Taiwan's National Defense Medical Center (NDMC), a military medical university, has cooperated with HTC DeepQ, the smartphone vendor's healthare research unit, to set up a MR-based anatomy lab, according to NDMC president Cha Tai-lung.P4 (preventive, predicative, participatory, personalized) medicine needs support from high technologies, Cha. MR technology, through combining VR and AR, allows students to learn anatomy in a virtual scenario and interact with real environment, Cha noted. By virtue of dynamic simulation, MR-based anatomical education provides 3D display of organs that can move such as hearts and blood vessels at a microscopic level that fluff of small intestines, chyle ducts, muscle fibers and renal glomeruli are visible.The MR-based anatomy lab system integrates more than 5,500 human organs, more than 500 sets of physiological animation images and over 15 types of microscopic anatomy diagrams.NDMC began to use a VR-based education system through cooperation with HTC Deep in 2017, with students' learning featuring immersion, interaction and imagination.NDMC has procured 20 sets of HTC VIVE Focus and seven sets of HTC VIVE Pro for operation of the anatomy lab.An anatomical display at NDMC's MR-based anatomy labPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, December 2019

Taiwan's PC monitor shipments registered increases of 8.2% sequentially and 5.8% on year in the third quarter of 2019, according to Digitimes Research. But shipments are unlikely to see further on-year growth in the fourth quarter.The shipment growth in the third quarter was contributed by brand vendors stocking extra inventory as a precaution against the upcoming US tariffs on monitors imported from China, while LG Electronics, which manufactures most of its monitors in house, had lost share in the mid-range to entry-level segment due to fierce competition from US-based brands and TPV's sub-brands, Digitimes Research's figures show.Since most brand vendors have already advanced their fourth-quarter orders to the third quarter, Taiwan's fourth-quarter monitor shipments are expected to slip over 10% sequentially and witness the first on-year decline since the first quarter of 2018.Taiwan's share of global PC monitor shipments went up to above 70% in the third quarter as Taiwan makers' clients were able to make gains against LG Electronics in the mid-range to entry-level segment.PC monitors sized 22-inch and above did not see much growth in shipment share in the third quarter, while 21.x-inch ones had a major gain in share as most of LG's monitors that were undermined by fierce competition were within the size range. However, in the long term, demand will continue leaning toward large-size models.Qisda has been seeing stable shipments every quarter in 2019, while TPV, Foxconn Technology Group (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Wistron all experienced over 10% on-quarter increases in third-quarter shipments. Wistron also registered an over 30% on-year growth in the third quarter due primarily to Hewlett-Packard's (HP) order ramp-up.TPV and Qisda were the top-2 monitor makers worldwide in the third quarter, while Foxconn was in third place, surpassing LG Electronics. With the exception of Qisda, TPV, Foxconn and Wistron will all see over 10% sequential declines in the fourth quarter.The production value of Taiwan's PC monitors saw a sequential growth weaker than that of unit shipments in the third quarter and the trend will continue in the fourth quarter. With panel prices continuing to drop, PC monitor ASP also slipped sequentially in the third quarter.

Mini and micro LEDs are being touted as strong candidates to play a key role in the next-generation display market. Now Apple is said to be developing a 12.9-inch mini LED-backlit iPad Pro for launch in third-quarter 2020. Many Taiwan-based supply chain partners are eyeing the mini LED opportunity. While micro LEDs will still play second fiddle to LCD panels by providing backlight, micro LEDs have the potential to oust OLED and LCD from the market. At any rate, the LCD industry is feeling pressure not just from rivaling technologies, but also from oversupply in the wake of fast capacity expansion. For China's BOE and CSOT, it is time to halt further investments in LCD.Taiwan supply chain eye orders for mini LED-backlit iPad Pro: Taiwan-based supply chain makers including Epistar, General Interface Solution (GIS), Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology (TSMT), Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect are poised to receive orders for components to be used in a 12.9-inch mini LED-backlit iPad Pro that Apple reportedly will launch in third-quarter 2020, the sources said.BOE, CSOT to stop investing in LCD panel segment: BOE Technology and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) have both disclosed plans to stop their investments in LCD display technology development and capacity expansion.

