Japan is a recognized world leader in the field of new technologies, which it actively puts at the service of people with disabilities, implements to solve other acute health problems and…
Japan is a recognized world leader in new technologies, which it actively uses to serve people with disabilities, implements to solve other acute health and safety problems.
The Close Up program invites you to meet several newcomers from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Mobility “Honda” for the elderly and disabled
Cars, motorcycles for those who love speed. And a small device for those who find it difficult to walk on their own… Honda is looking to bring back the joy of mobility to people with disabilities. The novelty is attached to the belt and hips and weighs just over 2.5 kilograms. The device redistributes the load when walking, sending signals to the calves and feet.
Makoto Shibata, project manager, explains and demonstrates: “This is an extremely simple device, it is equipped with two motors, a battery and a mini computer. While walking, the computer captures the parameters of the movement of the hips, sending signals to the calves and feet. The information exchange that occurs during the operation of the device is reminiscent of the exchange between a racing car and a control panel.”
The developers of the device say they were inspired by the example of the humanoid robot Asimo (also a product of Honda). The engineers who created it carefully studied the system of signals that the brain sends to the body when walking. Since 2013, more than 50 Japanese hospitals and nursing homes have been using the device to help those who have difficulty getting around on their own. Ahead is the release of new items to the international market.
Dentures on the printer and the joy of life
Innovation for people with disabilities is not the preserve of giant corporations. Loners like young Tokyo engineer Genta Kondo can do just as much. The inventor is the author of a unique technology that combines the basics of robotics with 3D printing. The result is artificial arms and hands that allow people without limbs to write, type, and live autonomously.
Genta Kondo, engineer: “We post our drawings, all descriptions on the Internet. Absolutely free. I want to tell everyone: this production of prostheses is not difficult, take the idea into service, optimize, it’s so great. These technologies will improve people’s lives! They won’t have to turn to some super-professionals, no, now everyone can print a prosthetic arm.”
Takayoshi Hashimoto willingly comes to the “fitting” and “fitting” of prostheses. He was born without a left arm. Gent Kondo’s idea promises him new opportunities.
Takayoshi Hashimoto: “Usually I do everything with my right hand, but now this prosthesis will allow me to move with my left hand. I am sure that now I will be able to do much more.
The prosthesis, designed and printed by a young Japanese engineer, costs about $500. This is about 10 times cheaper than most dentures on the market.
Paint against malarial mosquitoes
Every year, up to half a million people die from malaria, the peddler of which is a subspecies of mosquitoes. The Japanese firm “Kansai” figured out how to neutralize these insects: it turns out that the incidence of malaria helps to reduce the incidence of malaria … a special painting of the walls.
Yu Akaki, chief executive of the firm: “We know how many children die from malaria in Africa alone. And so we decided to find a recipe for paint that will scare away dangerous insects. It contains substances that affect the nervous system of mosquitoes. Insects like to sit on smooth surfaces. Painted with our paint, it actually paralyzes them, making them harmless to humans. This is the mechanism of influence.”
Making paint dangerous to mosquitoes was the result of a long study of the behavior of insects. As it turned out, they really accumulate strength, sitting on a smooth surface – walls, ceiling, partitions …. The product has been successfully tested in kindergartens and schools in several developing countries, in particular in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Major innovations are usually focused on human life and environmental protection. Japan always tries to build harmony between science and nature. The best technologies in Japan are being used to improve urban infrastructure, create housing that will be protected from earthquakes, and form secure transport networks.
For transport in Japan, safe engines are used. Robotics is also developing very actively there, moving at an accelerated pace. The Japanese are actively implementing artificial intelligence. They have already begun to implement various computer systems that are known throughout the world. The electronics that we buy from Japan are distinguished by good technological stuffing.
For example, this can include a neutrino detector located underground. Other innovations are related to people’s daily lives. In Japan, there are virtual partners that allow single people to get rid of the feeling of uselessness in life. Such virtual interlocutors help to cope with diseases.
In 2018, a supercollider was installed in Japan. Also, scientists from Japan have created batteries that can be placed on clothes. They will help to charge the gadget almost from itself. Japan has a rich heritage in technology. Many world powers have less potential than Japan.