Laptop Computers / Purification & Separation Systems

"Japan's Top Inventions"

The behind-the-scenes tales of hit productions and creations from Japan.

This is "Japan's Top Inventions."

On today's show, laptop computers.

They're used all over the world.

But did you know a Japanese company created the first mass-market laptop?

Later on the program.

There's a special powder in this component.

It's actually something used in laboratories worldwide.

What could it be? Stay tuned to find out.

Hello, welcome to "Japan's Top Inventions."

I'm your host, Jason Danielson.

In the first half of our show, "Behind the Creation,"

we go behind the scenes and discover how Japan's top inventions were made.

Today's topic.

Laptop computers

developed by a Japanese company in 1985.

At a time when only desktop computers were readily available,

one company succeeded in creating a compact device

light enough to carry with a screen and floppy disk drive.

It created a huge new market for portable computers.

The team of engineers that made the laptop

had actually been ready to pull out of the computer industry.

An electronics retailer in Tokyo.

The latest laptop computers from a variety of manufacturers are on sale here.

In 2021, 340 million laptops and other computers were shipped.

They've become an everyday part of life.

The model that played a part in kickstarting this giant industry

is kept in this company's building.

This is our company's first laptop computer.

The initial model was developed in 1985.

It's around 30 centimeters in size, and weighs 4.1 kilograms.

The laptop was recognized by a prestigious engineering association based in America.

This is from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,

the IEEE.

They declared our laptop a pioneering contribution

to the development of portable PCs.

We share this honor with all the employees of the company.

Our story begins in the 1980s.

It was a time when desktop computers made by an American company

were becoming common in offices around the world.

Manufacturers all over were looking to develop their own products

and put them out to market.

This major Japanese tech company was part of the competition.

But they had entered the market late,

and competition was fierce.

There was talk of shutting down the computer department.

Could nothing be done?

The company desperately looked for ideas

and came across an interesting concept.

An American computer scientist had proposed his vision

for a "personal computer."

He believed a computer had to adapt to people

and support their lifestyles.

This is Kashiwagi Kazuhiko

who oversees the company's computer business.

Here's what he heard about the time.

Alan Kay, the American scientist,

had a vision for a small computer that he called a Dynabook.

Rather than humans obeying the constraints of computers,

he wanted them to fit into our lifestyles,

to be simple enough for a child to use.

He envisioned the modern personal computer

decades before it actually existed.

Computers at the time were in set locations.

You did specific tasks on them

and returned to your desk after you were done.

The developers wanted to turn the desktop computer

into something compact and light.

If it was portable, you could do the work whenever and wherever you wanted.

That kind of flexibility would make it a true personal computer.

With the concept in place and the survival of their department on the line,

the development team got to work transforming the desktop computer.

How to make a small computer.

The team started with the main body.

They decided on a size that was suitable for carrying.

The internals would come after.

For this project,

the team determined the external design first.

If we had started with the insides instead,

it would be too tempting to settle on something larger.

After deciding the size, there would be no compromises.

We wanted it to be truly portable and convenient to use.

So we picked the size and designed the insides after.

But there was another problem, the computer's display.

How could they make it portable and include something so large?

The team evaluated their options.

Their final idea took a cue from these.

Seashells.

They would use the so-called clamshell design.

The main unit would have a built-in rechargeable battery,

keyboard and a thin LCD display.

The screen would close like a clamshell for transport.

The entire unit was smaller and thinner than a desktop.

But they would still need to fit around 1,000 components inside.

The team started prototyping right away.

They soon hit a snag,

the motherboard.

Their design required a smaller board,

and it would need to have fewer components on it.

The developers tirelessly searched for options.

They came across a company

that had successfully created smaller chips

by packing in more transistors.

After contacting the company,

they were able to secure a supply of these components.

With the new chips in hand,

all the necessary components would fit on the board.

The new design had the same capabilities as a desktop

but was less than half the size.

The development team was dedicated to making the computer light and compact.