Taiwan-based Wistron Medical Technology is deepening its deployment in four domains seeking to leverage its parent firm's ICT prowess to informatize, digitalize, and smartize medical solutions, according to company CEO Donald Huang, concurrently chief technology officer at Wistron.Huang said Wistron Medical now focuses its efforts on vitro diagnosis, medical imaging, robotic assistive devices and smart hospital architecture incorporating AI and big data applications.In vitro diagnosis, the company has rolled out a series of non-invasive inspection and analysis instruments developed in cooperation with healthcare startups.In medical imaging, it has developed 3D optical scanners and low dose radiation hand-held dental ex-ray instruments.The company has also developed robotic exoskeletons to help patients suffering reduced mobility move freely, Huang said, adding that the development can serve as the best example of the firm's software-hardware integration capability.As to smart hospital architecture, it is a system aimed at providing personalized and intelligent bedside healthcare to patients by employing IoT, big data analysis and AI.Wistron Medical has also developed a smart hemodialysis solution, ICD-10 smart recommendation solution and a voice-activated communications platform for medical professionals, which can improve their efficiency by simplifying administrative work and accelerating their access to patients' medical records, according to Huang.Huang noted his company will not rule out an IPO listing plan for raising funds to support development of more smart healthcare solutions.

Four startups shared their business ideas with investors and big companies at an event jointly organized recently by Taipei City's Department of Economic Development and Digitimes to promote cross-sector collaboration in building an audio-visual entertainment ecosystem.Mind & Idea Fly (Mifly), Pi Square, King Kong Streaming and SoftChef attended the Startup X event presenting their ideas to venture capital firms, industrial associations, and enterprises including Taiwan Mobile, Far EasTone Telecommunications, PricewaterhouseCoopers Taiwan, HTC, Nvidia and Compal Electronics.Mifly, a developer of AR mobile apps, indicated that 5G, due to fast transfer speeds, is expected to enrich user experience by enabling AR/VR in gaming, marketing, e-commerce and education. Mifly has used AR/VR technology in education helping teachers and students at elementary and middle schools, company CEO Roger Lu said.Pi Square's PiStage, in-house-developed software enabling directors to preview 5G-based real-time high-definition images at different working places in the process of producing animation, can reduce cost and time spent in modifying draft animation by 25%, company CEO Spoke Yao noted.Live video streaming, as compared with other types of video streaming, needs extemporaneous ideas and interactive scenarios and the demand can be met by 5G's high transmission speeds and low latency, especially outdoor activities, according to King Kong, which plans to use 5G in AI-based recognition to screen out unsuitable content and big data analysis to find users' preference.SoftChef provides B2B IoT solutions in AWS Serverless architecture to help traditional manufacturers upgrade their manufacturing processes. 5G's high transfer speeds and low latency is helpful for the purpose.MiFly CEO Roger LuPi Square CEO Spoke YaoPhotos: Michael Lee, Digitimes, December 2019

Demand for 5G smartphones is expected to pick up fast next year, with mobile SoC prices for these handsets to stay at high levels at least in the first half of 2020. Tight capacity at TSMC's 7nm node will prevent production cost for 5G mobile chip from falling and Andriod phone vendors will not have too many alternatives in terms of SoC supply: it's basically either Qualcomm or MediaTek. 5G mobile SoC pricing will stay above US$100, a few time that for 4G ones. Mobile applications are also expected to play a key role in reversing the memory price trend from freefall to recovery in 2020. Memory ASP could rally as much as 30% next year.5G chip price to stay above US$100 in 1H20: 5G mobile SoC unit price will stay above US$100 in the first half of 2020, several times that for 4G solutions, as tight capacity at TSMC's 7nm node is likely to keep production cost at high levels, according to industry sources.Memory ASP to rebound sharply in 2020: Average selling prices (ASP) for memory could rise as much as 30% in 2020, driven mainly by strong demand for server and mobile applications, according to industry sources.

Yallvend, AuthMe and BiiLabs have jointly developed a KYC (know your customer) solution for vending machines to enable them to sell products, such as cigarettes or alcohol, to qualified consumers via personal identity verification, according to Yallvend CEO Duncan Huang.Yallvend is a mobile payment and cloud-based stock management solutions develolper for vending machines. AuthMe develops digital personal identification technology, while BiiLabs is a distributed ledger technology developer.AuthMe-developed personal identity verification works by reading data from the passport chip via NFC technology into consumers' smartphones, and then verifying the consumer's identity using facial recognition and algorithm-based liveness detection, company CEO Andy Lee explained. As the specification of passport chips conforms to International Civil Aviation Organization's standards, the personal data contained in such chips are highly reliable in terms of authenticity, Lee noted.Most of smartphone-read personal data, after being verified, are encrypted while some are processed for being disclosed such as "the person is qualified for buying cigarettes or liquor", BiiLabs COO Amanda Ye said.The collaboration began in September 2019. The KYC solution is at the POC (proof of concept) stage and is expected to be showcased at CES 2020, Huang noted.Yallvend has also developed VUK module equipped with a 4G antenna and a QR code sticker for vending machines to enable consumers to use mobile payment and machine operators to conduct cloud-based stock management, Huang said.AuthMe CEO Andy Lee (left) and Yallvend CEO Duncan Huang Photo: Yihan Li, Digitimes, December 2019

