At its meeting on Monday, the entire board of directors at Olympus has resigned. As its last act, the the board named Hiroyuki Sasa, 56, as its next president. Former Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. executive Yasuyuki Kimoto, 63, was also selected to be the new board chairman. The appointments will require shareholder approval at a special meeting scheduled for April 20.
Sumitomo Electric has developed a technology to make aluminum porous that could significantly improve lithium-ion batteries. The new porous aluminum, called "Aluminum-Celmet," could give these batteries one and one-half to three times greater capacity. It could alternately help to reduce the size by up to two-thirds without shrinking battery life.
Japan's Sumitomo Electric Industries has developed a molten-salt battery that is said to be 90 percent cheaper to build than lithium-ion batteries. While the concept isn't groundbreaking, the sodium in their prototype has a 57 degree Celsius melting point to keep the electrolyte in a liquid state, compared to over 300 degrees in existing batteries. What's more, the prototypes are said to offer twice the energy density of a modern lithium ion battery.
Sumitomo 3M has previewed an optical film capable of bringing naked-eye 3D to small- and medium-size LCD panels without requiring the viewer to wear special glasses, according to Tech-On. The technology, demonstrated at FPD International 2009, is claimed to retain spatial resolution and enables quick switching between 2D and 3D content.
Panasonic and chemical producer Sumitomo said (sign up required) on Friday that they have teamed up to accelerate the development of OLED displays. The move will give Panasonic, which is normally known for its LCDs and plasmas, the resources to create panels using the organic technology at sizes of 40 inches or larger by Panasonic's fiscal 2010, possibly outpacing its competition. The company wouldn't say whether it planned to make TVs based on the developments, but Samsung, Sony and others have typically only expected OLED TVs at or near 27 inches in 2009.
A weekend report reveals a Japanese newspaper and news agency are reporting electronics maker Panasonic may buy majority stake in Sanyo Electric before 2009. While the news is unofficial, Sanyo has made a statement saying it is considering options of selling its preferred stock shares but is yet to make a decision. Panasonic's press release, meanwhile, simply reads the company has not made such an announcement, but nothing was yet decided in regards to the rumored purchase, confirming the two companies are in talks.
