Sony Technology



An In-depth Look at Sony Technology

Sony Computer Science
Laboratories, Inc.

Developing the technologies to set Sony apart from its competitors a decade from now

Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL) operates as an independent entity providing an ideal research environment for top-level researchers from Japan and overseas. In this issue of “Sony Technology” Sony CSL researchers introduce research currently underway.


What is Sony Computer Science Laboratories?
Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL) was established in 1988 for the purpose of contributing to Sony, society, and industry through original, groundbreaking computer science research. The organization consists of three units: the Fundamental Research Laboratory, which conducts research in a wide range of fields utilizing computer technologies; the Interaction Laboratory, which conducts research into user interfaces connecting human beings with machines; and Sony CSL-Paris, which conducts research in fields such as music, language, robotics and neuroscience. Each of these units conducts leading-edge research that will contribute to the creation of new Sony businesses and unique Sony products.

Sony CSL’s successes have included the so-called “POBox” method of Japanese-language input found in a wide range of Sony products such as mobile phones and car navigation systems; this system speeds up text entry by anticipating the words the user is in the process of typing. Another significant success is seen in CSL’s object-oriented Aperios operating system, which is used in the AIBO entertainment robot.

TouchEngine: A Touch-screen Panel with Tactile Feedback
A single TouchEngine package includes an actuator and all of the hardware and software needed to provide the user with the sensation of touching an actual button when they press a virtual button displayed on a touch-screen panel.

TouchEngine uses custom-designed piezo actuators --- electro-mechanical transducers that change form when voltage is applied. They are commonly used in devices such as microphones and headphones. TouchEngine achieves highly sensitive tactile feedback by controlling the vibration of these piezo elements.

TouchEngine is already used in the Navitus RM-NX7000 multi-function remote control sold in the US. We are currently pursuing improvements to the related hardware and software as well as investigating the possibility of new applications, such as multimodal user interfaces and games that can make use of tactile feedback.

The tactile sense is a feeling shared by all living creatures. Even amoebas and bacteria have it; fish rely on it to swim, and birds need it to fly. The tactile sensations that human beings experience when their body comes into contact with physical things is essential to be able to control their body movements.

Although research into the senses of sight and sound has advanced considerably, the same cannot be said for research into tactile feedback. We intend to investigate how people experience tactile feedback and how they judge the quality of tactile sensations, i.e. whether they are “good” or “bad."

EDS (extractor discovery system):
Automatically Categorizing the User’s Favorite Music
This system automatically generates formulas for categorizing works of music into genres such as rock, pop, enka (a form of Japanese popular music), and jazz, and into groups that can be described by adjectives such as “lively,” “bright,” and “sad,” based on the ambience and characteristics of the music. Possible applications of these formulas include massive song library searches, for example to find songs that match the tastes of a given user.

Using sample opinions provided by the user --- for example, “I think this music is lively” --- to generate a unique formula for each specific user, the system is able to respond appropriately to the musical tastes of each individual. These classification formulas are created using combinations of a number of functions including square roots, absolute values, and Fourier transformations. EDS discovers the most appropriate combination of functions through a process of natural selection called “Genetic Programming.” EDS first generates a number of formula patterns through a random combination of functions; it then selects those patterns that are most likely to match the opinion previously supplied by the user. Next, the system cross-links the selected patterns to create a new generation of patterns. The formulas produced via repetition of these steps can be used to categorize the music library.

Since the method of analysis used by EDS can be put to general use as well, we are studying extensions that would enable its application beyond musical form analysis to include areas such as visual media.

tranStick:
A “Cable” Consisting of Only Two Connectors
The tranStick is intended to enable the connection of devices networked via a wireless LAN or similar technology in an intuitive way --- just like connecting them via cables --- rather than through a graphical user interface (GUI). This allows for a peer-to-peer network connection via insertion of two tranStick Memory Sticks (with labels of the same color) into the devices the user wishes to connect. In this way, the tranStick units can be thought of as the ends of a virtual cable. For example, inserting one tranStick into a video player and the other into a television set would send output from the video player to the television. If the user wants to watch the video on a television in the next room, all they need to do is insert the appropriate tranStick into the television set.

The tranStick units themselves do not communicate directly. Rather, the device into which the tranStick has been inserted uses the ID stored on the tranStick to find the corresponding device and establishes a connection with the target device using an authentication key also stored on the inserted tranStick. In addition, not only can the tranStick be used for controlling connections, but data stored on the Memory Stick can be shared as well. Using the tranStick as an access authorization tool enables a range of applications: viewing content stored on a home server while the user is away, for example, or sharing data among family members living separately. We believe the tranStick will address two important future security requirements: selecting which data needs to be protected, and the minimization of effort and cost of such protection. We plan to propose the tranStick as an effective tool for meeting such requirements.

A Few Words from CSL Representatives (Introduction to Research)
Research in the field of systems biology treats life as a system. Since the discovery of the double helix of DNA, the field of molecular biology --- which attempts to understand the phenomenon of life at the molecular level --- has thrived, leading to the decoding of the human genome sequence. Based on this information, we are conducting research into how genes and proteins interact with each other to form the systems of life.
Hiroaki Kitano   Systems Biology

How does the system of the brain, which consists of 100 billion nerve cells, create the subjective sensory qualities that accompany our perception, or qualia? This is an immense mystery, one that neuroscientists around the world are attempting to solve. Understanding the brain will increase our understanding of the overall human being, and will at the same time lead to the development of new technologies and new businesses. I am currently conducting research in the activities of the brain --- memory, feelings, creativity, and communication --- from a perspective in which the brain is viewed as a system, with the ultimate goal of understanding the mystery of consciousness.
Kenichiro Mogi   System Neuroscience

My current research is conducted in the new field of econophysics, which looks at economic phenomena through the eyes of a physicist. Today, all financial transactions are conducted using computers, with a wide range of detailed data stored in computer memory. Analyzing such detailed data from the perspective of physics leads to the emergence of a wide range of interesting, previously hidden phenomena. Like tracing the movements of a criminal from his footprints, we can deduce the state of markets based on this transactional data.
Hideki Takayasu   Econophysics

We are conducting research and development into user interfaces and human/machine interaction, in order to make computers and electronic devices easier and more enjoyable to use. We are looking for the interactive structures of the future as we consolidate a wide range of technologies --- including fundamental technologies involving sensors and actuators, interactive software technologies, and technologies to search and identify network content, as well as xresearch into the human cognitive functions that form the background for all of these technologies. The key to these endeavors is maintaining the sense of innovation and practical application that have always been a defining Sony characteristic.
Jun Rekimoto   Real-world user interface



Copyright 2005 Sony Corporation. All rights reserved.
This article has been translated as it originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of "Family" for Group-wide internal communication purposes.