Paris-Saclay, a research-intensive and high-tech business cluster in the south of the French capital city, aims to become an international scientific and technological hub competiting with Silicon Valley, according to senior project manager Jeremy Herve.Paris-Saclay consists of University of Paris-Saclay, Ecole Polytechnique, higher education institutions, public and private research organizations as well as R&D centers and labs set up by international high-tech firms such as Dassault Systemes, General Electric and Airbus, Herve said.Based on these resources and innovative spirit, Paris-Saclay incubates startup businesses, and enterprises stationed there are able to evaluate commercial feasibility for startups' innovations and marketability, Herve said.Paris-Saclay focuses on five areas: ICT technologies; healthcare; energy efficiency; aerospace, defense and security; mobility services, Herve said. In addition to accelerators/incubators established in university campuses and enterprises, there are independent ones, Herve noted.The French government has set aside a budget of EUR10 billion (US$11.0 billion) to help accelerators/incubators and encourage big businesses to provide operational resources for startups, Herve indicated.Under government's financial assistance and Paris-Saclay's operational mechanism, most of the startups at Paris-Saclay remain independent. Cedric Auliac, an AI expert at Paris-Saclay, indicated that if all startup businesses are eventually acquired by big businesses, it will be difficult to bring about real changes to technological development.One of the startups YoGoKo, which provides communication solutions, has helped France-based Vedecom Tech develop IoV positioning technology with errors of only a few centimeters.Paris-Saclay senior project manager Jeremy Herve (right) and AI expert Cedric AuliacPhoto: Yihan Lee, Digitimes, December 2019

The prospect of 5G definitely looks promising, but players in the supply chain have to make sure they have sufficient support from one another in order to fully enjoy the opportunities promised by the arrival of 5G. Chipmakers and their partners are gearing up to build key components inventory. UMC also sees strong growth momentum coming from the 5G sector, expecting explosive expansion in demand for foundry services in 2020. The memory sector is also anticipating a recovery driven by demand from the 5G and server sectors. Now the memory sector is expecting double-digit supply shortfalls for DRAM and NAND flash in the second-half of 2020.Chipmakers, partners moving to secure 5G key components inventory: Mobile chipmakers are gearing up to secure stronger support from supply chain partners aiming to gain a greater presence in the market for 5G smartphones whose shipments are estimated to reach at least 200 million units in 2020, according to industry sources.UMC sees clear growth momentum for 5G in 2020: Taiwan's pure-play foundry UMC will see clear growth momentum in 2020 come from ever-increasing chips foundry demand for 5G applications, with clients moving actively to pull in shipments to build up inventory, according to company co-president SC Chien.DRAM, NAND flash supply may see double-digit shortfalls in 2H20: The memory sector is expected to resume growth momentum in 2020 thanks to steady increase in demand for 5G and server applications, with DRAM and NAND flash to see supply shortfalls in second-half 2020, accoding to industry sources.

Medical Augmented Intelligence (MAI) has applied VR technology to developing solutions based on restructuring medical images for use in simulating surgical operation and medical education in anatomy, according to company founder and CEO Sam Jang.The Taiwan-based startup has developed Digital Twin by restructuring medical images including X-ray, CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for VR application to precision medicine, Jang said. By virtue of immersive VR experience, Digital Twin enables surgeons gain insight into 3D details of the parts of the bodies to be operated on from different viewing angles, Jang noted. Besides, surgeons can let patients know conditions of diseases and explain optimal surgical operation to them.MAI has also developed BodyMap, a standardized comprehensive and medically accurate anatomical system through restructuring human bodies for use in teaching anatomy, Jang said. VR-based education using BodyMap can enable students to understand the structures of human organs in relation to vascular and nervous systems as well as to simulate optimal paths of surgery in terms of depth and angle, Jang indicated.MAI looks to use VR technology to integrate human organs and tissues in western medicine with theories about nerve-based acupuncture, Jang noted. The integration matched with AI and big data analysis may find correlation, interaction and influence between organs/tissues and symptoms of diseases to explore therapeutic possibilities, playing a bridge between western and Chinese medicine, Jang explained.MAI founder & CEO Sam JangPhoto: Company