SXSW 2018: Nanotechnology, water and Hollywood white teeth

Smiling faces

SXSW 2018: Nanotechnology, water and Hollywood white teeth

5 minutes

Innovating on an innovation may lead to a new use for water, and new smiles

Ever dream of flashing a smile like Penelope Cruz, Zac Efron, Usher or another celeb with great teeth? It turns out that water may help.

Nano-sized electrostatic atomized water particles are being used to deodorize clothes, reduce damage caused by brushing and drying hair, and clean tainted indoor air in homes and trains. Now these chemical-free particles, made through a proprietary Nanoe-like technology, are ready to whiten teeth, and they’re one of the crazy cool things @SXSW.

Innovating on an innovation

Nanoe are tiny particles created by gathering invisible air moisture and applying high voltage to that moisture to yield electrostatic atomized water. Panasonic developed the technology for producing these particles, which are a billion times smaller than steam particles. It all began back in 2001 with a question: “Why can’t we use water's natural tendency to dissolve odor-causing substances to purify air?” Engineers figured out that these water particles invisible to the human eye could penetrate deep into fabric to safely remove odor. Fast forward to 2003 when Nanoe tech was introduced as part of an air purifying system. The success of Nanoe in improving indoor air quality took off globally—aided by developments like the Internet of Things—which meant sensors could automatically trigger an air purifying system using Nanoe to power on when pollutants were detected.

An enterprising engineer asked if Nanoe could be used on teeth. She began testing the tech and found it to be a gentle and effective cleaner.

Rise in popularity of teeth whitening

Pearly whites tend to darken with age. Drinking red wine, black tea and coffee hastens the process. Studies show that 18-52% of people dislike their color of their choppers, according to a recent report in the BBC. In the U.S., teeth whitening is among the most popular dental procedures. In Canada the popularity of tooth whitening has grown at unprecedented rates, according to the Canadian Dental Association.

Meanwhile oral health experts are looking for alternatives to certain home-based whiteners like charcoal and damaging gels. The U.K.’s Oral Health Foundation recently put out a statement saying that the impact of activated charcoal used for tooth whitening may be exaggerated and worse, bad for teeth.

Cleaning teeth during a commute

Designers working on the Nanoe-like tooth technology wanted a way to deliver it in a gentle, convenient way. They came up with a special device that easily fits in a purse or small backpack. The device atomizes water particles in a small compartment that fits around the user’s neck and can be applied to the teeth through a thin tube and, ultimately, a mouthpiece similar to a protective guard for sports.

Nanoe tooth technology can be linked to users’ smart phones. Before patients begin the process, they can take a selfie with the Nanoe’s proprietary app and continue to take pictures and see improvements. Research shows that people trying to whiten their teeth often look for changes in a mirror in inadequate light. The app is designed to do better by enabling the phone’s camera to recognize and compare the degree of whiteness on teeth, which helps the user track the advancements and stay motivated.

Already dentists are responding favorably. At the massive New York Dental Meeting at NYC’s Javits Center in 2017, professionals who saw the technology said they’d like to use it. Although the Nanoe tooth tech is not yet on the market, it’s among a series of home appliance innovations on display at SXSW in March. They’re all about creating a better experience for the consumer.

 

Authors
Michael Moskowitz - President
Panasonic Canada and Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co

Gen Z moves forecast the future of voice technology

Gen Z voice tech

Gen Z moves forecast the future of voice technology

6 minutes

When it comes to homework, some teens may have found a fast track to the right answer: voice technology. Hey Siri, what’s the plot of Henry VIII by William Shakespeare? Hey Alexa, why is Deng Xiaoping important? Robotic voice assistants may not be ready to crank out a PhD thesis, but they sure can provide good answers to high school and college homework questions, and teens and college students are at the cutting edge of using them.

Changing the way the world operates

One of the most powerful tools we have as humans, is also our most basic. By opening our mouths and stringing together recognizable sounds, we are able to express ideas, convey emotions, solicit actions and interact with others of our species. Our voice lets us not only be heard but understood. It is the most direct path to quickly getting what we want. And voice technology has the potential to improve how the world communicates. Very soon, it will be changing the way the world operates. Already voice technology is penetrating B2B industries.

At Panasonic, we’ve focused on innovation over the past 100 years for one simple reason: to move us all toward a better life and a better world. As we embark on our second century, we have evolved to become a leading provider of Business to Business and Business to Government innovations. We are engineering not just products but entire experiences: in cities and factories, in stores and offices, in homes and entertainment venues. It’s this mentality, focused on experience, that drives us and has us thinking about voice differently than we have other technologies. We believe that voice is the technology that moves all other technologies forward. 

Wonder what’s coming? 

For ideas, we recommend talking to Gen Z. This is a group of people born between 1996 and 2012, many of whom are now teenagers--students in middle, in high school and in college. Without doubt, they’re a big group--approximately one-quarter of the U.S. population. They contribute $44 billion to the American economy, according to recent research. The oldest among Gen Z can work, vote and drive.

North America leadership

Research shows many of them are using voice technology, and finding novel ways to employ it. In a recent study of young digital consumers, GlobalWebIndex found that 1 in 3 Gen Z digital consumers in North America are regularly using voice search/commands on their smartphones. That’s more than Europe, Asia Pacific and the rest of the regions studied.

