EPSON ENTERS HEALTHCARE BUSINESS WITH SIMPLE “WEAR & MEASURE”

Malaysia, 3 August 2012 – Epson has launched the E200 - a revolutionary, simple-to–use wristwatch-type pulse monitor featuring the company’s advanced sensing technology, as it aims to grow its healthcare device business.

The Epson E200 wrist watch pulse monitor uses an Epson-made sensor that measures one’s pulse rate by contact with the wearer’s wrist while LCD screen indicates the amount of exercise required to achieve a fat-burning heart rate. Currently, the E200 is only sold in Japan. Sales plans for other markets have not been announced.

Ease of Use
Conventional pulse monitors – including those previously manufactured on an OEM basis by Epson – involve a band sensor wrapped around the finger. However, such finger bands are cumbersome and make it difficult for users to perform work. Epson drew on its 20 years of experience in pulse sensing technology to develop the E200 to answer customer demands for a pulse monitor that did not require a finger band.

How it works
The E200 takes advantage of the light-absorbing property of the hemoglobin in blood to measure the wearer’s heart rate. The monitor directs a harmless LED into the skin, and then uses light-absorbing elements to measure the amount of light that is not absorbed by the hemoglobin and which is reflected back from inside the body. The device measures the pulse rate according to the difference in the amount of light reflected back to the light-absorbing elements. Users can also download their heat rate information to their computers using a USB docking station.Developmental challenges overcome
There were two main challenges associated with measuring pulse rates from the wrist:

The first of these is that there are far fewer blood vessels that can be used for measuring the pulse rate in the wrist compared to the finger. The amount of light that can be detected from the wrist by the light-absorbing elements is only one thirtieth of the amount that can be detected from fingers. To solve this issue, Epson increased the efficiency of the light-absorbing elements and developed a sensor that concentrates these elements on the wrist to ensure a stable pulse signal.

The second challenge was the blood flow “noise” generated when moving the arm while walking. This can make it difficult to measure the pulse rate. Epson therefore built into the pulse monitor an accelerometer capable of measuring the excessive blood flow noise data generated when the arms moved. This data is then automatically removed from the actual data generated by the overall blood flow, making it possible to measure the pulse rate accurately.

Helping more patients
Epson has developed this new type of pulse monitor by refining its sensing technology and after a lengthy series of user trials. Thanks to these efforts, it is now possible for people to measure their pulse rate simply by attaching the monitor to their wrists. In addition to supporting people looking to lose weight, Epson hopes that the pulse monitor will become a useful tool in the exercise programs of people suffering from cardiac health related illnesses like mild diabetes, or those recovering from heart ailments.

Going forward, Epson aims to contribute to its customers’ healthy lifestyles by leveraging its technologies to create new value-added products in healthcare, sports and medical care.

EPSON BECOMES UNPRECEDENTED TOP PROJECTOR MAKER FOR 11 YEARS AND SHIPS OVER 80 MILLION 3LCD PANELS

Malaysia, 17 July 2012 – Epson has attained two significant milestones in its projector business by achieving an unprecedented 11th straight year of global projector market leadership and shipping a total of 80 million high-temperature polysilicon (“HTPS”) TFT liquid crystal panels for 3LCD projectors, representing about 26.5 million projector units.

According to the latest data from specialist projector market research company, Futuresource Consulting, Epson achieved the number 1 global projector market share (1) of 22.9% in 2011, making it the top projector maker for an 11th straight year. This figure also represents Epson’s seventh straight year of market share growth and is the highest that Epson has achieved in the past 11 years.“Epson is very thankful to our customers for helping us achieve this stunning success, and our achievement of an unprecedented 11th year at no. 1 in the global projector market also affirms the quality and value we have been providing them,” said Danny Lee, General Manager of Sales and Marketing Division of Epson Malaysia.

For over two decades Epson has maintained its position as the world's No. 1 supplier (2) of HTPS panels, the core devices at the heart of 3LCD projectors. It has led the industry by developing and providing technologies that boost power and performance.

The expansion of the 3LCD projector market has for a long time been driven primarily by enterprise demand for business presentations. Today, 3LCD projectors are widely used in a variety of market spaces. In the home theater segment, projectors offer a compelling movie-viewing experience with 3D and high contrast capable of producing jet-black shadows, while in the education segment, projectors facilitate effective learning at school. Projectors also offer effective support for events in the commercial segment by delivering lectures, art and entertainment in large spaces. These applications just scratch the surface of the potential of projection technology. In light of this, the market for projectors is expected to grow nearly 10% every year(2).

"Epson is the leader in the development and manufacture of the HTPS panels," said Nobuyuki Shimotome, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Epson's Visual Products Operations Division, "Going forward, we will further cement our position as the market leader by enhancing and expanding our lineup with products that leverage our unique technologies to meet specific market needs."

1. Futuresource Consulting certification is appended in this release
2. According to Epson research (as of the end of May 2012)

Related information
To learn more about the advantages of HTPS panels, visit http://www.epson.jp/device/htps/.
To learn more about 3LCD technology, visit http://www.3lcd.com.

EPSON COMPANY TO MARK ITS 70th ANNIVERSARY

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 May 2012 – Seiko Epson Corporation (“Epson”) will mark its 70th year in business on May 18, 2012.

Epson’s journey began in 1942 with the establishment of a watch components manufacturer named Daiwa Kogyo in the city of Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The company started with only nine employees in a modified miso storehouse. For 70 years and through major changes in attitudes and lifestyles, Epson has continued to create products that enrich people’s lives and offer greater convenience, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to monozukuri, which translates as the art and science of manufacturing.Epson’s ability to provoke dramatic improvements in people’s lives and businesses comes from its origins as a watch manufacturer, where it developed the compact, energy-saving and high-precision technologies*1 that enabled products such as the world’s first quartz watch,*2 color inkjet printers*3 that made printing photos at home possible, and projectors*4 that revolutionized the way presentations are made.

Epson will continue to refine these technologies to ensure that it remains an indispensible presence in society going forward. It aims for a future in which:
• Everything is printed using Epson’s printing technology
• Epson’s projection technologies allow people to be entertained or convey ideas anywhere;
• Epson creates new sensing devices for all kinds of products by combining its quartz fabrication and semiconductor technologies;
• Epson supports manufacturing process innovations and healthy lifestyles.
Going forward, Epson will continue to refine its technologies with the aim of creating revolutionary products and services that allow it to deliver surprise and delight to customers worldwide.