Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
March 8, 2013
Tokyo, March 8, 2013 - The Hitachi Group is proud to announce that the Front-Loading Washer Dryer "Heat Recycle Wind Iron Big Drum Slim" BD-S7500 of Hitachi Appliances, Inc. ("Hitachi Appliance") and the X-ray equipment "Radnext PLUS" of Hitachi Medical Corporation("Hitachi Medical") have been awarded the "universal design award 2013" in the Universal Design Award 2013 sponsored by the universal design GmbH, based in Hannover, Germany. Further, both products were also awarded as a "universal design consumer favorite 2013" which is selected by 100 consumers.
The Universal Design Award assesses safety, innovation, and reasonable pricing as well as universal usability. The Award consists of the "universal design award" which is judged by a panel of internationally renowned designers, as well as the "universal design consumer favorite", which is judged by 100 consumers selected based on a balance of sex and age groups. The 2013 Award is the sixth time the Award was held, and from the 121 entries, 54 were selected for the "universal design award 2013" and 32 for the "universal design consumer favorite."
The "Big Drum Slim" BD-S7500 awarded is a slim front-loading washer dryer with an emphasis on ease-of-use on top of the standard features of high washing and drying performance, and energy saving. Design attention was given to minute details such ease of adding detergent by positioning the dispenser on top, a large white LCD control panel for high visibility, a door that can easily be opened by just pulling the handle, etc. Further, functional value which the customer can experience such as "Auto Self Clean" with every wash to removes bacteria*1 and prevent black mold formation,*2 "Wind Iron" which stretches wrinkles with high speed air reducing the need to iron clothing, etc. have been added.
The "Radnext PLUS" awarded is a X-ray general radiography system which can be operated by a one-hand control grip. General radiography system is used to take X-ray images of the chest, abdomen, or bones, and is the basis of all tests conducted in radiology. It is also an indispensible tool in the initial diagnosis of a wide range of illnesses but great variation exists in the distance between the equipment and the patient, the direction, angle and height depending on the part of the body being imaged. To enable the operator to take multiple images, easy positioning in a short period time is necessary. To overcome this issue, a one-hand control grip was developed resulting in improved positioning when changing from a high point to a low point, and enabling one-handed operation to free the other hand to assist the patient. Further, reducing mental stress induced by the bulky appearance of the equipment or irritating operating sounds was also an important issues, and in this equipment, the irritating sounds were reduced by silence control of the electromagnetic lock of the equipment brakes.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totaled 9,665 billion yen. Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, industrial, transportation and urban development systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
