MoU signing ceremony in Tokyo (March 2019)
From right to left - Jun HIROSAKI (Managing Executive Officer, Mizuho Information and Research Institute); Maayan YAZDI (Co-Founder and CEO, TEM); and Toshio NAKAMOTO (Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Murata Europe).
KENKO Technology is a cloud-based AI technology which integrates with different kinds of biometric sensors that are embedded in wearables and other IoT products. In order to deliver an optimal end-to-end solution for corporations in Japan each company will provide its own unique experience, know-how and technology. The complete solution includes hardware wearable product for vital sign data collection; Cloud-based AI for processing the vital signs data into objective emotional load measurement; and a consulting service in HR and management fields to extract insights and generate improvement on the customer side.
Roles of each company;
Company
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Role: Resposible for
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Murata
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・Providing wearable devices for collecting the physiological parameters required for the KENKO AI Algorithm
・Providing technical consultation, assimilation, implementation, training and support to the customers of the solution.
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TEM
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・Providing its proprietary artificial intelligent engine (“KENKO AI Algorithm”) for ongoing measurement of emotional load, including stress. The analysis will be based on physiological parameters to be collected through the wearable devices.
・Providing the cloud infrastructure which runs the KENKO AI Algorithm.
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MHIR
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・Formal integrator and service provider of the complete solution in front of Japanese market.
・The service will include consultancy services to the customers regarding the extraction of actionable insights from the emotional load data from KENKO AI Algorithm and implementation of such insights for the purpose of formulating improvements of organizational and business processes among their corporate customers.
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“Our goal is to improve people's’ lifestyles by creating a calm and comfortable environment”. Said Maayan Yazdi, CEO at The Elegant Monkeys. “TEM team is excited to start a highly ambitious activity together with MHIR and Murata. We already work several years in the Japanese market and we believe that the combination of Japanese top-quality corporates alongside the Israeli software and algorithm expertise, will lead to a new industry standard of products. By adding the consultancy layer of a reputable company like MHIR, for the first time it possible to create together an optimal comprehensive solution.”
KENKO Technology is laying the foundation for a next generation of artificial intelligence – artificial emotions. Synergizing unique sensing methods with software learning capabilities will create intelligent mapping of the human emotional spectrum to a wide variety of use cases. “With the modern culture becoming increasingly stressful, adding a new layer of mental-based analysis is already of the essence”, said Michinori Nozaki, General Manager, Business Innovation and Incubation at Murata Europe.
“It was possible to obtain biometric data from wearable devices. However, meaningful analysis was difficult. KENKO Technology can make data into meaningful information such as emotions and stress”, said Shiyo TAKEOKA, consultant at MHIR.
The business collaboration was formed with the governmental support for the Israel Economy & Trade Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo that assisted in introducing between MHIR and TEM and supported in building the relationship. All parties recognize the uniqueness of the cooperation between a worldwide leader of electronic components manufacturing Murata, a leading Japanese IT-system integrator MHIR and an Israeli technological start up TEM. Following the warming economic relationship between Japan and Israel in recent years, this cooperation has a strong intention from all parties to introduce advanced emerging technologies from Israel to the Japanese market and to enhance the commercial and business relationships between Japan and Israel.
Background Information
General background:
・Healthcare systems in Japan and worldwide are facing huge challenges. Healthcare expenditure has become higher than ever and is growing each year. In parallel, many modern workplaces are intensive and complicated environments to manage. They are facing challenges in terms of employee satisfaction, productivity, wellbeing and more. The current structure causes market inefficiency which has been acknowledged to be unsustainable in the long run.
・Creating new innovative businesses to improve both work and personal environment are an essential part of making the expenditure lower and contributing to the society. In addition, with the Internet of Things (IoT) expanding at a rapid pace, the demand for innovative products is unprecedented. Murata is at the forefront of this challenge developing and nurturing new technologies by integrating Murata’s state-of-the-art products such as sensors and communication modules, with the brainpower of Israel’s leading high-tech industry.
・According to a survey by The Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training (Governmental research institution under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare), the biggest reason for leaving the job is "work stress is excessive." In this survey, more than 40% of person who quit their job say their job stress caused them to leave.
About KENKO Technology：
・KENKO Technology is an AI emotion monitoring solution for improving health, performance and lifestyle. The emotional load (including stress) of the user are quantified and visualized in real time by using deep learning and AI. The inputs for the system are various types of biological information acquired from various wearable IoT devices that are then translated by using KENKO Technology to emotional load data. The goal is to improve productivity, health and well-being in corporate activities and individual users by utilizing quantified objective emotional load levels. Learn more about KENKO Technology:
About the strategic partnership between Murata Manufacturing and The Elegant Monkeys Ltd.:
・In April 2017, Murata Manufacturing and The Elegant Monkeys announced together a multi-million-dollar strategic partnership with the goal of bringing a new vision to the world: the ability to digitize human emotions and mental states. Both companies first met during the first Murata Hackathon conducted together with Samurai Incubate in Tel-Aviv (November 2015), where The Elegant Monkeys won first place among eleven carefully selected teams. Winning the hackathon resulted in this exceptional business collaboration which includes a multi-million dollars financing and a unique joint R&D between an Israeli startup and a global Japanese enterprise.
・For the development of the KENKO AI Algorithm, TEM partnered with world leading academic and medical institutions, including the Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, ISRAEL) and the Max Planck Psychiatric Research Hospital (Munich, GERMANY).
Corporate Bios
Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc.
Address: 2-3 Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8443, JAPAN
Bio: Mizuho Information & Research Institute (MHIR) is IT-system integration and Think-Tank subsidiary of Mizuho Financial group, which is leading financial institution in Japan. MHIR provides total solutions including consulting, systems integration and outsourcing, that make it a true and trusted IT partner able to support its customers transform their vision into reality
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Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Address: 10-1 Higashikotari 1-chome, Nagaokakyo-shi, Kyoto 617-8555, JAPAN
Bio: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of ceramic-based passive electronic components & solutions, communication modules and power supply modules. Murata is committed to the development of advanced electronic materials and leading edge, multi-functional, high-density modules. The company has employees and manufacturing facilities throughout the world.
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The Elegant Monkeys Ltd.(TEM)
Address: 14 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv 6423914, ISRAEL
Bio: The Elegant Monkeys Ltd. (TEM) is an Israeli startup company, specializing in AI, Deep Learning, Digital Health and IoT. TEM is a core technology company with a mission to build artificial intelligence algorithms and cloud technologies for the purpose of digitizing human emotions and mental states by processing physiological data. TEM created KENKO Technology’s AI emotions analytics engine which translates physiological sensors data into an objective emotional load measurement.
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