But in order to finish their product,

they still had to figure out a way to incorporate this,

the floppy disk.

At the time, software was not yet stored on the computer itself

due to a lack of memory.

Something external was used.

Floppy disks.

Programs such as word processors and accounting software

were run off these disks.

The new device would also need a floppy drive,

but they had to save as much room as possible.

The team looked towards these.

3.5-inch floppies, the smallest on the market.

But the software companies were all putting out their programs

on the larger 5-inch disks.

If they managed to build in a 3.5-inch drive,

there still would be almost nothing available on the smaller floppies.

At the time, almost all software was distributed on 5-inch disks.

Even if the team went through the effort to fit in a 3.5-inch drive,

there would be nothing to run on it.

If programs weren't available on 3.5-inch disks,

then the computer could end up just becoming a useless box.

The team headed for America

to meet with the top software developer at the time.

The developers were confident

that their new design would soon become commonplace

and asked whether the company could release their software

on 3.5-inch disks.

The team visited a very major software company

but were basically turned away at the door.

But they persisted and visited many times,

explaining over and over again what laptop computers were capable of

and how popular laptops were going to be in the future.

The team members spoke with several companies,

and through persistence,

they were able to establish a strong software lineup for launch.

In January of 1985,

the laptop was finally ready.

The developers decided to show off their device

at an international conference in Germany.

They wanted to gauge the reaction in Europe

before expanding to the American market.

The reason we chose Europe was because

the US is a single market

but there are many European countries.

It's true you have to adjust marketing for each country,

but the US is all or nothing.

So we thought we'd have a better chance in Europe.

And then we could decide what to do

after seeing how it was received there.

At the conference, the team did their best to show off their product.

But there didn't seem to be much interest.

As they kept trying, one man stopped for a look.

He was a procurement officer for a major German company

looking for new company computers.

It was a perfect chance.

Nervously, they handed him a unit.

The man placed the device on his lap and flipped open the display.

He was very impressed.

But could it run the kind of programs

his company needed off a floppy disk?

It was the moment of truth for the developers.

They handed him a disk to try.

With bated breath, they waited.

A moment later, the accounting software loaded.

The man tried the keyboard.

The device responded right away.

The software ran perfectly.

I think that really made an impression.

The device tapped into a hidden demand

among people working in the office.

They wanted to be able to move the computer

and work somewhere else.

It was convenient to be able to do that.

No words of mine could express how happy the team

was with the success.

They would've had to keep a straight face,

but I bet everyone was jumping for joy on the inside.

The value of the laptop computer had been recognized.

10,000 units were shipped in Europe after just one year,

and the company began selling in America soon after.

And that was how the company was able to create

a new market for portable laptop computers.

It's been about 40 years since they hit the market.

How do experts view the significance of this model?

Let's speak to IT specialist, Toda Satoru to learn more.

Welcome to the show.

Thanks for having me.

What was the significance of this laptop

when looking at the history of personal computers?

A laptop computer was something of a niche product at the time,

but nowadays it's something for everyone.

I think it's safe to say, that first laptop was a game changer.

The laptop gave birth to a new way of doing work.

In the past, you had to go to the office

and use the computer there in order to do work.

But with a laptop, you can work from home.

This might be a bit of hyperbole,

but I think that's a huge change for humanity.

Would you say that when computers became portable,

it was the first time that people were fully in control of the device?

Computers used to be very inconvenient.

With a desktop, you're tied to one spot.

You loaded data off the floppy disk,

but it wasn't convenient to use.

They demanded effort from the user.

But computers became smaller and faster.

And now, in the last 10 to 15 years,

they barely leave our side.

As the computer became lighter and more compact,

we started keeping them around,

ready for use whenever we need.

What do you think is next for laptop computers?

I think they're going to look pretty much the same,

but the role of AI on the software side

is going to be much bigger.

For example, I think translation software

that's been regarded as a bit unreliable

is going to be basically perfect.

