- Utilizing the company's knowledge of "monitoring systems for nursing care," which the company has been working on for many years
- Thorough attention to usability in childcare settings, including "non-contact and cordless
- The desire to "protect children's lives" is at the root of our product manufacturing.
(We spoke to...)
Bio Silver Co.
Mr. Keizo Harada, Representative Director
Ms. Fuko Kurokawa, Sales Department Manager
Ms. Maki Imai, Sales Department
From left to right: Mr. Harada, Mr. Kurokawa, Mr. Imai (titles omitted)
Products thoroughly focused on "child safety" and "ease of use in the field
Editorial:Thank you very much for your time today. Could you give us a brief overview of the "Smile Baby" product?
Imai:First, here is the "Smile Baby" mat and sensor unit. And here is the dedicated "data management server. By connecting this server to a TV or other display, data is displayed on the screen. The data detected by the "mat and sensor unit" is sent to the server wirelessly in real time.
Editorial:So the mats and sensors are completely cordless, with no power cord.
Harada:That is correct. Kurokawa, who was involved in the development of this product, is a former nursery school teacher, and as someone who knows the workplace well, he was very particular about making the product "completely cordless. We also carefully selected the material for the mat so that it can be wiped clean in the event of soiling due to peeing or other accidents.
Kurokawa:Cords at the feet of napping children can be very dangerous, as they can wrap around their fingers and stop blood flow, or catch their feet and cause them to fall over. The prototype of this product had a power cord.
Imai:As a result, the power supply has been improved to a battery built into the case cover of the sensor unit. The sensor is placed under the mattress or baby bedding on which the child sleeps. The sensor can be used with mattresses up to 25 cm thick.
Editorial:So breathing and heart rate are displayed very clearly and in real time, even through such a thick mattress!
Imai:Yes. If the child's body is above the measurement area indicated on the mat section here, data can be recorded.
Harada:In fact, the size of this mat (i.e., the size of the measurement area) also reflects Kurokawa's experience in the field of childcare.
Kurokawa:Children who are napping move their bodies quite a bit, turning over and so on. Therefore, we asked them to make the mat part that detects data much larger. If the mat is too small, children will quickly move out of the sensor's detection range. If this happens, an alert goes off, and the childcare workers have to check every time. We were particular about the size of the mat so that there would be no burden on childcare workers.
Imai:Now, in normal conditions, the graph will show respiration, heart rate, and body movement (i.e., whether you are at rest or moving your body slightly). You can also see if there is another child on the bed or not. If an abnormality is detected, such as the child's breathing or heartbeat stopping, an alert (alarm) is immediately displayed on the screen here and audibly alerted. The history of various data can also be printed as a table or graph.
Harada:The device is divided into a mat/sensor and a data server (+ display) to reduce the burden on the childcare site. In fact, some similar products have alerts that are triggered by the mat/sensor section, which is located right next to the children. This causes children to wake up every time an alarm is triggered, making it very difficult for childcare workers. Smile Baby, on the other hand, alerts the childcare workers at their fingertips or in the office, so they can respond appropriately without waking other children. Of course, the volume can be adjusted.
What the company values in a device that supports naptime monitoring
Editorial:Can you tell us how this product works?
Imai:The inside of the mat part is made of urethane and air tubes, making it very soft. There are no electrical wires or sensors inside, but the mat detects minute vibrations such as respiration, heartbeat, and body movements. In other words, the mat is like a large stethoscope.
Editorial:Can the data be viewed on a smartphone or tablet?
Imai:Of course it is possible, but we basically recommend using the product's data server and display. In the case of smartphones and tablets, there is an undeniable possibility that problems may inevitably occur due to OS upgrades and other factors. In this respect, the method of connecting the data server to the display of your TV, PC, etc. with a cable is safe because it works reliably. The server is equipped with a mouse for operation and acts like the main unit of a computer, so to speak.
Editorial:What were the main points you focused on when developing this product?
