The Ongoing Evolution of Broadcast Technology

Kohji Mitani (Deputy Director of Science & Technology Research Laboratories NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation))

Kohji Mitani joined NHK in 1987. He has contributed to develop 8K-SHV, for a future television system since 1995 at Science & Technology Research Laboratories. Especially he was involved in the development of 8K camera systems as a person in charge. He moved to the headquarters of NHK in 2010 and has belonged to Engineering Administration Department for the development of the practical 8K production and broadcasting system. In 2016, he was appointed to the current position at NHK. He received the Ph.D. degree in 1999, from Kyoto University and the fellow grade of membership from SMPTE in 2010. He is the vice president of the institute of image information and television engineers for 2017-2018 term.

Prototyping for Envisioning the Future

Shunji Yamanaka (Design Engineer / Professor, University of Tokyo (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies/Institute of Industrial Science))

As a design engineer, Yamanaka Shunji has designed industrial products ranging from wristwatches to railway carriages, while also developing the technology behind robots and telecommunication systems. He graduated with a BA in Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1982 and spent five years at the Nissan Motors Design Centre before becoming a freelance industrial designer in 1987. In 1994, he founded his industrial design practice, Leading Edge Design, where he serves as president. From 2008 to 2012 he was a professor at Keio University. He became a professor at the University of Tokyo in 2013. His recent research focuses on re-examining the relationships between humans and man-made objects through projects such as beautiful prosthetics and lifelike robots.
Yamanaka Shunji has been awarded numerous honours, including the 2004 Mainichi Design Award (sponsored by the major Japanese newspaper, Mainichi Shimbun), the iF Design Award, and multiple Good Design Awards (backed by the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Infrastructure). His 2010 work, Tagtype Garage Kit, is part of the New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.

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