Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.

A new audio recognition system in Japan that was initially developed for business record keeping is now assisting people with difficulty in hearing using generative AI. Aisin Corporation, a manufacturer of automotive components under Toyota, developed the YYProbe mobile app during the pandemic as a speech-to-text tool for employees to keep business records. When employees with hearing impairments later found it useful in their communication, the company expanded the technology and built the YYSystem, which is now being offered to the wider society, particularly people with hearing difficulties, the elderly, and foreigners, to help overcome barriers in communication. Aisin worked with Microsoft to enhance the summarisation and translation feature of the tool, leveraging Microsoft OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology and Azure AI Translator. The YYSystem is now being used on countertop screens at government departments and retail stores across Japan and is slated to be deployed at the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo. The free-to-download YYProbe app has now more than 10,000 active monthly users. It also has an enterprise version. Using generative AI, Aisin plans to further enhance the audio recognition system to allow users to input and generate pictures, videos, and graphs to communicate. THE LARGER TREND Generative AI has seen expanded use cases in healthcare over the past few months. Healthcare providers have started adopting the technology mostly to assist clinicians in assessing patient history and records to make a diagnosis. Beyond raising clinical productivity, it is also being tested to complement aged care. Now valued at $1 billion, the healthcare generative AI market is projected to grow to $22 billion by 2032. ON THE RECORD Hiromi Soeda, a user of the YYProbe app, is diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), which is a lesser-known listening difficulty where the brain cannot process the words that one is hearing. She shared with Microsoft Asia an instance when she used the app to understand what doctors were telling her about her mother's condition when she got hospitalised due to COVID-19. "It’s much better to read [the text] to follow and help my understanding. And if I’m listening and I misunderstand, I can go back and read it again," she said. Soeda, who now runs an online support group for parents dealing with APD and listening difficulties themselves or in their families, is using YYProbe for their seminars.

AkzoNobel has collaboratively launched an innovative approach to the challenge of carbon reduction in the vehicle repair industry, alongside strategic partners from across the value chain. An inspirational 24-hour event – which was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands – saw the formation of several high-impact exploration teams, which are focused on three key topics: energy transition, process efficiency and circular solutions. The attendees – including representatives from Allianz, Arval, Boekhorst Autoschade, Centro Zaragoza, Den Elzen Autoschade, Europcar Mobility Group, Grupo Velasco, Toyota and The Vella Group – have agreed to join the next phase, which will move them further towards achieving their carbon reduction goals. For example, one of the six exploration teams will attempt to optimize and adapt repair manuals for bodyshops in an effort to increase repairability and circularity. Another will look into creating an academy to train automotive and repair companies to become more sustainable. Commenting on the highly successful event, AkzoNobel’s Commercial Director for Vehicle Refinishes EMEA, Ignacio Román Navarro, says: “We all have ambitious targets when it comes to addressing climate change, but it’s impossible for any of us to achieve them in isolation – collaboration is essential. So it’s been fantastic to see everyone come together, exchange ideas and make a real commitment to jointly explore what’s possible. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can take forward the challenges that came out of this program as we strive to collectively accelerate our sustainability journey. “This event was a great starting point for us to work together and make a tangible impact on our goals. It’s something we simply have to do and, ideally, further along the road we’ll be able to transfer what we’re doing to other regions, so they can hold similar challenges that will make a real difference to achieving our ambitions.” Adds Carlo van de Weijer, General Manager of Eindhoven AI Systems Institute, who was one of the event’s keynote speakers: “When confronted with big societal problems, such as reducing our carbon footprint, we must do more to innovate ourselves if we’re going to help solve these issues. It means the whole vehicle repair value chain has to put more effort into innovation. We should also remember that tomorrow’s major breakthroughs nearly always start with what first seemed like yesterday’s crazy idea.” AkzoNobel has set science-based sustainability targets to halve its carbon emissions across the full value chain by 2030*. Achieving that will rely heavily on collaborating with partners and challenging each other to find innovative ways to overcome the issues everyone is facing. According to Navarro, that’s exactly what the exploration teams will endeavor to accomplish. “We’re off to a really encouraging start,” he continues. “The next step is our Discovery Day in April next year, where the teams will showcase potential solutions and our partners will officially sign up to be part of the implementation phase. That’s when the hard work begins – when we start doing what needs to be done to collectively reduce our carbon footprint, based on the exploration areas we’ve defined.” *Absolute reduction, compared with the 2018 baseline

End users, systems integrators, suppliers, and government representatives gathered Nov. 6-7, 2023 in Columbus, OH for the 2023 RadTech Fall Meeting, to discuss advancing new opportunities for UV+EB technology. Excitement buzzed at the Automotive committee, where Toyota shared insights on integrating UV+EB technology in their paint processes. The inaugural Coil Coating committee meeting, led by David Cocuzzi, highlighted the burgeoning interest in UV+EB coatings for pre-painted metal, setting the stage for future webinars and the 2024 RadTech Conference. The EHS Committee reviewed several topics of importance to the RadTech community including the logjam in registration of new chemicals under TSCA, TPO status and "other regulatory actions" concerning photoinitiators, EPA PFAS rule, TSCA fee changes and CDR deadlines, changes to OSHA HAZCOM and a recent Canadian initiative to require reporting for 850 specific chemical substances, several of which are used in UV+EB applications. The Advanced Manufacturing Processes committee delved into the growth potential across various sectors, from aerospace to automotive coatings. The Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing Alliance committee outlined innovative outreach strategies, including podcasts and webinars, reflecting on their success at Photopolymer Week 2023. Other committees, like Batteries and Energy Storage, Printing and Packaging, and Sustainability, also held discussions. The RadTech UV+EB Technology Expo & Conference will be held May 19-22, 2024, in Orlando.