Nordic Life Science 1
In an interview on Asahi Kasei’s website Yoshino
says that there were a lot of R&D of portable electronics in the 1980s and small and lightweight batteries with high density and rechargeability were needed. “But nobody really knew what kind of rechargeable battery was going to be needed. The big buzzword at first was “portable,”and was soon joined by “cordless” and “wireless.” I just sort of sniffed out the direction that trends were moving. You could say I had a good sense of smell.” Akira Yoshino donating an object at the Nobel Prize Museum In the same interview he says that in order to come up with new ideas he tries to consider what the world really needs, based on his own experience in daily life. “Then I think about how technology can be a means to accomplish it. I’ve found that it’s more likely for a good technology idea to pop into my head when I’m relaxing, with a clear mind, rather than when I’m concentrating hard trying to think of something.” “It’s not easy to find answers to research questions if you think only about your field of expertise. It is important to expand your views by being interested in different things,” he told reporters after the Nobel announcement. In an interview with Asahi Kasei Akira Yoshino visiting Hökarängsskolan during the Nobel Week 2019 Yoshino says he thinks there will be a revolution, similar to the one in IT 1995, but in the field of energy. “Preparations for the upcoming revolution are already advancing. One thing that never changes is that scientists who clearly grasp society’s emerging needs and boldly take on new research challenges will be the leaders who open the path to the future,” says Yoshino. NLS 96 NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG © NOBEL MEDIA AB PHOTO CLÉMENT MORIN © NOBEL MEDIA AB PHOTO ALEXANDER MAHMOUD