From: cyberoid@u.washington.edu (Bob Jacobson)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: INDUSTRY: Asia Report (Japan & Korea), July 1992
Date: 19 Jul 92 20:44:07 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



Asia Report, July 1992
---------------------
 
        The nine hours aloft no longer seem endless to me.  Winging my
way west from Seattle to Tokyo, I can only think of all the things
that need to be done, from finding my way to my hotel to preparing for
many meetings, before we land.  It used to be that the flight itself
was intimidating; now I only concern myself with what's to follow.
 
        And of course, as with my three visits before, the Japanese
have gone out of their way to make visitors like me feel welcome.
It's just a short train ride from Narita International Airport, out in
the rice fields, to Tokyo; and then a shorter trip by underground to
my hotel.  Everyone seems willing to help.  No longer are gaijin
(foreigners; literally "those of the red noses," sunburned because
they protrude) occasional curiosities; many complain, in fact, that
they are taken for granted and excluded from too much of Japanese
life.  But those recently arrived still are accorded special
attention.  Tokyo is a breeze.
 
        In Tokyo, late June and early July can be terribly hot; this
time, however, they are just tepid, with lots of rain.  Naturally
(being a former Californian unused to rain), I have left my umbrella
home in Seattle.  Thanks to my friends at Nomura Research who have
kindly loaned me a company bumbershoot, or I would be terribly wet
indeed!
 
        I've come to be a part of the International Conference on
Artificial Reality and Tele-Existence 1992 (ICAT 92), to be held from
July 1-3 at the TEPIA High-Tech Exhibition Hall.  It's a formidable
gathering.  Over three days we will hear from an impressive group of
commentators, researchers, and developers, both Japanese and American.
(Unlike the first ICAT held last year, this one's agenda is limited to
researchers from the two nations, which gives it a conspiratorial air:
European observers could rightfully be alarmed, were it the case that
there was actual collaboration between Japanese and Americans, which
is in fact less the case than one might expect or desire.)
 
        In my first two days in Tokyo, I spent time with professional
consultants, friends, and colleagues.  My only "discovery" was that
Toyota is experimenting with a simulator for an unknown purpose, a
"secret" which is apparently widely known within Japan.  The ambience
in Tokyo has become subdued, possibly due to the typhoon weather,
possibly because, as in North America, the "bubble economy" is going
to beans and the political circus has finally become too tiresome and
unimaginative to entertain the formerly captive Japanese civic
audience.
 
                                *      *      *
 
        The ICAT itself was struck by some of the same malaise.  Some
of the presentations restated last year's accomplishments, with a few
embellishments.  This year, unlike last (when Jaron Lanier and the W
Industries game were all the rage), there were no "breakthroughs" to
announce.  I was surprised, in fact, to discover, in firms and
research entities, and despite many rumors, no organized effort to
bring forth a virtual reality application of commercial importance.
As in the U.S., the technology is being sequestered in research
laboratories rather than brought into the real world of industrial/
commercial applications.  The attendance at this ICAT was one-half of
last year's, reportedly because firms generally are cutting back on
their research and travel budgets.
 
        The ICAT, however, has become an important social event that
creates for a (too brief) moment an opening between researchers and
developers in the East and the West.  There was lively conversation
not only among participants but with attendees.  Drs. Susumu Tachi and
Michitaka Hirose (both U of Tokyo), co-organizers of the event with
NTTUs Gen Suzuki and others, were cordial hosts and still Japan's best
and most ardent advocates for the virtual world.
 
        ICAT also had its share of important announcements: Mark Bolas
introduced the new Fake Space full-color Boom; Steve Glenn
demonstrated SimGraphics new amusement-oriented systems; Reflection
Technologies' David Higgins announced a coming, approximately 800 x
1000 Private Eye; and Beth Marcus revealed Exos Corporation's plans to
develop glovelike devices capable of receiving feedback as well as
generating signals.  Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Laboratories'
environment modeling system was a suggestive precursor of VR systems
to come.  COMPEC, via David Traub, made its appearance as a broker of
experts working in the field, mostly for other American companies, who
are available to solve industrial VR problems.
 
        On the research side, NTT's and NEC's ongoing struggles to
bring to life the collaborative workplace were echoed by Carnegie
Mellon's "Virtual Art Museum" project described by Carl Loeffler,
whose efforts to create a transcontinental salon seem on the verge of
success.  Steve Bryson reported on NASA's continuing successes in its
visualization program, Martin Buss discussed advances in intelligent
agentry being pursued at the U of Tokyo, and John Latta used the
example of "virtual baseball" to bitingly dissect overly glitzy
predictions for the VR market.
 