So in online meetings between people from different countries,

they'll all speak in their native languages

and it'll translate what they say immediately.

If it's like that, I think meeting online is going to be plain

better than meeting in person.

This kind of thing is what computers are good at,

so I think things will keep moving in that direction.

Interesting. Thanks for joining us.

It was great talking to you.

Thank you.

"Top Niche Creations."

In the second half of our show, "Top Niche Creations,"

we discover Japanese products doing well in niche markets worldwide.

Today, we're looking at

a separation and purification system.

I'm sure not many of us have seen one of these before,

but devices such as smartphones, TVs and solar panels

couldn't be developed without their aid.

Just what exactly does it do? Let's find out.

A Tokyo company that makes analytical instruments.

It's a small company of around 30 employees,

but their walls are decorated with awards that recognize their products.

(Top 100 Global Niche Companies)

The company's representative product is this.

Just what does it do?

We asked Sales Manager Imai Hideto to find out.

Our device is able to extract target components

from chemical compounds and remove any impurities.

This is called separation and purification.

It's used by national research facilities.

You can also find them in the research departments of companies

that specialize in making things like

chemicals, materials and medicine.

This is the separation and purification system.

How does it work? We got a special demonstration.

These samples of red, yellow and blue water were prepared.

When mixed together, the water turns black.

The machine is going to extract the yellow for us.

Time for the demonstration.

The vials are set.

I'm going to inject the sample.

The black mixture is injected into the machine.

About six minutes later,

the process is done and the yellow has been extracted.

As you can see, only the yellow was separated from the black water.

The devices are used in research facilities

at universities and various companies.

These places study organic synthesis,

the combining of various chemicals into a useful organic compound.

Those compounds can be found in the latest OLED TVs,

or in these silicon compounds found in solar panels.

The difficulty with organic synthesis

is that impurities are also formed at the same time.

There needs to be a way to extract only what is desired.

How exactly does the device work?

The key component are these special columns on the side.

The samples pass through these columns,

and the unique properties of each component allow them to be separated.

After we were shown the yellow being separated out,

the red was also isolated,

and finally, the blue as well.

Just what is going on in these columns?

They're filled with a special type of gel powder.

Each particle of gel is only 0.008 millimeters.

Components can be separated based on their size.

The gel particles are full of tiny holes.

When a sample is forced through the cylinder,

the small particles in the sample briefly catch on the holes,

while larger particles are able to pass without catching.

Components are separated using this difference in time it takes

to pass through the cylinder.

The company also employs a unique method which involves recycling the flow.

By passing the sample through the column multiple times,

the target component is extracted with greater purity.

Sometimes the component isn't caught

the first time through the column,

but the chances increase tremendously with a second or third pass.

The company's device is used in 30 countries and regions worldwide.

A Swiss researcher, commenting on how hard it had been

to separate out a particular artificial sweetener,

declared it a "Japanese wonder."

We heard from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

that they had tried everything to separate

and purify a particular compound without success.

But our device was able to do it very easily.

They told us that our device had become essential to their research,

and that was extremely gratifying.

This device is also capable of separating out natural substances,

not just artificial ones.

For example, it can remove capsaicin from hot peppers,

the compound that makes them spicy.

Or it can extract the bitter catechin from green tea.

By isolating these compounds,

they can be used in supplements or other products.

The possibilities are limitless!

That's all for today's "Japan's Top Inventions."

We'll end by showing you how the engineers have continued improving the laptop

from the first half of the show.

Thanks for watching. See you next time, and Stay Inventive.

(New generations of laptops continue to be released.)

(37 years later... This new model is only 18 mm thick.)

(This one has a detachable display.)

(While this model folds back, changing into a tablet.)

(Developers keep on improving the laptop computer.)

Laptops mean so much to our company.

They're part of our vision. They represent us.

It's the soul of our company.

Customers want a product that's easy to use,

which results in us developing something that's thin and light.

We're going to keep creating computers

that assist people and make a positive impact to society.