News

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Naoki Ono, "MMC") and ORPHE Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President: Yuya Kikukawa, "ORPHE") have agreed to jointly develop the Industrial Accident Prevention System that uses the sensing technology of smart footwear(*1) for dynamic state management in factories.
(*1) Footwear with built-in electronic components such as sensors

The Industrial Accident Prevention System to be jointly developed is a service to prevent the occurrence of fall accidents, neglected falls and lower back pain at factories and other work sites to support the "achievement of zero accidents." MMC's accumulated knowledge of safety and measures against industrial accidents at factories and other sites will be combined with the fall detection algorithms utilizing the gait (*2) analysis technology owned by ORPHE to realize the prevention of industrial accidents at factories and other work sites. This initiative is an employee-initiated new project that emerged from MMC's SU Project, an in-house new business creation project.
(*2) Characteristics such as posture, movement and stride length while walking

Through the provision of this system, MMC and ORPHE will prevent industrial accidents related to falls and lower back pain at work sites and contribute to ensuring the safety of workers in the manufacturing industry.

[Overview of the Industrial Accident Prevention System]

• An "industrial accident prevention insole," an insole-type sensor equipped with fall detection algorithms, has been adopted for workers' shoes
• Receivers for receiving sensor signals are installed in the factory
• When a fall accident is detected, the Web system notifies the factory manager via a smartphone application or other means and a receiver in the factory issues an alert to notify workers close to the fall victim of the accident
• An Industrial Accident Prevention Map is displayed on the Web system screen and smartphone application to collect and map information on locations of fall accidents, close calls such as stumbles and slips and those prone to causing lower back pain in the factory

■Comments from representatives of both companies on the initiative

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
Business Development Group, Monozukuri and R&D Strategy Div., New Business Dept.
Theme Leader Hidetoshi Asanuma

The origin of the concept of this project is the experience of my grandmother, who was left unattended after heat stroke during farm work. In those days, she wore a cell phone on her waist, which was a life-saver. But she forgot to do so on that particular day and was unable to call for help, leading to the accident. Wearable devices worn on the body are often used for safety measures these days but, in the present situation, not much consideration is given to "failure to wear" and "wear comfort." This project offers the latest wearable device that provides good "wear comfort" and prevents "failure to wear."
We strongly hope that, by offering this service to workplaces having difficulty preventing industrial accidents related to falls and lower back pain, industrial accidents will be completely eliminated from this world.

ORPHE Inc.
President: Yuya Kikukawa

It is a great honor for us to collaborate with Mitsubishi Materials' SU Project to work on the development of the Industrial Accident Prevention System at factories. We have a long history of research and innovation in the development of smart footwear and sensing technologies. With that experience, we have been very impressed by the passion of the people at MMC for manufacturing and their sincere attitude toward solving problems. We feel that the mission of this project, to protect the safety and health of workers and achieve zero accidents, can be a major step in improving safety standards throughout the manufacturing industry. We also strongly expect that this open innovation initiative will spread to many workplaces in Japan and abroad, contributing to the realization of safer working environments.

■In-house new business creation project

The present joint development is a new project created from the SU Project, the in-house new business creation project of MMC.

"SU" starts with curiosity and free thinking and involves action and propagation of the unstoppable movement to fellow members to embody it together with them. This will lead us to reconsider our own raison d'etre and provide new value to society.

<Company Information>

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

Location

3-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative

CEO Naoki Ono

Business Profile

Metals Business, Copper & Copper Alloy Business, Electronic Materials & Components Business, Metalworking Solutions Business, Renewable Energy Business

Capital

¥119,457 million

Establishment

1950

Corporate website URL

https://www.mmc.co.jp/corporate/en/

ORPHE Inc.

Location

5-7-5 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative

President Yuya Kikukawa

Business Profile

Provision of wearable devices mainly including "smart footwear," or footwear with built-in sensors and computers, and a sensing and creative platform "ORPHE" that leverages the data from these devices

Capital

¥50 million

Establishment

2014

Corporate website URL

https://orphe.io/en