Nagoya,
February 14,2001 - Aichi Steel (Yuji Shibata, President) announced today at the Trade and
Industry Press Club that it had established a new company, Aichi Micro Intelligent
Corporation (Akiyoshi Morita, President & CEO), to research and market magnetic
impedance (MI) sensors.
MI sensors, which are 10,000 times more sensitive than conventional magnetic sensors, were
developed on consignment from the Japan Science and Technology Corporation. Now that a
sample of a MI sensor is ready, a pilot plant has begun producing 20,000 units per month.
Aichi Steel says that the new sensor will achieve cost performance superior to traditional
magnetic sensors.
Dr. Ken Takemoto, professor emeritus, University of Tohoku and Dr. Kaneo Mori, professor,
University of Nagoya are responsible for this technological innovation. Dr. Takemoto
invented the amorphous magnetic wire and the latter discovered the MI effect of amorphous
magnetic wire. The MI sensor is based on these technologies. This MI sensor technology can
be applied to automobile sensors because of its compact size and cost reduction. Moreover,
it will be used in magnetic induction type non-attendance operating systems and ITS
systems. This is a world-class Japanese invention.
Dr. Mohri will be the director of the new company. He is the first professor of a national
university to concurrently assume the title of director of a private company.
Aichi Micro Intelligent, which has 20 million yen in starting capital and plans to have 15
employees, will conduct research with Japanese, American, and European users to develop
products that use the MI sensor. The new company's projected sales volume is three billion
yen per year, within five years. |
