Apr 25 2015
Taiwan is once again being recognized for its innovative technology. The 2015 Edison Awards were announced on April 23 in New York, and Uneo Inc., a technology subsidiary of Universal Cement Corp. (UCCTW), won the Gold Award in Technology of Material Science for its Uneo™ Sensor, or Micro-Deformable Piezoresistive Sensor.
This honor marks the first time a Taiwan's startup has been singled out in this category. Originally developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), this technology also won the Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Awards. Moreover, Uneo is partnering with Dell, HP, Adobe, Lenovo, and Sharp on the commercialization of its technology, resulting in releases of an array of keyboards, touch stylus, and various consumer electronic products.
From left: Bo-Yi Hou, Chairman of Universal Cement Corp. the parent company of Uneo Inc.; Johnson Hou, Uneo Inc. EVP; Jack Hou, Uneo Inc. VP
This year, Uneo was up against Electroninks Writeables, Inc. and QD Vision in the Technology of Material Science category, all of which were selected for their technological merits. The pick once again draws attention to the world-class technology standards of Taiwan.
Uneo Executive Vice President Johnson Hou stated that the firm is extremely honored to win an Edison Award this year. This constitutes recognition of the outstanding technology achievements and capabilities of the company's R&D team. Hou also thanked ITRI for its longstanding support. Started as an experimental project at ITRI in 2007, the research team joined UCCTW, the parent company of Uneo, Inc. in 2010 through a technology transfer agreement, allowing it to further develop state-of-the-art slim and flexible sensor technology to commercial scale.
The Uneo™ Sensor is to measure real time force change. It is extremely thin, light and flexible, and can be made into a variety of form factors ranging from a bed sheet matrix or ladybug sized single point sensor. It is also durable and can be placed on all types of flat and curved surfaces thus making it easy to be tailored to specific uses with different materials and circuit designs, and be able to detect different degrees of pressure, from 3 grams to 3,000 kilograms. The sensor is already applied in a broad range of consumer electronics products through collaborations with leaders in different fields. Uneo™ Sensor has already been successfully integrated into the products of consumer electronic giants such as Dell, HP, Adobe and Lenovo, and it will also soon expand into the field of IoT, big data and cloud computing by acting as a ubiquitous health data acquisition frontend, with applications in sports, medical device, automobile, and wearable devices.
About Uneo Inc.
Uneo Inc. is the subsidiary of Universal Cement Corporation, Taiwan (TWSE: 1104) and specializes in the research and manufacturing of thin film pressure sensor, Uneo™ Sensor, which has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal Innovation Award in 2010. Since its inception, the sensor has been adapted to a wide ranging application and has already been used in integrated into numerous consumer electronic products. Uneo Inc. is also actively engaging partners in the field of wearable medical, sports, automobile devices, and digital artists to bring new user experience to consumers.
About ITRI
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the world's leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan's industries from labor-intensive into technology-oriented. Over the years, ITRI has cultivated more than 140 CEOs and incubated over 260 innovative companies, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC.
ITRI focuses on the fields of Smart Living, Quality Health, and Sustainable Environment. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow and Eindhoven in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote opportunities for international cooperation around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.itri.org/eng.