Innovations in Asia

Innovations in Asia

Asian countries are no longer just a place to get cheap labour or programming skills. Innovation is on the rise. Although Asian countries have been able to use cost advantages and software coding prowess to attract outsource business from around the world, the region is quickly moving up the value chain to challenge America’s leadership innovation. The phrase “made in China”, which has been a normality to the greater population, has now moved to “designed in China”. Today, Asia’s leading electronics exporting countries are aggressively pursuing strategies to establish themselves as new sources of innovation and global standards. Therefore, this arguably indicates that it is no longer possible to assume that innovations and global standards necessarily emerge first in a few global “centers of excellence”, especially the U.S. Asian countries have demonstrated to the world that they have the knowledge, skills and abilities to develop advanced technologies, which in turn will attract foreign investment and strengthen their position towards the world.

These five articles are just a few examples of the many recent innovations within Asia, and shows Asia’s commitment towards excellence and the top prize in every field.

1. Cars that brake down when you don’t

November 14, 2005

Honda has created a vehicle and its new gadgetry to avoid any possible accidents on the road. The Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV-3) uses satellite technology to calculate the optimum speed, and applies the brakes when needed. For example, if a vehicle is coming very close to hitting you, a 5.8 GHz radio signal informs the onboard computer which in turn alerts the driver, and simultaneously hits the brakes for you. “The ASV-3 offers the prospect of safer, more comfortable, and more worry-free driving”, says Akihiro Kubo, Honda’s executive chief engineer at the company’s research and development center in Tochigi, just north of Tokyo.

Unfortunately, the technologies that are to be used in the ASV-3 are not yet in mass production, but it has alarmed many of the other automakers of the current trend in research into vehicle safety. Turning this prototype into reality will not be easy. Engineers do not expect this type of technology to be created into vehicles until 2010. The greatest issue facing this implementation is cost. A safety system like this would cost in the range of $4000-$5000, which consumers will not likely take into consideration since most consumers