Kōshinsha—At the Forefront of “Extreme Counting” Technology

A Digital Area Counter (DAC) used for counting small objects; the device consists of a simple conveyor unit and a photosensor.

Objects of the same weight and of variable weights.

Example of how the sensor monitors the shadow cast by an object.

Mechanism that enables counting of objects with holes

Line sensors also measure the area of an object.

Shirakawa Mitsuhide, executive director of Kōshinsha.

Kōshinsha’s seed-counting machine has been the focus of global attention.

Current technology is making it possible to develop devices capable of counting different items in multiple, random rows by sorting them according to color, shape, or dimension—at a rate of 3,000 items per minute (left). The pink outlined items are set aside from the other items counted (right).