Fujitsu’s [New Generation Experience]

Aya — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:12:40 +0000

I’m not sure when exactly this page was put up (last-modified date is in October), but this is the first time I’ve come across this page from Fujitsu Japan’s website. In the about section of their site, Fujitsu overviews several design concepts and areas of research they intend to cover for the year. 2009 was the AR-heavy “New Generation Experience” proposal which consists of 3 topics of research, 5 key concepts, and 20 sample scenarios. I’m sad to say I didn’t catch this before, because they put a lot of effort into slick diagrams I would have loved to see about 6 months ago. The research topics are pretty broad, bland, and what you would expect of any consumer electronics company, but the key concepts and scenarios are pretty fun. Let’s dive straight in, shall we? (I don’t see any English version of this page so I will do my best and translate and summarize.)

5 Key Concepts

01 Intersection of the real and virtual worlds: Seamless transitions between the virtual and the real through a collective of technologies called augmented reality.

02 Becoming 2D, 3D: Product design has previously been focused on 3D objects, but now is concentrating on being thin and simple like the iPhone, flat and functional like the Suica.

03 Data Becoming Objects: While industries work towards paperless offices and digital documents, there is a need for a materialization of data in some form: widgets, or digital photo frames.

04 Aesthetic balance of Digital and Analog: Although we are a society in pursuit of convenience, our instinct for human experience is inescapable. Retailers will need to provide new services and forms of human experience to fulfill the needs of digital society; balance of digital convenience, and analog warmth.

05 Value Created by Green [Eco] Movement: “Eco-activities” used to only be a part of efforts towards Corporate Social Responsibility. Now, there are efforts to be a source of direct solutions, products and services to solve these eco-related problems, such as 3D hologram technology to replace business related travel.

Following this are the 20 sample scenarios. In my next post, expect more in depth discussion of these scenarios, plus translations of some of their diagrams. Scenario titles link to their respective pages on the Fujitsu website (in Japanese).