#Japan #Shibuya #OUEN Corporation #Zero Learning AI #Inspection Designer

OUEN Corporation's Vision: To Surprise with Technology

OUEN Corporation aligns with the April Dream initiative, turning April 1st into a day to share dreams. This press release embodies our aspirations.

It has been approximately a year since we introduced our zero-shot learning AI technology through the press release of Inspection Designer, our integrated generative AI inspection software. Thanks to this technology, we have received significant feedback and engaged in numerous discussions with various stakeholders.

Use Cases of Zero-Shot Learning AI

Inspecting Industrial Product Prototypes

In the prototyping phase of industrial products, it is often difficult to gather defective samples. With zero-shot learning AI, inspection can be operational even during these challenging times.

Consumer Goods Visual Inspection

Consumer products often undergo rapid lifecycle changes, demanding stringent visual quality assessments. Zero-shot learning AI overcomes the traditional barriers of costly retraining every time the product variety changes.

Inspection of Food Raw Materials

Quality states in food raw materials vary by production region and time, making it hard to anticipate defects in advance. Zero-shot learning AI can effectively respond in such unpredictable environments.

Voices from the Field

Feedback we have received includes:

• - “I’ve been searching for this kind of product for years and finally found it.”
• - “This AI is easy to operate in practical settings.”
• - “The detection capabilities with such short training time are impressive.”
• - “It combines the strengths of both good and defective product learning.”

As we listen to these voices earnestly, we reflect on our own “dream.”

Our Driving Question

Our purpose at OUEN is defined as:

“Creating new experiences that exceed expectations through technology, creativity, and human skill.”

While this may sound appealing, it serves as our daily decision-making compass: “Does this proposal exceed customer expectations?” “Is this explanation honest and grounded in facts?” “Is this technology genuinely usable in the field?” We constantly challenge ourselves with these questions.

The reason we have developed such questions stems from observing a recurring 'inconvenience' in manufacturing environments.

Technology Gaps Leading to Inconvenience

Technology can be manipulated by those who do not understand its frameworks in various ways that may seem favorable. Promising attractive solutions can lead to inflated expectations without disclosing the limitations. In the short term, this may appear efficient. However, it leads to frustrations like:

• - “It doesn’t work as I expected after implementation.”
• - “We are still relying on manual inspections.”
• - “AI isn’t effective here.”

Such statements arise not from technological failure but from a lack of integrity that breeds distrust.

There exists a structural information gap between providers and users. Users only see the convenient narratives provided about the technologies, leading to disappointment post-purchase. We have witnessed this scenario repeatedly. This accumulation quietly undermines trust in technology itself.

The Loss of Freedom of Choice

This disparity isn’t merely a knowledge gap; it leads to a lack of freedom in making choices. Without proper understanding, one cannot make informed decisions. When choices are limited, individuals cannot harness the powers they rightfully should have. The size of the available 'weapons' at one's disposal is defined by how well one understands the technology. We believe that such a reality is fundamentally unfair.

Our Commitment: Honesty

Consequently, we strive to uphold a singular principle when interacting with customers and the manufacturing floor:

• - Things that can be done, we acknowledge as possible. Things that cannot be done, we acknowledge as limitations. We exert maximized efforts to eliminate those limitations.

This straightforward approach may seem conservative: Saying “all inspections can be solved with AI” might ease business negotiations. However, we opt not to take that path.

We believe that truly “surprising” experiences only emerge from honest relationships. When clients implement solutions with a realistic set of expectations and achieve results beyond their assumptions, that is when “surprise” occurs. Clients shown exaggerated promises feel disillusioned, whereas those who select, and actually utilize solutions built on integrity experience genuine wonder.

These continuous cycles not only transform a company's workplace but enhance its competitiveness, ultimately contributing to societal advancements. We sincerely believe this. Thus, refining our solutions and accurately communicating them to the public is equivalent work.

The Reality and Hope for Japan's Manufacturing Industry

Japan’s economic growth was heavily reliant on its manufacturing sector. However, today, the dual challenges of globalization and a declining workforce have made the domestic manufacturing environment increasingly harsh.

Nevertheless, we see hope on the horizon. The reality of needing to produce with fewer personnel essentially translates into a push towards automation and labor-saving innovations. Crisis within environments often sows the seeds of breakthroughs — a point corroborated by history.

Japan’s manufacturing sector also prides itself on meticulous quality control and artisan expertise. However, behind these strengths lies a significant challenge: complex production methods that resist simple automation due to low-volume, high-variety outputs.

Every production variety switch necessitates a change in setup, inspection standards, and a reliance on human insight and experience. This encapsulates the current reality of Japanese manufacturing floors.

The challenge in responsive solutions rises accordingly. However, should we successfully tackle these issues, solutions developed domestically can eventually fit international manufacturing demands as well. We perceive Japan's manufacturing difficulty as simultaneously opening pathways to the global market.

Zero-Shot Learning AI: A Bold and Initial Move

The embodiment of our aspirations is the Zero-Shot Learning AI. For years, AI visual inspection has faced the hurdle of needing vast amounts of training data.

When traditional AI inspection systems attempt to integrate into low-volume, high-variety environments, new datasets must be gathered every time a product variety changes, leading to excessive costs and extended training timelines. Many cases have found traditional setups ineffectual on the factory floors.

We addressed these structural challenges directly with our distinct approach that combines generative AI technology.

Revolutionizing Current Norms

Zero-Shot Learning AI can perform visual inspections without any prior training data. Regardless of product changes, there’s no need for retraining from scratch. This fundamentally alters the standard notion of AI needing vast quantities of training data.

Automating visual inspections in low-volume, high-variety production environments precludes the need for human experts alone to make quality judgments, allowing personnel to refocus on creative tasks. This vision represents near-future aspirations with Zero-Shot Learning AI.

And this is merely our first stride. We pledge to continue shaping “surprising” solutions, communicate them candidly, and nurture their development in real-world applications.

Envisioning the Future

Short-Term Goals

To realize a world where visual inspections in low-volume, high-variety productions are automated through Zero-Shot Learning AI.
We aim to eliminate training cost barriers and provide adaptable inspection lines for various product configurations to numerous factories.

Long-Term Goals

To foster a future where technology gaps diminish, and everyone has the opportunity to select the most suitable technologies freely.
Rather than people struggling to adapt to technologies, we dream of scenarios where technology envelops individuals in understanding and delivering its benefits naturally. This should become the standard in manufacturing.

To this end, we adamantly pursue two undertakings: enhancing our solutions and ensuring comprehensive understanding among clients to make informed choices. Both tasks represent two wheels on the same vehicle.

Bridging Technology to Humanity

With technology meeting user needs compassionately, authenticity nurtures trust. These surprising experiences uplift workplaces, resulting in broader societal improvements.

At OUEN, we commit to remaining at the forefront of these advancements.