        Others who gave presentations were M. Akamatsu of IPRI, a MITI
laboratory; and Tsukuba University's Hiroo Iwata, whose work in haptic
walkthroughs is beginning to confront the theoretical challenges posed
by navigational issues.
 
        During the closing panel, Dr. Tachi led a spirited discussion
on the future of the virtual world which found each of the panelists
staking out her or his own turf.  Warren Robinett, whose opening
speech described the eclectic and uniquely engineered work at the U of
North Carolina, took a decidely negative view: "Just show me one good
application, please!" he pleaded.  Steve Bryson, at the other end of
the emotional spectrum, noted that advancements are being made in the
technology and that applications are just around the corner.
Somewhere in-between were Beth Marcus and me, whose positions can be
described as pragmatic and cautiously optimistic -- what you might
expect from small-business startups.  Synthesizing all of these varied
viewpoints was Dr. Hirose, who concluded that we once again have left
open more questions for successive meetings.
 
        The conclusory parties for this ICAT, like the event itself,
were a bit more subdued.  I remember leaving a noisy, smokey (and
expensive: $25 cover charge!) nightclub with Warren Robinett and
spending the entire walk back to our hotel consumed in discussions of
applications, overengineering, the future of the field, and so forth.
We didn't even notice the Imperial graveyard through which we had
passed; in our intense concern, we might have been in Cleveland.
 
                                *      *      *
 
        The next week, before a brief tour of Korea, I spent time with
my friends at Matsushita Electric Works, who have become famous for
the work of Dr. Nomura's team on the "Virtual Kitchen/Showroom."  This
innovation, which is part of a computerized retail and manufacturing
system, is on the verge of being converted into a consumer product
with potentially greater public appeal.  I promised not to describe
this development, but have since seen it mentioned in the VR press; so
if you are diligent, you will eventually hear about it and maybe even
experience it in the not too distant future.  Personally, I think the
application suffers from the preconceptions of the engineers who built
it regarding what end users actually desire.  Technically, however, it
is an intriguing variation on the self-contained VR experience which,
with some design changes, could very well find a market.
 
        Regrettably, my other meetings in Japan -- more of which had
to do with multimedia applications than true virtual world technology
-- must remain confidential.  Generally my experiences underline
Warren Robinett's cry for a "good application": in Japan as in North
America, things seem to be bogged down while a hundred, a thousand
studies are being done.  Researchers and developers with good ideas,
like Osaka Gas Co.'s Hiroshi Matsushita, are still not getting the
support they require.
 
        In his recent book, A STRATEGY FOR CREATION, senior researcher
Murakami-san of the Nomura Research Institute details how Japanese
firms can instill innovation and creativity among their docile
workforces.  Unfortunately, this desire for change is not yet
reflected in Japanese organizational practice.  The pervasive
conservatism of Japanese industrial life is most hard-felt by those
trying to push the boundaries, as are our colleagues working in the
virtual world.
 
                                *      *      *
 
        Leaving Japan for Korea, I was the guest of Dr. Kwangyeon
(Kaye) Wohn of the Korean Advanced Institute for Science and
Technology, or KAIST.  Dr. Wohn presides over two teams of graduate
students working in the areas of computervision, computer music, and
virtual reality.  These teams are quite good and the resources
available to them are substantial.  A close collaborator with KAIST is
KRISS, the Korean Research Institute for Standards and Science
(equivalent to the U.S.  NIST).  Dr. Nahm Sik Lee of KRISS is leading
efforts to bring Korea into the age of the virtual world.
Unfortunately, the National Computer Program shepherded by Dr. Wohn
and others to give the domestic industry a boost went bust under the
pressures of a tightening world economy.
 
        Dr. Wohn also introduced me to the SAIT, the Samsung Advanced
Institute for Technology, presided over by Dr. Jin W. Soh.  This
facility resembles Xerox PARC in its style and breadth of interests
(except everyone wears a uniform smock over his or her work clothes).
Samsung reportedly wants to build a VR game that can sell for under
$200, a formidable challenge and one that puts the company in future
direct competition with many firms holding the same aspiration.
 
        In all, I was struck by the enthusiasm of the Koreans and
their determination to make it happen.  They are generally well
informed about developments in other regions, though (it became
apparent) not deeply familiar with the actual quality of these
developments.  However, I have been told, the Koreans learn fast.
Samsung just purchased the largest electronics firm in the former East
Germany.  Anything remains possible under these fast-changing
conditions.
 
        Friends have asked me to describe Korea, in comparison with
Japan and other Asian societies.  I have only been to Japan, but my
simple advice is to turn Japan on its head, and you have Korea.  Those
who have been there will understand; those who have not should visit.
        
        This is not the definitive report on Japan and Korea.  That
remains to be written.  An installment would be appropriate six months
or a year from now, when the current financial malaise passes.


Bob Jacobson
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds