Professor Yoichiro Tanaka, MOT of Yamagata University, who achieved the world first commercialization of perpendicular magnetic recording hard disk drives (HDD), presented an academic paper titled “Perpendicular Magnetic Recording: From invention to commercialization” at the international conference of IEEE HISTELCON (History of Electrotechnology Conference) in Kobe on 7th, 8th August, 2017. The paper is coauthored with Dr. Shunichi Iwasaki, Honorary Professor of Tohoku University and an Inventor of perpendicular magnetic recording, and Professor Hiroaki Muraoka, Tohoku University. Professor Tanaka provided a presentation talk about the challenging path of the research and development from the invention to the world first commercialization as well as the social significance.

This international conference was sponsored by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers), the world largest electronics and electrical engineering society and held for the purpose to present the path and the significance of research & development which largely contributed to society and to discuss future social development and prosperity. Attendances from around the world presented academic papers and actively enjoyed discussions.