Finding ways to win and hold the attention of the newest generation is important to industry. Here are three ways Gen Z is using voice technology that we believe will influence other consumers.

1.    Using voice to free up our hands and our brains

Gen Z is using voice tech in the car, for what they consider routine, like making phone calls, finding a music play list, or even adjusting the climate. They’re operating TVs with voice commands, eliminating the need for those pesky remote controls that are always going missing. They’re using the new Google Assistant to make appointments and reservations via phone calls so well that the other end of the line is totally unaware that they are speaking to a ‘bot.

2.    Talking to things

Gen Z is growing up in an age of disruption, and voice is one but one of many technologies they’ve figured out how to use to make aspects of life easier and smarter. They show little discomfort talking to a thing alone, or in public. They yell at Alexa to snooze their alarm so they can sleep a little longer. They use voice to change the music when they’re in the shower or pool so their phone doesn’t get wet. They buy kitchen trash cans with lids that open with the simple phrase, “open trash.”

3.    Connecting through voice and other channels at once

Gen Z is at home in a connected world and comfortable toggling between apps. They’ve learned to pay attention to different tasks at once and show an ability to manage competing stimuli. Think voice, text and F2F conversation at once.  This group doesn’t want to exit out of their apps and type something into a search bar if they want a question answered – they can now ask the Alexa across the room and receive and answer without having to navigate out of Instagram or Snapchat.  

Many members of this digital native generation has in fact arrived at that once-only-dreamt-of future where they are literally talking to things, and having them hear, understand – kinda – and answer back. Pretty incredible.

Slightly terrifying?

For some.

Liberating?

Talk to Gen Z.

 

Authors
Kenneth Jeanos - Chief Information Officer
Panasonic Corporation of North America

Tech’s next 100 years — according to kids

Kids and disruptive technologies

Tech’s next 100 years — according to kids

4 Minutes

It’s been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Still, it would have been hard for Konosuke Matsushita to foresee how the business he created a century ago would become the global innovation leader Panasonic is today. It all began with three employees and Matsushita’s desire to build a better light socket. Later inventions included a battery-powered bike lamp, a compact camcorder and countless advancements in home appliances, TVs and other consumer electronics, all driven by a single goal: to make our lives and world better.

Panasonic turned 100 on March 7. In this new century our company has transformed, though our commitment to our founders’ mission has not. We have evolved to become a leading provider of not only consumer electronics, but also B2B innovations, creating disruptive, integrated solutions that empower industries, governments and institutions.

As we celebrate Panasonic’s past, we can’t help but wonder what the next 100 years hold. To see a radical future, we turned some of the most inspirational sources we could find: kids. This group is known as Gen Z—the generation born between 1996 and 2012—and according to estimates they number about 2 billion worldwide.

We had more than 50 Gen Z’ers at Panasonic for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, and we put them to work. We asked to imagine the next century and future tech Panasonic might create.

Ideas spanned from fun (“an airplane with a playground on board” or “a floating hologram car”) to the impressively aspirational: “A robot that does everything for you, including paying the bills.”

Automated cars and products were popular, as were solutions that rely on renewable energy. And, as is to be expected in a room full of forward-thinking 8 to 14-year-olds, there was plenty of robot talk. Some of the ideas they hatched are nearly here. Others have the potential to come to fruition in our lifetime.

Here’s a look at some of our future innovators ideas:

  • Nina, 12: Mind-reading head gear that writes down your thoughts for you.
  • Sidarth, 11: A security doormat that recognizes (and greets!) homeowners when they step on it. It also alerts police if it senses an intruder.
  • Ilana, 13: A computerized wardrobe closet that washes your clothes for you automatically. It also has a mirror that displays outfit options based on the event you’re attending.
  • Nicholas, 11: Sports Bot—a robotic athlete who plays sports with you when your friends are not around or you don't have enough players to field a team.
  • Emily, 12: Jet propelled backpack: “Ride” it to school, hovering over the ground, and it has plenty of room to hold your school books.
  • Nicole, 9: A hologram wrist band that projects your text messages into the air in front of you, no screen needed!
  • Sofia, 11: Go Green Machine: put your recyclables in it, tell the machine what you want to make, and voila! That plastic food container is reborn as a bottle. Instant recycling!
  • Siblings Levi, 8, and Isabella, 11, win the “Why doesn’t that already exist?” award for their ideas. His creation? A car lined in solar panels, completely powered by the sun. Hers was a solar powered smartphone.
  • Of all the future tech imagined by our junior visionaries, my personal vote goes to the “Outdoor Roomba,” conceived by Mickey, age 10. It’s designed to suck up leaves in the fall and shovel snow in the winter. When asked if it can also mow the lawn, Mickey looked pensive, then replied, “That will be available in version 2.0.”

We hope some of these innovators will follow in their parents’ footsteps and join the Panasonic team someday as we forge our way through the twenty-first century. If their ideas are any indication, the next 100 years look bright indeed.

Authors
Megan Myungwon Lee - Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice President of Corp. Planning and Strategic Initiatives
Panasonic Corp. of North America