Yoshiki's report of FAN TS event
日本語版：
Author：Yoshiki Masubuchi, Software Engineer at MODE
Hello! I’m Yoshiki, Software Engineer at MODE based in the Tokyo office. Last month I had the privilege of participating in Fujitsu ActivateNow Technology Summit (FAN TS) in Silicon Valley. With the theme of “Turning Crisis into an Opportunity: Technologies Powering Sustainability Transformation”, the event focused on the dynamic role of advanced technologies in driving sustainability transformation through digital innovation via compelling keynotes, thought-provoking panel sessions, and insightful technology demonstrations. As a partner of Fujitsu, we were invited as an exhibitor to showcase how MODE BizStack integrates with Fujitsu’s Actlyzer.
In this article, I will share my experience preparing for and attending FAN TS and my thoughts visiting Silicon Valley.
About MODE BizStack and Fujitsu’s Actlyzer
Whether improving operational efficiencies, driving cost savings, or enhancing data-driven decision making, adopting IoT technology can bring significant benefits to organizations across various industries. Bu this involves managing numerous edge devices, handling the large volumes of data transmitted by these devices, and building a dashboard to visualize the data.
MODE BizStack addresses many of the challenges associated with IoT implementation and is highly adaptable across various industries, including manufacturing, retail, and construction.
Actlyzer is an AI powered behavior analysis technology developed by Fujitsu that recognizes various human behaviors from video images. This innovative technology enables us to distinguish and analyze what people are doing in real-time, making it highly valuable for various applications. Actlyzer is designed to run on the edge side, enabling quick and efficient processing of video data.
To make Actlyzer accessible to customers, we have developed an integration with MODE BizStack. We showcased the integration at the event, highlighting the potential for this technology to transform various industries.
Travel To Silicon Valley!
Jun, another Software Engineer, and I, traveled from Japan to US to attend the FAN TS event. As it was my first visit to the US, I was a bit nervous, but thankfully, I was able to enter the country without any issues. Since Jun and I were able to arrive in the U.S. on the weekend, we also had a chance to do a little sightseeing in San Francisco.
We saw Twitter’s office on Market Street, a company where Gaku, MODE’s CEO and Co-Founder, used to work.
As a side note, I am able to travel between Japan and Silicon Valley at a reasonable price by using ZIPAIR. As a remote first company, we collaborate and see each other primarily on Google Meet. Thanks to ZIPAIR, the costs associated with traveling between our offices have been significantly reduced. As a result, I anticipate having more opportunities for in-person interactions between US and Japan based folks in the future.
Last One Mile!
With the assistance of our US-based members, we were able to prepare smoothly for the exhibition, which included a brief rehearsal at the office and setting up our equipment at the venue the day before the event.
Unfortunately, on the day of the exhibition, we encountered some challenges with the Wi-Fi environment that we had used the previous day, which caused issues with our live video streaming capabilities. This was my first time deploying an IoT service outside of a controlled offce/home environment, and it highlighted the difficulties of the "Last One Mile" of IoT that my colleagues had always mentioned. Unlike conventional web services, IoT presents unique challenges when it comes to ensuring reliable device connectivity, particularly in areas with poor network coverage or other unfavorable conditions.
Fortunately, I had Jun, an experienced IoT specialist, who was able to stay calm and quickly address the situation. We focused on setting up the bare minimum system to get the live video stream running, which helped to simplify the process. By leveraging multiple Wi-Fi connections, we were eventually able to stream the event seamlessly.
*You can read more about how we are solving the poor communication network issue for remote locations using Starlink in this article, written by Roger Sato, Customer Project Manager at MODE.
Exhibit MODE BizStack with Actlyzer!
As mentioned earlier, Actlyzer is an Edge-based technology that can be treated as one of the sensors that can be connected to the MODE BizStack IoT platform. We connect Actlyzer and MODE BizStack via this Gateway, enabling seamless integration between the two technologies.
Thanks to the support of our partner, Tycho Bussan, we were able to showcase how it could be used in a real-world factory setting. This was an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate the value of our technology and the potential benefits it could bring to manufacturers. Thank you, Tycho Bussan!
Among the demos we presented, our real-time demo was by far the most popular. We conducted a live analysis of the audience in front of our booth, capturing data on the number of visitors and how long they stayed. This demo showcased the capabilities of our solution by aollowing visitors to experience the technology firsthand. The engaging nature of the demo sparked significant interest and attracted many attendees to our booth.
Talk! Talk! Talk!
I was pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors on the day of the exhibition. While English is MODE's official language and we regularly communicate in English, it was Jun and I's first time attending an exhibition in an English-speaking country. Despite this, I gave presentations and interacted with numerous English speakers, making it a valuable opportunity for me to practice my language skills. It was also a great first hand experience for me to see Ethan, CTO and Co-Founder who is based in the Silicon Valley office, talk passionately about our product.
As I had only joined MODE six months prior and had not previously been in an English-speaking environment, this experience was beyond what I could have imagined just half a year ago.
In addition to presenting at our own booth, I enjoyed exploring other booths and listening to keynote speeches at the event.
That’s a wrap!
This was a fantastic opportunity for us to raise awareness of MODE BizStack and Actlyzer in the US. I want to express my gratitude to the MODE team, particularly the US-based MODE team, for their assistance. I had a wonderful time in the US and am excited to continue our efforts together.
