored the equivalent of 126 MPG in the city and 99 on the highway for an overall rating of 112 MPGe, about 20 MPGe better than the Leaf. Check out the pair of press releases after the break.
Mitsubishi's new all-in-one set crams 500GB HDD and Blu-ray recorder into tiny package
Mitsubishi's new Real LCD-22BLR500 TV is hardly the first set packed with a built-in Blu-ray recorder and hard drive, but it's certainly one of the smaller ones we've seen. The 22-inch 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit display is probably too tiny for your average living room, but cramming the 500GB HDD and optical dive in the base helps it keep a thin profile and a stable footprint that could fit perfectly in a small bedroom or dorm. Around back are a bevy of inputs, including a USB jack, a pair of HDMI ports, an SD slot, Ethernet, and i.Link. Sadly, this compact all-in-one TV will be a Japan-only affair when it hits shelves on July 21st for around ¥110,000 (about $1,360).
Mitsubishi's latest 23-inch Diamondcrysta fulfills your matte, IPS desktop display dreams
It seems like, if a company isn't hopping on board the OLED train, it's the IPS express that's catching their flat-panel fancy. Mitsubishi is banking the wider viewing angles provided by the in-plane switching tech can carry its 23-inch Diamondcrysta Wide RDT233WX-Z to desktop display success. The 120Hz monitor features the Giga Clear Engine II LSI for smoothing out high-speed video and a special movie mode for better performance when showing 24p films. Around back are the usual assortment of connections, including a pair of HDMI ports, DVI-D, mini D-Sub, and the Japanese D5 jack. Perhaps best of all, unlike most recent 1080p monitors we've seen, the latest Diamondcrysta skips the glossy sheen for a matte coating. The RDT233WX-Z goes on sale in Japan on June 29th for around 54,800 yen (about $683) and you'll find the PR, in all its machine translated glory, after the break.
Toshiba SCiB to be used in Mitsubishi i-MiEV, recharge to 80 percent in just 15 minutes
Toshiba's SCiB (Super Charge Ion Battery) technology has long been the source of great hope and anticipation in electronics circles, but it's never quite delivered the world-changing retail products that its marketing promised. Hoping to correct that in a big way, the company's now hooked up with Mitsubishi to distribute said fast-charging cells in the taxman-friendly i-MiEV (to be known as Mitsubishi i in the US) and its taxi variant, the MINICAB-MiEV. How fast-charging, you ask? We're told recharging will be done in 15 minutes for 80 percent, 10 minutes for 50 percent, and a mere 300 seconds for 25 percent. You'll need a CHAdeMO charger to achieve such rapid revitalization rates, but those stations are sprouting up across the US now. There are other favorable qualities to Toshiba's batteries, including "excellent charging and output" under very low temperatures, 2.5 times the number of charge / discharge cycles of regular lithium ion cells, and safer operation than most other alternatives. Check out the full PR after the break.
Mitsubishi officially prices 2011 HDTVs including a 92-inch DLP and 75-inch LaserVue
Other manufacturers may say they're living large with their latest HDTVs, but Mitsubishi's "Go Big" slogan is supported by the biggest displays available for 2011. It's finally revealed details on the models, with new features including a clearer screen and 16 speaker soundbar with support for a wireless subwoofer on its top of the line 840-series that includes the 92-inch model (pictured above) we saw at CES. The other big addition for 2011 is support for Mitsubishi's iOS remote control app in the LaserVue TV as well as the 740 and 840 series DLPs. If you don't need those features, a built in IR emitter for 3D glasses or Stream TV Vudu Apps then look at the lower end 640-series rear projection sets. Still, no matter what the trim level, the new Mitsubishi is strictly a 73-inch and over TV manufacturer so it's definitely going to be big, whether it's the 840 series that ships in July or any of the other models that will be available this month. Specs and MSRPs are in the press release after the break, from the 73-inch 640 series for $1,599 all the way up to the $5,999 92-inch.
Mitsubishi creates giant OLED globe for Tokyo's museum-goers, cloud gazers
This year, Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation is celebrating its 10th anniversary -- a milestone that Mitsubishi is commemorating with a giant OLED globe. Comprised of over 10,000 Diamond Vision OLEDs (each measuring 96 x 96mm), the six-meter 'Geo-Cosmos' installation will hang about 18 feet above the museum floor, where it will beam clouds and other satellite images at a resolution of 10 million pixels. It may not be the first curved OLED we've seen from Mitsubishi, but it's the first that could double as a pretty sick disco ball. The globe will be unveiled on June 11th, but you can head past the break for the full PR, as well as an image of the beast while it was under construction.
Mitsubishi reshuffles units, continues plans for extra large TVs only
Following its plan to trim TV operations, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has formed a new unit, Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc. that will acquire parts of the old MDEA business and focus on professional visual systems as well as DLP and LaserVue TVs for consumers. The new company is official June 1st and will still focus exclusively on displays at 73-inches and up, so this is truly good bye to the flat panel sub65-inch products of yesterday. We'll have to wait and see how the "big year" plan turns out, more details of the reorganization are in the press release after the break.
