Japan's
Disaster
Confronting
Technology

Based in Tokyo, Challenergy is a forward-thinking startup which has developed a revolutionary new type of micro windmill, with a multitude of potential uses. Their unique propeller-less turbines enable stable power generation from the wind anywhere to provide much-needed electricity even during natural disasters as emergency power sources.
With no extensive installations required, these turbines can be set up in challenging or strategic locations during emergency situations, to provide power for lighting and communication devices such as smartphones - essential when disasters strike.
Challenergy CEO Shimizu Atsushi decided to develop the wind turbines after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. As he explains, ‘these vertical axis wind turbines are the only type of wind turbine not affected by wind direction, which is particularly important in Japan, where wind direction can change frequently.’ The turbines are remarkably quiet, and so can be installed in densely populated residential areas. They also have an environmentally-friendly, safe and secure design which prevents birds and insects from colliding with them.
Unlike other turbines, the wind’s force is stabilized by using a vertical propeller with specially-refined blades, and power is generated by rotating a cylinder in the air current without using a conventional propeller. One of the great benefits of this vertical axis wind power generation system is that it uses very little space, and the turbines can also be installed anywhere. With their wide range of potential uses, but especially for generating power in disaster zones, we can expect to see Challenergy’s wind turbines being used globally in the future—the company’s Type D wind turbine set to be installed in the Philippines in 2025.

Kumamoto-based Eco Factory has created the Ecowin Water system, a patent-pending new system which produces pure and clean water from naturally abundant rainwater sources, all without the need for any power at all.
Based in Kumamoto, a city surrounded by nature in the heart of Japan’s southernmost main island Kyushu, Eco Factory CEO Murakami Takanori explains, ‘Kumamoto is so proud of its abundant water that it is called the ‘Water City’. So I can really feel the importance of water.’ He goes on ‘We developed our Ecowin Water after the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016’, and that was ‘the great force which pushed the development of Ecowin Water forward’. Filtered water is vital during disasters, but it is also valuable for everyday use to save the natural resources.
He was inspired by the idea of using the force of the water itself to expel impurities from rain water, without needing any mechanical power. The idea developed of using a centrifuge for the filtering process, and this resulted in Ecowin Water—clean and safe water which has two distinctive features; namely that no power is needed, and the removal of impurities by centrifugal force.
The water can be purified to different levels depending on use; water that has been micro-filtered can be used for showers and laundry, while non-micro-filtered water can be used for flushing toilets and cleaning. Its uses are almost endless.
In terms of overseas expansion, there are plans afoot to bring Ecowin Water to Bangladesh, a country which suffers from frequent flood damage in the rainy season, and it will hopefully be introduced to other countries in the future too.

Developed jointly by Cyberdyne and Tsukuba University in Tsukuba Science City—a technological and innovation research hub comprised of various national institutions just outside of Tokyo, HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) is a true world first—a wearable robotic exoskeleton suit which is designed to improve, support, enhance and regenerate the physical capabilities of the user. Also known as the ‘Wearable Cyborg’, the suit reacts to the wearer’s intended movements by detecting faint bio-electrical signals from the brain when they reach the skin, and then performing the desired movement.
According to Cyberdyne President and CEO Sankai Yoshiyuki, the biggest feature of HAL is that it uses sensors to detect the electrical potential signals emitted from the skin’s surface when a person moves their body, and then supports their movements - in other words ‘merging the brain nerve system and the robot together’. Weighing just ​​3kg, the suit has proven to reduce lower back strain by up to 40%, and naturally adapts to support a person’s body and improve efficiency.
HAL was developed with two main applications in mind—for occupational support and for a range of uses in the medical field. But it is also highly valued for its practicality at disaster sites, especially where work requires constant squatting (such as removing rubble), for carrying soil or sand, and for transporting heavy materials.
The beauty of HAL is that it has a wide range of applications and is now garnering attention as a supportive technology, especially in the fields of medical, nursing and labor support. It is also expected that elderly people will be able to use HAL’s assistive technology to perform tasks more easily and efficiently. Having already been deployed in 20 countries worldwide, the groundbreaking technology of HAL is continuing to help people in a whole range of situations all over the world.