Kurokawa:First, it is a "non-contact" system. This is because some nursery schools have reported that the type of monitoring device that attaches sensors to the body causes body rash, or that the children touch the device because they are concerned about it.
Harada:The second is that there is no time lag, and the data is displayed in graphs in real time. What we have come down to is what nurseries are most concerned about. After all, the most frightening thing is that the child will stop breathing. Smile Baby is not a medical device, so it cannot measure exact values or record the orientation of a child's body like the type of monitoring devices that attach sensors to the body. However, the most important thing to protect children's lives is to watch over them to make sure they are breathing properly. With this in mind, we are thoroughly committed to monitoring children's breathing, heartbeat, and body movements in real time and in a clear manner.
Kurokawa:Basically, Smile Baby is not a replacement for a person (i.e., a childcare worker), but rather a machine that "watches over naps from the same position. Therefore, we believe that the device supports the childcare worker during the five-minute gap between naps, based on the basic premise that the childcare worker watches over the naps every five minutes.
Editorial:So the goal is not to reduce the workload, but only to reduce accidents and improve the safety of children.
Harada:That is exactly right. It will, more than anything else, give the daycare center peace of mind and help the daycare staff. It also helps to reduce the mental stress of the nursery staff, knowing that this device is watching their backs.
The reason behind the company's background and the desire to protect children's lives.
Editorial:Can you tell us how this product was developed?
Harada:In fact, a friend of the developer of this product lost his 0-year-old child to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and asked us if we could make the world a place where such a tragedy does not occur.
Editorial:Such were the thoughts of the developers...
Harada:When about 10 years of development had passed, we first developed and marketed a similar product in the nursing care field, as the nursing care industry was experiencing a serious labor shortage and the need for such a monitoring device was increasing. Then, with the fullness of time, we launched "Smile Baby" at the end of 2017. As a result, we have developed more than several thousand units of this technology and product in the nursing care field. We believe that this has helped to reassure nursery schools considering the introduction of "Smile Baby".
Voices of Gratitude from Nursery Schools and the Company's Future Prospects
Editorial:I understand that this product is currently used only in nurseries, how many are out there?
Harada:The product was launched at the end of 2017 and sold out in less than two months; approximately 300 units have been delivered to 50 parks. We plan to resume sales of the upgraded product in the fall and winter of 2018.
Editorial:Can you tell us about the cost of implementation?
Harada:Last year, we sold a set of 6 units as a package for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for 1,000,000 yen including tax. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government subsidized this at 1 million yen per preschool, so the preschools were able to introduce the system without taking out any money.
Editorial:Is there anything special about the nursery you use that you would like to share with us?
Kurokawa:One respondent said that this product helped him to notice subtle physical ailments in his child. They were able to find physical problems that could not be detected visually through changes in the body movement graph.
Editorial:If we inform the parents of this, we can get them to the hospital as soon as possible.
Kurokawa:Yes, it is. Because by the time the condition becomes visually apparent, it can be very serious.
Editorial:Can you tell us about the future of this product and your company's initiatives?
Harada:In the future, we would like to launch Smile Baby for the general public. This is definitely something we plan to work on. We also plan to release a "sleep monitoring device" around next spring that uses the sensor technology used in the Smile Baby. This device measures the "depth of sleep" and could be used, for example, in the field of nursing care, to have patients wake up when they are in a shallow sleep so that they can eat, or to change diapers later because they are in a deep sleep now. It would also be possible to monitor how the quality of sleep changed when the drug or bed was changed, so that the effectiveness of the system can be monitored. I think there is a need to measure the relationship between sleep condition and performance for athletes and luxury hotels. Our goal is to introduce the system at the 2020 Olympics in the athletes' village dormitories and other facilities.
<After the interview
This product watches over children simply by having them lie on it. The easy-to-understand instructions for use and the versatility to accommodate children of any age make this a device that will be very well accepted in the childcare field. We look forward to the release of this product in general households, and hope to see its further development.
We expect to see more and more domestic baby tech products from various manufacturers in the future. We are looking forward to it!
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