IPS and 3D come together in Mitsubishi's new 23-inch display
Looking for the vibrant colors and wide angle viewing of an IPS display and the in-your-face action that only a 3D monitor can provide? Well, Mitsubishi's got you covered with its new 23-inch LED backlit IPS panel that promises Full HD resolution, 178-degree viewing angles, and a 3.8 millisecond response time from a 39 millimeter-thick slab of screen. Content comes to the RDT233WX-3D through a DVI-D connector, two HDMI 1.4 ports, and D5 connections, while your eyeballs see things in three dee with the included passive 3D glasses. It'll be available on May 30 in the Land of the Rising Sun (no word if it'll come across the Pacific) for an undisclosed amount. Those interested in getting one to the US can enlist the services of their local importer -- an open wallet or a blank check should do the trick.
Mitsubishi Blu-ray players have BDXL, 3D support, and a two-faced remote
We don't want to slight these three new Blu-ray players from Mitsubishi -- they've got all the latest features that the kids are clamoring for, like 3D Blu-ray, BDXL, AVCREC, and VOD support. However, sometimes accessories are the most fascinating part of a product, as seems the case with this dual-faced remote -- not entirely unlike the ones we've seen from Samsung and Boxee. One side controls the TV and the other does the DVR, while a built-in sensor lets the system know which side you're using. The DVR-BZ450, DVR-BZ350, and DVR-BZ250 are pretty much identical, save for internal storage, which ranges from 500GB to 2TB. All are due out in Japan on May 31st -- no word on when the rest of the world will be able to get our hands on the latest technology for losing two remotes at the same time.
Mitsubishi i MiEV priced to move, rolls out slowly across US
Mitsubishi promised a fall 2011 launch for the i MiEV here in the US, and we're happy to report the company is right on schedule -- so long as you live in California, Oregon, Washington, or Hawaii. Those states will be the first to see the subcompact at the dealership this November. The all-electric car will make its debut in the northeastern US by March of next year, with the a nationwide rollout expected by December 2012. The basic ES model will start at $27,990, while the SE demands $29,990 for luxuries like a leather covered steering wheel and "upgrade[d] seating material." Both are eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, which could push the price of entry down to just above $20,000 -- making the Mitsubishi i almost as easy on your wallet as it is on the Earth. PR after the break.
Velve OLED lighting panels cover a broader spectrum (video)
The University of Michigan may boast the best blue, but Mitsubishi subsidiary Verbatim is showing off OLED lighting of a different color; several of them, actually. Demonstrated this week at the Fuori Salone show in Milan, these 14 x 14 cm Velve-branded lighting panels are amongst the first color tunable OLED light panels, giving off what Verbatim calls "colourful lighting with a luxurious feel; as smooth and as rich as velvet." Velve. Velvet. See what they did there? Sample Kits will be available in Japan later this month for ¥90,000 ($1,063), and Verbatim hopes to see the technology put to use in consumer products by the end of the year. Suddenly white light OLEDs look positively old hat -- here's hoping the price comes down before we burn through our incandescent stockpile.
Panasonic, Xpand team up on M-3DI standard for active shutter glasses at home and in theaters
Last year's problem was a complete lack of standards on active shutter 3D glasses but now we might have too many, as Panasonic and Xpand have joined forces with several other companies to push M-3DI as a single spec for TVs, computers and theaters. Initial plans for the spec cover only IR sync, with the RF Bluetooth technology included on many 2011 3DTV models (Samsung and Sony are notably missing from the list of participants) to "be considered" for the next step. We'll wait to see some cooperation between this alignment (full list of supporters in the press release after the break) RealD and the CEA's 3D Technologies Working Group -- which, probably not coincidentally is expecting proposals by the end of this month -- before believing the current 3D glasses mess will be resolved.
Mitsubishi drops LCD HDTVs to focus on 73-inch and above sized displays
That we didn't spot a successor to Mitsubishi's well-received line of Unisen LCD HDTVs at CES 2011 should have been a signal, but now the company has made it official -- it is downsizing TV operations, closing some offices and leaving the LCD TV business entirely. As the only company still selling rear projection sets to consumers, a letter from senior VP Cayce Blanchard (included after the break) indicates the plan is to focus on selling DLP and Laservue TVs in sizes above 73-inches where its flat panel competitors rarely reach. It will also keep selling projectors, display walls, printers and large public display screens up to 140-inches in size -- the Cowboys Stadium set was manufactured by sister company Mitsubishi Electric Power Product -- to other companies. Of course, as sad as everyone is to see the LCDs go, that just means there's even more time to focus on the 92-inch DLP that should hit shelves later this year. Time well spent, we'd say.
Japanese elevators get voice recognition, Japanese elevator rides get even more awkward
We here at Engadget are all about helping the less fortunate, so Mitsubishi Electric's latest innovation in elevator tech has us all warm and fuzzy. The new interface allows for blind users -- and presumably lazy users -- to select their destination floor by voice, with a subsequent announcement when they arrive. Additionally, the system kicks in whenever it detects a wheelchair, replacing the potentially difficult process of reaching high buttons with the simple act of speaking. No word on whether the system works in English just yet or if it'll make it to the States, but you might want to brush up on your Japanese either way.
