Japan Special

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0:00:03 > 0:00:04More on the website.

0:00:04 > 0:00:05Coming up next, it's Click.

0:00:06 > 0:00:07This week...

0:00:07 > 0:00:08Click in Japan.

0:00:08 > 0:00:11The fashion will glow, the furniture will move

0:00:11 > 0:00:14and the fur will fly.

0:00:14 > 0:00:17I'm getting the sense now that he slightly stressed.

0:00:17 > 0:00:19BARKING.

0:00:43 > 0:00:46What is your favourite animal?

0:00:46 > 0:00:48ROBOTIC VOICE: Sponge Bob is the best.

0:00:48 > 0:00:56I thought he was a cheese at first though.

0:00:56 > 0:01:00Samurai Chatbot?

0:01:00 > 0:01:05Only in Japan!

0:01:05 > 0:01:11Welcome to Tokyo.

0:01:11 > 0:01:13It's a place that loves tech.

0:01:13 > 0:01:15It's my kind of place.

0:01:15 > 0:01:20An odd kind of place.

0:01:20 > 0:01:24Where ancient traditions blend with ambitious visions.

0:01:24 > 0:01:27Where legends are born.

0:01:27 > 0:01:30And brought to life.

0:01:30 > 0:01:34Where a little space is really rare.

0:01:34 > 0:01:40And friends can take all shapes and sizes.

0:01:40 > 0:01:43This is Joji, he's a biologist.

0:01:43 > 0:01:45And this is Akane, he's a dog.

0:01:45 > 0:01:53He's 11 and ever since he was a puppy, he's

0:01:53 > 0:01:54a nervous little Corgi.

0:01:54 > 0:01:57I'm getting the sense now that he slightly stressed?

0:01:59 > 0:02:03But all that barking doesn't necessarily mean he stressed.

0:02:03 > 0:02:10In this case, he just wants to say hello.

0:02:10 > 0:02:13Joji wanted to find out what Akane was actually feeling,

0:02:13 > 0:02:18so he invented a collar which monitors the dog's heart

0:02:18 > 0:02:21rhythms and changes colour, depending on whether he's calm,

0:02:21 > 0:02:23excited or alarmed.

0:02:23 > 0:02:29It can be used by owners to hear beyond the barks and learn how

0:02:29 > 0:02:30to manage stressful environments.

0:02:32 > 0:02:40His barking to other dogs is completely from aggression.

0:02:40 > 0:02:43But I found out it's different, comparing two cats

0:02:43 > 0:02:44and dogs, the reaction.

0:02:44 > 0:02:50With cats, it's pure hatred, is it?

0:02:50 > 0:02:51Yes, it goes really read.

0:02:51 > 0:02:55But with dogs, it doesn't.

0:02:58 > 0:03:00There's a different attitude to technology here,

0:03:00 > 0:03:06to that in the West.

0:03:06 > 0:03:09A belief that it's a force for good and can be

0:03:09 > 0:03:11used by all, for all.

0:03:11 > 0:03:15I have the idea that technology is not only for humans, we kind

0:03:15 > 0:03:17of use the resource of the world.

0:03:17 > 0:03:21The technology that we make from that is not just for us.

0:03:21 > 0:03:26It should be used for animals and maybe plants

0:03:26 > 0:03:36and the whole global system.

0:03:36 > 0:03:38Trying to scratch the point he likes.

0:03:38 > 0:03:40He's got a whizzle spot has he?

0:03:40 > 0:03:42Everyone's got a whizzle spot.

0:03:42 > 0:03:44You can see the colour changing.

0:03:44 > 0:03:48There he goes, there's the leg going.

0:03:50 > 0:03:55I love the whizzle spot.

0:03:55 > 0:03:58LAUGHTER.

0:04:00 > 0:04:03You can see the blue, green and the red.

0:04:03 > 0:04:04Yeah, it's all going on now.

0:04:04 > 0:04:10You don't need a collar for that.

0:04:10 > 0:04:12Some stuff here is decidedly Japanese.

0:04:12 > 0:04:15But increasingly, this country is also pursuing the same tech goals

0:04:15 > 0:04:26as the rest of the world.

0:04:26 > 0:04:29For example, it too is getting in on the autonomous driving scene.

