Want to know what your dog is thinking? Japan’s booming market for unusual wearable technology

CNN
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What do Discman, Tamagotchi, and Game Boy have in common?

They are all iconic Japanese gadgets from the 80s and 90s, representing a time when Asia led the way in technological innovation.

However, over the past two decades, Japan has produced less technology as Silicon Valley and American tech giants like Google and Apple took the lead.

According to Professor Masahiko Tsukamoto from Kobe University’s Graduate School of Engineering, this is about to change with a new generation of young entrepreneurs, international collaboration, and partnerships with university scientists.

Japan’s interest now lies in wearable chairs, smart glasses, and communication devices for dogs.

In short, Japan is embracing wacky wearable tech.

Yano Research Institute reported that Japan sold 530,000 wearable devices in 2013.

This number is expected to reach 13.1 million units in 2017.

The growth of this industry was evident with the launch of the first Tokyo Apparel Expo in 2015, which became the largest technology exhibition in the world with 103 exhibitors.

The expo featured electronic kimonos, cat-talking devices, and gloves that record piano player’s finger movements.

The upcoming exhibition in January 2017 expects over 200 exhibitors and 19,000 visitors.

According to show director Yuhi Maezono, wearable accessories are no longer just a fantasy. They are gaining attention as the next big market.

Inupathy is a dog device set to launch later this year, enabling pet owners to communicate with their dogs.

This device not only monitors the dog’s heart rate but also analyzes the influence of various factors such as food, exercise, people, and toys.

Using this information, the device alerts the owner by changing colors based on the dog’s condition.

Equipped with six LED lights, the collar glows blue for calm, red for excitement, and displays a happy rainbow theme.

Inupathy’s CEO, Joji Yamaguchi, created the device after observing his nervous puppy and wanting to better understand its anxiety.

Yamaguchi said, “I always felt like I didn’t understand [my dog] well and I wanted to be friends with her. In Buddhism, it is believed that every animal has a soul, and it’s stressful when you can’t solve the problems that are bothering them.”

Yamaguchi hopes that the technology used in Inupathy can have applications for humans as well.

He says, “Creating your personality, artificial intelligence is transformative. For example, if you show a certain behavior before feeling depressed, predicting your depression from that behavior is very important. AI that supports your personal well-being will make this possible.”

Archelis, a wearable chair designed for surgeons, is gaining popularity worldwide.

This collaboration between the Nitto mold factory, Chiba University, Japan Polymer Technology, and Hiroaki Nishimura Design was initially created to provide relief to surgeons who need to rest their legs during long surgeries.

The chair enables the user to sit down and stand up simultaneously.

Dr. Hiroshi Kawahira, the surgeon who performed the Archelis surgery, describes the idea behind the wearable chair as “simple, like the simplicity of Columbus’s egg.” The chair provides relief for back, neck, and knee pain that often occurs during long surgeries, especially for older surgeons.

With 3D printed panels and no electronic components or batteries, Archelis offers effective support by wrapping around the buttocks, legs, and feet, reducing pressure on joints.

The chair’s design distributes pressure evenly across the hips and thighs, relieving strain on the back and legs while allowing the user to appear in a standing position.

Archelis demonstrates how effective design can transform a chair into a wearable device that supports comfort and functionality.

Some wearable tech takes a smaller form, such as the BIRD, which can control multiple devices and is worn on the finger like a thimble.

BIRD utilizes algorithms to understand the user’s needs and has sensors that track direction, speed, and gestures.

This technology enables users to control their surrounding environment and connect with other smart devices.

With BIRD, users can easily perform tasks like tapping a laptop screen on the wall, turning on the coffee machine, reading from anywhere, and shopping online with a tap or swipe of a finger.

The developers of BIRD, MUV Interactive based in Israel and Silicon Technology based in Japan, anticipate its use in interactive displays, making it appealing for academic and institutional sectors.