2000's

A Soft Red Glow Radiating Feeling and Functionality

Induction heat (IH) cooking heaters produce heat through an electromagnetic induction reaction between a coil and a pan. The fact that they do not use direct heat not only makes them safer than conventional ranges, but it also makes cleaning easier. Since the air convection involved is minimal, emissions that can make kitchens dirty are virtually eliminated.
But the early IH cooking heaters did have one shortcoming: it was difficult for users to judge intuitively whether or not they were on or off. The Hikaru Ring (“glowing ring”) solved this problem by adding a ring around the burner that turned red when the heater was turned on. Not only was it possible to tell it was on at a glance, but the soft light of the “glowing ring” added an emotional depth that eased the user's mind.
With the design considerations given to form and color and the addition of this soft lighting effect, the Hikaru Ring offered functionality in terms of both visibility and safety and satisfied the emotional needs associated with those functions for users at the same time. In this way, it introduced new cooking appliance amenities no conventional range could provide.

Evolution of a Durable PC Based on User Input

A “field notebook PC” built for toughness and durability, the Toughbook is widely used by organizations such as foreign police departments and government agencies, gas, telephone and other utility companies and construction companies that work in the field under sometimes rugged conditions.
The third-generation model in the series, the CF-28 had a shock-resistant magnesium-alloy body with a special silver coating applied to suppress internal temperature increases and maintain a stable operating environment, even under a blazing hot sun. In a design feature that responded to a growing awareness of security needs, the power switch and removable hard disk locked in place when the Toughbook was locked to prevent use of the computer even if the cover was forced open. The lock itself was located where it could be seen easily to prevent theft. The grip was shaped for toughness as well as for easy gripping to permit users to carry it for extended periods without tiring.
Development staff, including designers, visited overseas work sites to gather direct user feedback and made extensive use of the advice they received from those who actually used the PC under harsh circumstances. This approach to using direct user input to guide product evolution contributed significantly to improvements in the Toughbook's reliability and functionality.

A Logical Expression of Functionality and Portability

This is a tool that employs laser technology for laying plumb lines and level lines on construction sites. Before it was developed, even the smallest markers were nearly 10 cm in diameter and 20 cm high. This model with its newly developed laser technology reduced the diameter abruptly to just 3.2 cm, however, and the height to 16 cm, small enough to be held easily in one hand.
The base opens to form a tripod, and the survey crew can begin their chalk-line work the moment the switch is turned on. When the job is done, they just fold it up into a simple cylinder that fits into a pocket or toolbox. Since the shape reflects the function, users can understand how to operate it as soon as they pick it up.
Because of its superior portability and user-friendliness, not to mention its pricing at one-third to one-fourth that of previous models, it was an immediate hit among people in the construction industry. It served as a catalyst for widespread use of chalk-line lasers in electrical construction, display work and other fields as well.

System Lighting That Recedes into the Architecture

This is a lighting system that rejects decorativeness in favor of unity with its architectural setting. By developing a design featuring square forms recalling other building components, we created a fusion with the surrounding architecture.
The sharp edges of the aluminum frame mirror the precision of the building framework. Since parts or protruding pieces could create distractions in open spaces, these have been located where they are invisible from outside whenever possible. When several lights are linked in a straight line, they appear as one long band of light to anyone viewing them from below.
Products representing the SmartArchi series with its theme of unity with the architectural setting are also highly regarded by architects for their compatibility with their surroundings and their simple, tasteful beauty.

The Television as a “Single Panel of Intelligence”

The development of this first (50-inch) model in the VIERA flat-screen plasma display panel (PDP) television series began with the concept of “proposing a new role for flat-screen display devices for the home interior.” The large flat-screen televisions of the day were designed to be placed on walls or stands, but with the increase in the number of devices connected to the television, demand was growing for a configuration that allowed greater positioning freedom. VIERA's design concept responded to this need by integrating a stand with the television. The television and its stand were unified into what seemed to be a single panel that fit beautifully into the interior like a piece of furniture, a style that anticipated a new concept of the large flat-screen television.
Sound received thorough consideration as well, with the development of ultra-compact, high-performance speakers that realized a fusion of beautiful picture with beautiful sound. The TH-50PX20's “single panel of intelligence” design concept was widely acclaimed, and this product established the pattern for all our later large flat-screen televisions.

The Quest for Easier Washing Began with a “Tilt”

This revolutionary washer-dryer has a unique tilted drum that makes it easier to load and unload laundry, not only for people in normal physical condition, but also for people in wheelchairs and elderly people with weakened hips and legs. Since the tub into which the water flows is triangular in shape, it also requires less water than conventional models.
Beside these improvements resulting from the tilted-drum design, further ease of use was pursued with such innovations as the provision of space to set the laundry basket and detergent on top of the machine. The transparent door with its circular shape reflecting the special drum design facilitates observation of the washing progress and easy checking for items left behind, even from a distance.
This product, with its Universal Design offering easier use for larger numbers of people, initiated a major new trend in Japan's washer-dryer market, where the upright configuration had long held sway.

A New Communication Network Centered on a Cell Phone

This cell phone was designed to permit personalization of both the hardware and software.
Screws located at each of the four corners on the face let users modify the external appearance with easily interchangeable “custom jackets.” Introduced with the previous model, the FOMA P900i, this interchangeability ignited a fad that saw various third parties, both companies and individuals, creating their own custom jackets. The FOMA P901i also offered a ‘jacket coordinator’ application that enabled users to download standby screen displays to match their customized jackets. Various other ways were also devised to help users enjoy their uniquely personal cell phones, among them a “P-Jacket Creator” Web site established specifically to enable visitors to turn patterns they designed themselves into customized cell phone jackets and standby displays.
This pioneering product integrating a device with various applications and a Web site created a new communication network that connected users and others with a cell phone as its hub.

* FOMA is a registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc.

A Quest for the Ultimate in Performance, Compactness and Operating Ease

This high-quality compact camera featured a large, 2.5-inch LCD, a hand-shake-correction function and a high-quality Leica lens.
It also responded to the problem of hand shake, moreover, which was considered an inevitable drawback of lightweight, compact cameras. By moving the metal gripping parts to the front and adding a depression in the back for the thumb, it achieved a high degree of stability, even when held with one hand. Coupled with the hand-shake-correction function, this reduced the possibility of photographic errors and helped users take clear photos. Dial adjustment was selected for the mode selection instead of an LCD screen menu to give precedence to shooting time performance. Button control was chosen for the hand-shake-correction function as well. The shutter release button was located ergonomically where the forefinger would naturally be placed when shooting photos, and all the other buttons were also positioned for easy access by either the thumb or the forefinger so every action could be done with one hand.
Designed for an optimal combination of performance, compactness and operating ease and packaged in a high-grade full-metal body, this product created what was to become the classic style for compact cameras and firmly established the reputation of the LUMIX product brand.

Small and Easy to Use, with a Fun New Shape

The size and shape of the recording media, from cassette tapes or MiniDiscs, have traditionally been determining factors in portable audio player design, but when the memory is an internal semiconductor, the very concept of recording media ceases to exist.
The SV-MP510V was a digital audio player with FM tuner and IC recorder functions that employed an internal semiconductor memory. Adopting a toy-block design that looked like a pair of linked boxes and laying out the controls and display in an uncrowded fashion on separate boxes led to successful resolution of the conflicting demands of miniaturization and operability. Concave buttons reduced the possibility of mistakes, even if the user pushed them sight unseen inside a handbag, thus providing “blind-touch” operability.
This product's free-thinking design, which cleverly exploited the lack of the “recording media” concept, combined with its ease of use to engender a new style of digital audio player.