Hitachi to Showcase Fuel Cells for Mobile Devices in Aichi Expo

Hitachi Ltd. of Japan announced on November 11, 2004 that it has developed a portable information terminal powered by fuel cells and will put it into practical use at the Hitachi Group Pavilion during the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan.

The terminal, dubbed the Nature Viewer, is equipped with a fuel cell for mobile devices, an iVDR mini (iVDR stands for Information Versatile Disk for Removable Usage) and a mu-chip reader as key components. These components are new technologies that can help create a "ubiquitous" information society in which information devices can be networked anywhere. The viewer also has a 3.5-inch liquid crystal display to show information and two control buttons.

Visitors to the Hitachi Group Pavilion will be able to view images, by holding up the terminal near an exhibit that contains a mu-chip, one of the world's smallest contactless IC chips.

The device will operate for 13 hours without recharging. The long operation has been achieved by adopting a hybrid system containing a fuel cell and a lithium-ion battery. Hitachi is also working on promoting designs for fuel cartridges for the mobile terminal, aiming for mass production in the future.



Posted: 2005/02/24 12:42:14 PM
Japanese version