0:04:29 > 0:04:32Nissan plans to have ten vehicles with some level of autonomy

0:04:32 > 0:04:34in showrooms by 2020.

0:04:34 > 0:04:37This Nissan I'm in today has similar driver assist functions to the cars

0:04:37 > 0:04:40currently on the road.

0:04:40 > 0:04:42Its pro pilot technology keeps its distance from the car

0:04:42 > 0:04:44in front and stays in lane.

0:04:44 > 0:04:47What's quite funny is, when it took over it put me

0:04:47 > 0:04:51in the proper position in the lane, rather than where I was.

0:04:51 > 0:04:53This particular car demands that I keep my hands

0:04:53 > 0:04:56lightly on the wheel.

0:04:56 > 0:04:59So it does look as though I'm doing the driving,

0:04:59 > 0:05:02trust me, the car really is doing its own thing.

0:05:02 > 0:05:04Which is slightly unnerving.

0:05:04 > 0:05:09What's unusual about this car compared to other autonomous cars

0:05:09 > 0:05:12we've seen, is this doesn't have an array of sensors all the way

0:05:12 > 0:05:18round, it doesn't have lidar or radar, or anything like that.

0:05:18 > 0:05:20It just has one camera.

0:05:20 > 0:05:20That's it.

0:05:20 > 0:05:23That lack of expensive sensors makes the car very affordable,

0:05:23 > 0:05:25although the self driving software therefore has to be

0:05:25 > 0:05:29very, very smart.

0:05:29 > 0:05:38I get the feeling that this technology is almost there, we can

0:05:38 > 0:05:40almost just have autonomous driving.

0:05:40 > 0:05:44But maybe we need just one more thing, one more innovation to really

0:05:44 > 0:05:46carry it across the line.

0:05:46 > 0:05:52Well, Japanese car-makers think that thing could be detailed 3-D maps

0:05:52 > 0:05:55of the entire road system.

0:05:57 > 0:06:01Autonomous cars ultimately have to work in any conditions.

0:06:01 > 0:06:05But how do you self drive safely when the road looks like this?

0:06:05 > 0:06:07When even the most advanced sensors are going to

0:06:07 > 0:06:10struggle to see the road.

0:06:10 > 0:06:13The thought is, rather than just reacting to what their senses see,

0:06:13 > 0:06:21cars should already have information about what the roads

0:06:21 > 0:06:24should look like.

0:06:24 > 0:06:27All the major Japanese manufacturers have now teamed up to form

0:06:27 > 0:06:28a new company to make these maps.

0:06:57 > 0:07:03All the major Japanese manufacturers have now teamed up to form

0:07:03 > 0:07:05a new company to make these maps.

0:07:05 > 0:07:07A fleet of cars will gather point cloud data using lidar,

0:07:07 > 0:07:13precise GPS position and video.

0:07:13 > 0:07:16The information is then processed to create vector maps of the roads

0:07:16 > 0:07:19which is said to be accurate down to centimetres.

0:07:19 > 0:07:20The mapping work is already underway.

0:07:20 > 0:07:23The 30,000 or so kilometres of Japan's highways are the first

0:07:23 > 0:07:28target and is seen as an easy win because the road conditions

0:07:28 > 0:07:32there are less complicated than in urban areas.

0:07:32 > 0:07:35Mitsubishi Electric hopes to shrink the mapping gear even smaller

0:07:35 > 0:07:38than this and then mount it on highway patrol cars,

0:07:38 > 0:07:42so maps can be regularly updated with little outlay.

0:07:42 > 0:07:47In the meantime, this being Japan, autonomous driving technology has

0:07:47 > 0:07:51already been installed in that other essential method

0:07:51 > 0:07:54of transport, the chair.

0:07:58 > 0:08:01Now, once every year Japan puts a whole load of its innovations,

0:08:01 > 0:08:08crazy and otherwise, on show for the world to see.

0:08:08 > 0:08:11It is an exhibition called C-Tech and it takes place in the eastern

0:08:11 > 0:08:14outskirts of Tokyo in Shiba and Dan Simmons is there.

0:08:14 > 0:08:21I've just arrived in Honda's 3-D printed car.

0:08:21 > 0:08:25It's made from the same ABS plastics as the mass produce models.

0:08:25 > 0:08:29The idea is we would design our own car, at least the shell,

0:08:29 > 0:08:37that's the bit that's 3-D printed.

0:08:37 > 0:08:40Hopefully, just for a little bit of extra cost, they can put

0:08:40 > 0:08:42in a few more seats.

0:08:42 > 0:08:45Now, what if you could speak with your finger and draw

0:08:45 > 0:08:46what you are saying?

0:08:46 > 0:08:47That would raise a smile, right?

0:08:47 > 0:08:51Well, only if you draw a smile, it seems.

0:08:51 > 0:08:54This playful app has a few uses.

0:08:54 > 0:08:57As well as talking to those who can't hear, the voice

0:08:57 > 0:09:05recognition makes it much quicker than typing things out.

0:09:05 > 0:09:09Now, where this app really comes in useful is when you meet somebody

0:09:09 > 0:09:12for the first time and you don't speak the same language,

0:09:12 > 0:09:13because it has a translate function.

0:09:13 > 0:09:15It's quite fun, let me show you how.

0:09:23 > 0:09:24Tsuyoshi?

0:09:24 > 0:09:28OK, where is the best restaurant?

0:09:40 > 0:09:41Here is delicious sushi.

0:09:41 > 0:09:41Perfect.

0:09:41 > 0:09:45And I'm in the know.

0:09:45 > 0:09:46Thanks.

0:09:51 > 0:09:53Fed up with carrying your cards?

0:09:53 > 0:09:56Fujitsu reckon they've got our hands down better alternative.

0:09:56 > 0:09:59This palm reader may not know your future,

0:09:59 > 0:10:03but it knows all your credit cards you've registered on its database.

0:10:03 > 0:10:06You did that, didn't you?

0:10:06 > 0:10:11It recognises you by looking at the veins through your hand.

0:10:11 > 0:10:13It's more secure than a fingerprint, which being 2-D, can

0:10:13 > 0:10:17more easily be copied.

0:10:17 > 0:10:21Now, when it comes in next year, you'll still need to use a PIN,

0:10:21 > 0:10:25but we know they are not palming is off grid has secured the system

0:10:25 > 0:10:29is because it's already being used at some of Japan's cash machines.

0:10:29 > 0:10:32More ways to identify us from from researchers,

0:10:32 > 0:10:37with these earbuds that listen to the wearer.

0:10:37 > 0:10:43They emit a beam and then using a tiny integrated microphone,

0:10:43 > 0:10:44they listen for the echo.

0:10:44 > 0:10:46What they've discovered is apparently in our ear canals

0:10:47 > 0:10:49reflect sound uniquely.

0:10:49 > 0:10:53That means they could be used as ID without the need for us

0:10:53 > 0:11:00to do anything really.

0:11:02 > 0:11:05How does it get from the watch to my body?

0:11:05 > 0:11:11Its contact with the skin.

0:11:11 > 0:11:12Dream it.

0:11:12 > 0:11:14If we dream it together it'll happen.

0:11:14 > 0:11:15We need to change the battery.

0:11:15 > 0:11:17This is obviously a two person operation.

0:11:17 > 0:11:19That's blue, isn't it?

0:11:19 > 0:11:22We had green.

0:11:23 > 0:11:27Blue and green should never be seen.

0:11:35 > 0:11:39The Japanese are known for their quirky tech ideas,

0:11:39 > 0:11:44but this one could transform some people's lives.

0:11:44 > 0:11:51This hair clip allows wearers to feel the sounds around them.

0:11:51 > 0:11:57It's quite an unusual feeling to have this particularly experience

0:11:57 > 0:12:00through your head onto your skull, even when you are talking,

0:12:00 > 0:12:02because these can pick up when I'm talking,

0:12:02 > 0:12:03as well as anybody else.

0:12:03 > 0:12:06The new version, still in prototype, detects pitch of sound as well

0:12:06 > 0:12:10and could be used to teach deaf people how to play

0:12:10 > 0:12:13an instrument, possibly.

0:12:13 > 0:12:17The mikes inside which control the vibes are directional,

0:12:17 > 0:12:20so wearing two means you can tell where a sound is coming

0:12:20 > 0:12:22from as well.

0:12:22 > 0:12:28That's just bouncing up and down on my head.

0:12:28 > 0:12:33I can't wait for the presenter of another version of Click

0:12:33 > 0:12:35to have a go himself.

0:12:35 > 0:12:38Why don't you put that on your hair?

0:12:50 > 0:12:52Welcome to the Week In Tech.

0:12:52 > 0:12:56It was a week that saw the launch of the coolest Kicks in Hill Valley

0:12:56 > 0:13:00for the autumn winter season 2015.

0:13:00 > 0:13:13The self lacing Nike Mags are back to the future to fame will receive

0:13:13 > 0:13:15a short production run of 89 pairs.

0:13:15 > 0:13:17All to be raffled off for charity.

0:13:17 > 0:13:20It was also the week where researchers at MIT have been

0:13:20 > 0:13:22experimenting with furry materials for wet suits.

0:13:22 > 0:13:25These fabrics act like the coat of an otter and could

0:13:25 > 0:13:29keep the wearer warmer.

0:13:29 > 0:13:32Private space company Blue Origin surprised everybody this week

0:13:32 > 0:13:34including its founder, Amazon chief Jeff Bezos.

0:13:34 > 0:13:45By successfully testing the launch abort system on its new rocket.

0:13:45 > 0:13:47Before the shuttle and rocket touched down, Jeff Bezos

0:13:47 > 0:13:50said our next flight is going to be dramatic.

0:13:50 > 0:13:51No matter how it ends.

0:13:51 > 0:13:53There is confidence for you.

0:13:53 > 0:13:54Illegal guns, drugs and baby hedgehogs.

0:13:54 > 0:13:56Just some of the things available to purchase

0:13:57 > 0:13:58on Facebook's new marketplace.

0:13:58 > 0:14:00The social network has apologised, blaming a glitch that prevented it

0:14:00 > 0:14:04from screening out dodgy deals and criminal commerce.

0:14:04 > 0:14:08Facebook says it's working on fixing the problem.

0:14:08 > 0:14:10And finally, not got the cash for a drone,

0:14:10 > 0:14:13but still want to film from the skies?

0:14:13 > 0:14:16Well, a Dutch outfit has created this, the AER,

0:14:16 > 0:14:23basically a big foam dart with and action camera

0:14:23 > 0:14:24to be fitted to it.

0:14:24 > 0:14:26Not so much flying footage as filming one falling with style.

0:14:33 > 0:14:33during

0:14:33 > 0:14:34Saturday

0:14:34 > 0:14:35during Saturday

0:14:35 > 0:14:39OK, we're going to break away from Japan for a couple of minutes

0:14:39 > 0:14:41and had across the Pacific to California.

0:14:41 > 0:14:48Because this has been a very big week for Google.

0:14:53 > 0:14:55We have lots in store for you today.

0:14:55 > 0:14:59Turns out the rumour mill was right, this was a hardware launch

0:14:59 > 0:15:01for the search giant, which took aim at several

0:15:01 > 0:15:01big competitors.

0:15:01 > 0:15:05So today, I'm very excited to introduce you to a new phone

0:15:05 > 0:15:06made by Google.

0:15:06 > 0:15:07He is Pixel, Google's new smartphone.

0:15:07 > 0:15:16And the ad certainly tears a few strips of one of its competitors.

0:15:16 > 0:15:17Can you guess which one?

0:15:17 > 0:15:20Sounds like there's nothing new in this game, the iPhone-esk

0:15:20 > 0:15:23Pixel packs a good processor, a great screen and a better camera

0:15:23 > 0:15:24than its competitors.

0:15:24 > 0:15:27The price is competitive too, the smaller version of the phone

0:15:27 > 0:15:28will sell from ?599.

0:15:28 > 0:15:31Pixel will let you activate its renamed Google assistant

0:15:31 > 0:15:35with a press of a home button, just like Siri.

0:15:35 > 0:15:39And watch out Samsung, here comes Daydream View VR,

0:15:39 > 0:15:43a virtual reality headset made for the Pixel, unlike Gear VR

0:15:43 > 0:15:46Google's goggle doesn't come with any additional sensors,

0:15:46 > 0:15:50so in that respect it's a bit more like Google cardboard,

0:15:50 > 0:15:55or maybe Google carpet, because it's softer you see.

0:15:55 > 0:16:01That may explain the lower price tag, ?69, but it does come

0:16:01 > 0:16:04with a nice little controller that neatly slots into the headset

0:16:04 > 0:16:05when not in use.

