Our client is human beings

The starting point of our research is "someone else's problem on earth. We strive to create innovative solutions to social problems before anyone else does, and to spread these solutions in the form of products and systems. There are three pillars of research.

1.       Disaster-response research: We respond to emergencies as researchers under the motto "Semper Paratus" (always on the battlefield). We developed the world's first smartphone-connected radiation sensor, "Pocket Geiger," as an open-source product, and has since spread over 100,000 units. At the time, we were the first Japanese group to utilize crowdfunding Kickstarter, and this was made possible through open innovation with researchers around the world, including the Dutch Ministry of Defense and the Japanese High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). It has received the Good Design Award and the RedDot Design Award, and is now a long-selling product that has been popular among many people for over 10 years. It has also been adopted in monitoring systems installed by major general contractors and the UC Berkeley Nuclear Engineering Department.

2.       Fun medical device: This is a unique research project that aims to improve medical care, hygiene, and welfare through the power of entertainment (art and design). For children with amblyopia, an eye disease, we have developed the Ocular Pad, a medical device that enables amblyopia training while playing video games, in collaboration with Kitasato University. It has been reported that concentrating on the game increases the effectiveness of the treatment and improves compliance (participation rate in the treatment). Already registered as a Class 1 medical device and covered by insurance, more than 1,000 units are in use in Japan. Furthermore, clinical trials have begun in collaboration with 15 ophthalmic hospitals in India, where amblyopia is the most prevalent form of low vision in the world. We have also collaborated with the popular children's character "Pokemon" to commercialize a number of medical devices.　The method of utilizing elements of play for various tasks is called gamification or serious games, and we believe that it can be applied not only to the medical field but also to the health and welfare field. To this end, we are constantly refining our sense of entertainment. Together with world-class design firms, we are thinking up exhibition plans for famous high-brand companies such as Louis Vuitton and Shiseido, and we also provide technical support. By honing our skills to surprise and entertain people in this way, we contribute to the realization of a society where people can enjoy medical care, hygiene, and welfare while having fun.

3.       3. Helping the risk vulnerable: There are risks on the planet that are not yet apparent, and many citizens live without knowing it. We are improving the health of each individual by visualizing these risks and connecting them to behavioral changes. For example, 4 million people die annually from inhaling large amounts of PM2.5 when cooking indoors with wood stoves, but only a few local residents are aware of this problem. We have been conducting fieldwork in Rwanda for several years in hopes of solving the issue of wood stoves. As one solution, we are seeking to successfully make a "kamado" with a smoke exhaust function using only locally available materials.　Another example is a small island in Indonesia called Bangka Island. There, solder (tin) used in the smartphones and PCs you use is mined, and the island competes for the top spot in the world in terms of export volume. However, the mine also produces radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. A large amount of these radioactive soils is stored in a residential area, and the radiation level around the area is very high, around 200 mSv/y, which falls under the radiation-controlled area in Japan. However, there is not a single radiation measuring device on the island, and the residents have little knowledge about radiation, so they live near the soil and their children play there. Because of the potential health hazards, we want to quickly visualize the risks and establish guidelines for the area.

To solve the problems of contemporary society, collaboration across corporate and organizational frameworks and expertise is indispensable. Why don't we "restructure" society for the better and more enjoyable?

An Adventurous Journey to Find Issues 

Society is full of problems. However, the "real issues" to solve them are deeply buried and not easy to pinpoint. The late Tetsu Nakamura initially went to Afghanistan as a doctor, but he found that the real issue was not "medical care" but "water sources. Behind the seemingly legitimate solutions lie even more fundamental issues.

Finding an "issue" is much more difficult and time-consuming than coming up with a "solution". The shortcut to finding an issue is probably fieldwork. Fieldwork means going directly to the site or region, getting rooted, thinking together, and making deep observations. 

Collage the World 

Once a issue is identified, we come up with a solution, but it must always be "low cost". If the cost of production is low, the price of the product will be lowered, which will promote its widespread use. If the offer price is the same, the lower cost product adds more value and contributes to the local economy. Lower cost is justice.

The lowest-cost solution is to create nothing. By skillfully combining goods and services that already exist and commodity technologies that are widely used in the world, there is no need to spend time and effort, and the accuracy, limitations, and reliability are well known, so there is no need to worry about anything else.

The late Gunpei Yokoi, the genius game developer who invented the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System=Famicon) and Tamagotchi, called such a strategy　 "Lateral Thinking with Seasoned Technologies". It is a way of thinking that we would like to adopt. The technique of reconstructing something already existing is also known as bricolage, assemblage, or readymade, and is well known in the field of art.