The Vertoro Rectifier, invented in 1918 by Hitoshi Shiio at the Nagoya 8th Senior High School, part of the group of schools that would become Nagoya University in 1939, has been recognized for its contribution to the development of Japanese electrical technology by the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Shiio's rectifier, a device which converts alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC), was prototyped in 1929, and finally went into production in 1936 as the first domestically-produced mechanical rectifier in Japan.
The Vertoro proved an enormously popular product. The metal processing industry was one of the pillars of Japan's postwar economic recovery, and rectifiers were needed to provide direct current for anodizing aluminium. They were also used in cinema projectors and in broadcasting systems, where a steady direct current was important to avoid interference and maintain signal strength.
The award was presented to the Nagoya University Museum on March 16, 2023.
Nagoya University Museum Lecturer Shinichi Fujiwara receives the award