0:16:05 > 0:16:08Google also announced a set of connected Wi-Fi bases,

0:16:08 > 0:16:11promising to boost the connectivity around your house.

0:16:11 > 0:16:17Your house is really where Google wants to be.

0:16:17 > 0:16:20Because now Amazon's Echo is in the firing line with this

0:16:20 > 0:16:22new personal assistant device, Google Home.

0:16:22 > 0:16:25OK, back to Japan now, because C-Tech is still happening

0:16:25 > 0:16:31and Dan is still there.

0:16:31 > 0:16:35We met the origami bird last year, but it's been given a major upgrade

0:16:35 > 0:16:38with two extra wings, it can now hover.

0:16:38 > 0:16:41It's the tiny microcontrollers that parts manufacturer Roam want to sell

0:16:41 > 0:16:45you, but I suspect the bird itself would be a bigger hit.

0:16:45 > 0:16:51And it can now be gesture controlled using a wristband over Wi-Fi.

0:16:51 > 0:16:55To get this baby to fly this year, we just do a quick flick of the rest

0:16:55 > 0:17:01and there it goes.

0:17:01 > 0:17:04And I think, a bit more power up, up.

0:17:04 > 0:17:04And away.

0:17:04 > 0:17:05There she goes.

0:17:05 > 0:17:05And hopefully...

0:17:05 > 0:17:12Oh, my word!

0:17:12 > 0:17:15How far away can this bird actually fly, I wonder.

0:17:16 > 0:17:18Oh no, don't go in there.

0:17:18 > 0:17:22Do not go in there.

0:17:22 > 0:17:25It seems to have gone quite a long way.

0:17:25 > 0:17:26I still seem to have control here.

0:17:27 > 0:17:27Woops!

0:17:27 > 0:17:30That was him, by the way, that crashed it.

0:17:30 > 0:17:34Can we have our bird back please?

0:17:34 > 0:17:37This innovation may not look like much, but it could power

0:17:37 > 0:17:39thousands of new gadgets.

0:17:39 > 0:17:41This could be our new flexible friend.

0:17:41 > 0:17:45It is Panasonic's bendy battery.

0:17:45 > 0:17:50They've managed to do this because the outer casing is made

0:17:50 > 0:17:52of a mixture of plastic and aluminium and the live

0:17:52 > 0:17:56materials, the active materials inside this lithium battery have

0:17:56 > 0:17:59been painted on to the connectors.

0:17:59 > 0:18:05And this could be invaluable to a few bits of technology,

0:18:05 > 0:18:08flexible screens or bendy phones we might have in the future.

0:18:08 > 0:18:12They're all going to need power that can bend with them.

0:18:12 > 0:18:16This is going to be available in mass production from 2018,

0:18:16 > 0:18:19so Panasonic will have samples for manufacturers to play

0:18:19 > 0:18:22with by the end of this month.

0:18:22 > 0:18:23Time for a touch-up.

0:18:23 > 0:18:27This vanity mirror holds a secret.

0:18:27 > 0:18:30Place your face in the circle and it analyses your skin, showing

0:18:30 > 0:18:35you both your visible spots and blemishes and those you may have

0:18:35 > 0:18:36coming in the future.

0:18:36 > 0:18:40But just when you thought, shock, horror, why would I want one

0:18:40 > 0:18:43of those, the magic happens.

0:18:43 > 0:18:45It prints out a personal make-up patch, that when applied,

0:18:45 > 0:18:48looks so real, you can hardly see it.

0:18:48 > 0:18:50Masayo Fuchigami doesn't just use the system,

0:18:50 > 0:18:55she helped design it.

0:18:55 > 0:18:58TRANSLATION: With this, layers of make-up will not be

0:18:58 > 0:19:00necessary and only a patch is needed.

0:19:00 > 0:19:08It requires less time and it feels lighter.

0:19:08 > 0:19:11Epson has created a large box for large businesses,

0:19:11 > 0:19:16so they can create their own paper rather than use a recycling plant.

0:19:16 > 0:19:19As well as being greener, it says it is more secure

0:19:19 > 0:19:22because everything is reduced to a pulp before it kicks out up

0:19:22 > 0:19:26to 12 new sheets and minute.

