Ubiquitous Japan

The ubiquitous computing and networking have become very popular in Japan, such that the national strategy for information technology is called ubiquitous-Japan or u-Japan. Japanese universities and corporations are putting major research funding toward new applications where computation is embedded in the world and everything is connected. Hitachi is in negotiations with several countries to integrate the μ-chip in paper currency to trace a ubiquitous application area. The Z-Agon is an interactive cube with displays on all sides, which allows to view innovative forms on content. The BiblioRoll is another innovative device, an electronic book reminiscent of an ancient book scroll. The u-Texture, a set of interlocking computational tiles that can be combined to create different applications, where the tiles are roughly the size of a Tablet PC, have integrated network connections and of course RF-ID readers.