[February 22, 2012]

IEEE Standards Association Partners with Inventor Dean Kamen and Japanese Sensation Maywa Denki to Reach, Inspire and Challenge Next-Generation Innovators at SXSW 2012

IEEE (News - Alert), the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, today announced that Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and founder of DEKA Research & Development Corporation and FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), and Nobumichi Tosa, president and co-founder of Japanese sensation Maywa Denki, will appear at the South by Southwest (SXSW (News - Alert)) Festival in Austin, Texas 9-13 March. The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) will sponsor three events at the SXSW Interactive Conference on 12 March at which Kamen and Tosa will participate, including solo presentations, performances and an open reception for all conference attendees.

"SXSW's attendees include the best and brightest leaders in technology, media and business," said Karen McCabe, senior director of Marketing and Product Development for IEEE-SA. "As we looked at how to contribute this year, IEEE did what it does best: bring together intelligent, creative thinkers to challenge, engage and inspire people. Both Dean Kamen and Nobumichi Tosa embody inspired creative thinking in science and technology and they are passionate about engaging people to make the impossible possible."

"The IEEE and I share a dedication to engage the next-generation of technology innovators," said Dean Kamen. "At SXSW, I will showcase some groundbreaking new innovations and celebrate one of my most proud accomplishments: the FIRST program. Ultimately, the IEEE-SA and I hope to inspire attendees to contribute their unique abilities for the benefit of humanity."

Dean Kamen's FIRST program globally engages children from K-12 in immersive programs that teach the principles of math, science and physics through robotics competitions. In like manner, Nobumichi Tosa has been instrumental in establishing workshops in Japan that teach children how to build robots out of everyday dime-store items.

"While different in their focus and chosen professions, there is a surprising thread of commonality between Dean Kamen and Nobumichi Tosa," said Jay Iorio, technology strategist for IEEE-SA. "They're not just inventors - both are demonstrably vested in engaging and inspiring young technology innovators and showing them they can take an active part in building a better world. This compliments the mission IEEE has carried since it was founded 125 years ago by Thomas Edison and other leading technologists."

"We are very excited about IEEE's engagement at SXSW 2012," said Hugh Forrest, director, SXSW Interactive Festival. "Likewise, we know that Dean Kamen and Maywa Denki will bring unique perspectives to the event that will challenge SXSW attendees to think outside the box and inspire them to work harder (and with more creativity) to build a better world."

IEEE welcomes SXSW attendees to attend and engage in scheduled events on Monday, 12 March, including:

• DEAN KAMEN: "Invention & Inspiration: Building a Better World"
  Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 5 - Solo Presentation
  12 March - 11:00am-12:00pm

• IEEE/FIRST ROBOTICS: A Reception with Dean Kamen and Maywa Denki
  Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 3-4 Meet Up Pavilion - open "Beer & Bots" reception for attendees
  12 March - 3:00-4:00pm

• MAYWA DENKI LIVE: A Product Demonstration of Nonsense Instruments
  Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 3-4 Next Stage
  12 March - 5:00-6:00pm

"Like SXSW, IEEE is a launch pad for new ideas," said Edward Rashba, director, New Business Ventures at the IEEE-SA. "Every day, we bring together some of the best and brightest minds to incubate future technologies. When we rally innovators like this to focus on standards, we take technology from the lab to the marketplace where it can impact people's lives."

IEEE fosters innovation in a wide variety of industries including wireless communications, robotics, security, smart grid and green tech, to name a few. IEEE standards contribute across a range of areas such as enhancing health, connecting communities across the globe, reducing environmental impact, and keeping people safe. A few examples include:

• Wireless: Today, most people with a laptop connect to the Internet using technology based on the ubiquitous IEEE 802.11^TM wireless communications tandard. IEEE 802^® standards have reshaped personal and organizational computing as well as mobile communication, by paving the way for revolutionary new capabilities, features and devices that were unimaginable 10 years ago.
• Robotics: With robotics becoming more important with so many applications from domestic chores, to military applications, to helping the aging, to medical applications, IEEE has engaged technologists to create new standards to make future developments of this technology easier. One project is creating a standard way for mapping environments within which robots move. Another project focuses on the development of a common robotics language that will be usable across different robotic applications. Work on these projects, IEEE P1873^TM and IEEE P1872^TM, is sponsored by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.
• Security: IEEE, through its Industry Connections Security Group (ICSG), has a computer security initiative underway that enables the identification of specific users of binary "packer" software, frequently used for compressing malware for hard-to-detect distribution, and for blacklisting misused license keys. The IEEE Software Taggant System is designed to expose creators of malware (malicious software such as viruses, worms and spyware) and improve computer security.
• Mobile Video: With mobile video poised to grow over 100 per cent within three years, it has the potential to transform and enable a whole new generation of applications and business models. In anticipation of such growth, IEEE-SA is addressing wide-ranging challenges in the areas of improving video quality, user experience and cost-of-delivery with three key projects: IEEE P2200^TM for more efficient downloading and streaming of high-quality content to mobile devices; IEEE P1907.1^TM to help define an end-to-end Quality of Experience (QoE) for real-time video communication systems; and IEEE P3333^TM to establish methods of quality assessment of 3D displays, contents and devices based on human factors such as photosensitive seizures, motion sickness and visual fatigue.

• Smart Grid and Electric Vehicles: IEEE is taking a leading role in developing the "Smart Grid," a digitally enabled power infrastructure. The IEEE 1901^TM standard has already helped enable broadband services to be delivered via power lines and utilities to monitor energy usage remotely. IEEE 1547^TM helps enable homeowners to integrate their excess solar or wind energy back to the grid. With IEEE P2030.1^TM, IEEE is responding to the gathering global shift to electric vehicles (EVs) for personal and mass transit by focusing on the infrastructure needed to support EVs-vehicle technology, electric grid (from generation to consumer), roadmap (including privacy and roaming), communication/cyber security, battery technology (including swapping and end-of-life cycle) and chargers/charging equipment, stations.
• Green Tech: The IEEE 1680^TM series provides criteria assessing the environmental impact of electronic products. Initially focused on computer related equipment, it has expanded to include imaging devices, television, servers and mobile devices. Another project, IEEE P1823^TM - Standard for a Universal Power Adapter for Mobile Devices is expected to reduce the amount of e-waste associated with discarded incompatible power adapters.

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) provides an open environment that unites some of the world's best and brightest minds to objectively explore, nurture and advance global technologies. Participation in the IEEE-SA is open to professionals of all ages, and includes developers, engineers, designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, technologists, students and academics from over 160 countries, from any industry and/or sector. IEEE-SA participants work together to envision the future, identify opportunities and create more efficient, safe, interoperable, profitable, sustainable and responsible technologies for the future.

For more information about the IEEE-SA visit our web site at http://standards.ieee.org/, visit us on Facebook (News - Alert) at http://www.facebook.com/ieeesa, follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ieeesa, or LinkedIn (News - Alert) at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1791118, or connect with us on the Standards Insight Blog at http://www.standardsinsight.com.

About Dean Kamen

Dean Kamen is the founder of DEKA Research & Development and FIRST^®. He is an inventor, an entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for science and technology. Perhaps best known for inventing the Segway, Dean is also broadly recognized for his incredible accomplishments in medicine and medical devices, as well as pioneering efforts to provide clean water and sustainable power to third-world countries. Dean holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents and has received many awards for his efforts, including the National Medal of Technology, the Lemelson-MIT (News - Alert) Prize and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. One of his most proud accomplishments has been founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. FIRST currently serves more than 250,000 young people ages 6-18, in more than 50 countries around the globe. Studies have shown that FIRST alumni are highly motivated to pursue careers in science and engineering, thus fulfilling Dean's goal of inspiring the next generation of technological leaders.

For more information about Dean Kamen, visit DEKA Research at www.dekaresearch.com or FIRST at www.usfirst.org.

About Maywa Denki

Maywa Denki is an unforgettable Japanese performance art unit led by Nobumichi Tosa that has taken Asia by storm. One part musical performance, one-part toy company and one part cultural icon, Maywa Denki is widely recognized for its exhibitions, live stage performances, music, viral videos and collectible toys, electronic instruments and other merchandise. Clothed in the typical working uniform of the Japanese electronics factories of the seventies, Maywa Denki embodies the values of the small-to-medium-sized enterprises that once supported Japan during its high-growth period. Maywa Denki's original products include "nonsense instruments" such as the Otamatone, Melodica, percussion drums and other surprising devices. Live performances are referred to as "product demonstrations" that engage audiences in Maywa Denki's art and mission with surprising insight and a sense of humor.

For more information about Maywa Denki, please reference www.maywadenki.com

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