0:19:26 > 0:19:27Come on, baby.

0:19:27 > 0:19:43Come to daddy.

0:19:43 > 0:19:43Good girl.

0:19:43 > 0:19:43You OK?

0:19:43 > 0:19:45I think that works, perfectly safe.

0:19:45 > 0:19:48We'll leave Dan at C-Tech and return to...

0:19:48 > 0:19:55I'm not exactly sure where, actually.

0:19:55 > 0:19:59I think I'm in Tokyo's Mori Art Museum.

0:19:59 > 0:20:02This interactive artwork by a creative group called Team Lab

0:20:02 > 0:20:23is taking me on an exhilarating journey.

0:20:23 > 0:20:26These crows are the three legged crows from Japanese mythology.

0:20:26 > 0:20:39They are the embodiment of the soul.

0:20:39 > 0:20:42As they fly around, they leave these incredible trails in space.

0:20:42 > 0:20:50It's like I'm in the middle of some massive piece of 3-D calligraphy.

0:20:50 > 0:20:53As you walk about, the crows chase each other in a work that

0:20:53 > 0:20:56rendered in real time by a computer programme.

0:20:56 > 0:20:57This is not a pre-recorded animation.

0:20:57 > 0:21:00It's not just a passive projection either.

0:21:00 > 0:21:04It's very interactive.

0:21:04 > 0:21:07Along with eight projectors, there are motion sensors on both

0:21:07 > 0:21:11the floor and the ceiling to recognise people's movements.

0:21:11 > 0:21:15As the crows fly around the room, if they hit you, if they hit

0:21:15 > 0:21:19the point where you are standing or if they collide with each other,

0:21:19 > 0:21:26they explode in these amazing flowers of light.

0:21:26 > 0:21:34It is enveloping, engulfing, disorientating.

0:21:34 > 0:21:40Feel like I'm tumbling through space.

0:21:40 > 0:21:43The idea behind this installation is to have a collective experience

0:21:43 > 0:21:50by interacting with the peace.

0:21:50 > 0:21:52TRANSLATION: In this new era of digital art, technology

0:21:52 > 0:21:55is just another tool, no different to brush really.

0:21:55 > 0:21:58It makes you feel as if there are no borders between you,

0:21:58 > 0:22:04the work of the around you.

0:22:04 > 0:22:07You forget who you are and where you are.

0:22:07 > 0:22:09I wanted to create an experience where this borderlessness

0:22:09 > 0:22:11makes you feel positive.

0:22:11 > 0:22:13And as the show ends, all the crows have exploded

0:22:13 > 0:22:16into these flowers of light, which just drift away into space.

0:22:16 > 0:22:24Next week, we have another very special show for you.

0:22:24 > 0:22:34We're in Zurich for the world's first Cybathon.

0:22:34 > 0:22:37It is an athletics event for people with robotic limbs and robot

0:22:37 > 0:22:40wheelchairs and it promises to be a brilliant event.

0:22:40 > 0:22:43The competition's for the athletes and also for the tech teams

0:22:43 > 0:22:47who devised the devices they'll be using.

0:22:47 > 0:22:51Earlier this year I met up with some of the participants.

0:22:51 > 0:22:55This is a taster of what happens when I tried an early version

0:22:55 > 0:22:59of a self-balancing, stair-climbing wheelchair.

0:22:59 > 0:23:06The full account is on YouTube.

0:23:06 > 0:23:08I pressed the wrong button.

0:23:08 > 0:23:08It shut down.

0:23:08 > 0:23:09Good.

0:23:09 > 0:23:10OK.

0:23:10 > 0:23:12LAUGHTER.

0:23:12 > 0:23:16I'm so happy we are about to go up some stairs.

0:23:16 > 0:23:19Whoa.

0:23:19 > 0:23:23Does this look as terrifying to you as it does to me?

0:23:23 > 0:23:27No, it doesn't work and I think I have to stop.

0:23:27 > 0:23:30Have you thought this through?

0:23:30 > 0:23:33You haven't even got a name for the safe position thingy.

0:23:33 > 0:23:36You realise I am hanging on the edge of a cliff here.

0:23:36 > 0:23:39Do you have any questions?

0:23:39 > 0:23:42I've got one big one I'd like to ask you - what do we do now?

0:23:51 > 0:23:51Hello.