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Top page > Learn(History) > Toshiba Firsts of Their Kind
Toshiba Firsts of Their Kind
Toshiba has developed numerous pioneering electronic products that represented firsts of their kind in Japan or anywhere in the world. This site will introduce some highlights, with development backdrops and behind-the-scenes accounts.
Are any of the products familiar to you?
1920s
1921 Trial Production of the World's First Double-Coil Bulb
A world-class invention rivaling Edison's carbon bulb, Coolidge's drawn-wire tungsten bulb, and Langmuir's gas-filled bulb.
1925 World's First Frosted Light Bulbs
An invention of global importance, on a par with the drawn-wire tungsten bulb developed by Dr. Coolidge and the gas-filled bulb developed by Dr. Langmuir.
1940s
1941 World's Largest Hydropower Generating Units Installed on the Yalu River
Contract awarded for water turbines and generators for the Supung Power Station in 1938 amid rising political tensions at home and abroad.
1950s
1959 World's First Helical Scan Video Tape Recorder
Toshiba made a major contribution to the growth of Japan's economy in the 1980's with its helical scan videotape recorder which are in use around the world by hundreds of millions.
1960s
1967 World's First Large-Capacity Static Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS)
Large-capacity power supply was made possible by the development of a power semiconductor device called a thyristor.
1967 World's First Mail Processing Equipment
Labor mechanized by the world's first automatic postal code reading and sorting device that could recognize handwritten characters, which led to development of labor-saving machines for an advanced information society which was soon to come.
1968 World's First Set-Free Room Air Conditioner
Testing started with a cardboard model. A room at the division director's home flooded with water during practical testing.
1970s
1971 World's First Largely Integrated-circuit Color Television
A color TV incorporating the latest electronic technologies attracted attention by offering infrequent breakdowns, low energy consumption, and stable television images.
1972 World's First Black-stripe Color Cathode-ray Tube
Clearer and brighter – an innovative product incorporating a world-standard color cathode-ray tube.
1973 World's First One-Tube Color Camera for Consumer Use
The world's first helical VTR led to the development of the frequency interleaving camera tube.
1975 World's First Microcomputer-Based Digital Controller
Digital control contributes to energy saving, pollution prevention, and productivity increases in all industries.
1976 World's First Microcomputer for Automotive Engine
Ford unexpectedly sends Toshiba request to join project related to the US Clean Air Act.
1976 World's First High-Resolution Electronic Scanning Type Ultrasound Diagnostic Equipment
Toshiba's development of an original electronic linear scanning system for the abdominal region and an electronic sector scanning system for the heart provided greatly improved resolution compared with conventional products.
1977 World's First SAW Device for TV Receivers
SAW devices surpassed LC filters in performance but realizing their practical use was difficult. Single-crystal growth technology and unique filter design opened the door to production.
1979 World's First Vector-Control Inverter
The desire to control AC motors as freely as DC motors is fulfilled by using vector operation, opening up a new era of AC variable-speed motor drives.
1980s
1980 World's First Bulb-Type Fluorescent Lamp, “Neo Ball™“ (Ball-shaped)
An important point was how small we could go. We finally succeeded in fitting Neo Ball in a ball-shaped glass with a diameter of 110 mm.
1980 World's First Microprocessor-Based Numerical Relay
Through active research on a numerical protection relay incorporating a microcomputer both in Japan overseas, Toshiba commercialized the world's first microprocessor-based numerical current differential protection relay.
1981 World's First Residential Inverter Air Conditioner
Initial stage of development saw many compressors broken when used with inverter.
Engineers gave up summer holidays and worked naked in the heat, making prototypes and checking their performance.
1983 World's First Inverter-Controlled High-Speed Gearless Elevator
Inverter control was an essential condition for achieving smooth riding comfort in high-speed AC motor-driven elevators.
1985 World's First Non-latchup IGBT
Outside-the-box thinking leads to a solution for the latchup problem during development of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).
1985 World's First Laptop PC
Combining expertise to pursue portability, smaller size, and power saving, Toshiba pioneers laptop PCs, creating a new market.
1985 World's First Successful Test of the Light-Triggered Thyristor in an Actual Transmission Line System
The light-triggered thyristor, which does not require a power supply for its insulated gate, is a key device in the field of power electronics.
1985 World's First Red Laser Capable of Continuous Oscillation at Room Temperature
After developing the world's first red laser capable of continuous oscillation at room temperature, Toshiba again became a global pioneer the following year by developing the transverse mode control structure for application to optical discs.
1989 World's First Large-Capacity Ultra-Supercritical-Pressure Steam Turbine
This historically significant technology was featured in “A Century of Power Engineering” in Power Engineering International magazine.
1990s
1990 World's First Adjustable-Speed Pumped-Storage Generating System
The technology of the adjustable-speed hydroelectric generator, which had been developed 60 years before, was revived as the world's first adjustable-speed pumped-storage generating system.
1990 World's First LCD TVs with Overdrive Technology
Toshiba's overdrive technology, which reduces the image lag of LCDs and produces vivid pictures, was adopted for LCD TVs throughout the world.
1991 World's First NAND Flash Memory
The NAND flash memory created by Toshiba achieved a position as Japan's first global memory standard. Toshiba to use its own technologies to increase the capacity of NAND flash memory, receiving the Ichimura Industrial Award.
1991 World's Largest 11MW Fuel Cell Power-generating Plant
Fuel cell power-generating plant receives a high evaluation for its high power-generating efficiency. Even better efficiency is achieved through polymer electrolyte fuel cells.
1993 World's First 550 kV Single-Break Gas Circuit Breaker
The development and practical application of high performance arc-extinguishing chamber of gas circuit breaker is a key technology to realize compact and high capacity substations, and they made it possible to transfer large power to urban area.
1994 World's First Large-Capacity Gas-Insulated Transformer
275 kV-300 MVA large-capacity nonflammable transformers with high-pressure SF6 gas used for both insulating and cooling medium, have been completed.
1995 World's First Facsimile with a Cleanerless Process
Toshiba developed the ultimate electrophotographic technology used for copiers, facsimiles, etc., allowing more compact, maintenance-free laser printers to be realized that produced higher image quality.
1996 World's First DVD Player
Toshiba acts as the leader of DVD standardization. The “fire tower” turns into a slim DVD player.
1996 Completion of the first Advanced Boiling Water Reactor
Development and construction of ABWR facilities brings together the essence of the latest technologies. ABWRs will be the mainstay light water reactors in the 21st century.
1997 Commercialization of World's First Hard Disk Drive Equipped with GMR Head
The recording density and capacity of hard disk drives were dramatically improved by innovative GMR head and perpendicular magnetic recording technologies.
1998 Practical Application of World's First Voice Synthesis System with High-Quality Sound
From the concept of voice coding, we developed a closed-loop learning method that automatically learned from voice data for the first time in the world and completed the world's preeminent voice synthesis method.
2000s
2004 World's First Variable-Cylinder Dual-Rotary Compressor
Fully utilizing precision processing technology, Toshiba was the first company in Japan to independently develop such compressors, leading the world in inverter technology and establishing the trend of compressors for air-conditioners.
Related Links
Toshiba Science Museum
2F Lazona Kawasaki Toshiba Bldg., 72-34, Horikawa-Cho, Saiwai-Ku, Kawasaki 212-8585, Japan
TEL. 044-549-2200
