- A system that visualises realistic activity and physical activity levels of children in daycare and other settings.
- The measured values are based on international standards and the results can be used to improve childcare planning and other aspects.
- Extremely low labour and financial hurdles after installation, such as annual replacement of sensor batteries.
The Sansan Kids System introduced here is a system that visualises children's growth and development. It analyses data from activity meters worn by children and tells them the amount and intensity of their daily physical activity. The system won the grand prize in the BabyTech® Award Japan 2021 Research and Studies category. The BabyTech.jp editorial team interviewed Masahiro Kuroda (hereafter, titles omitted) of Goleta Networks K.K., the developer of the Sansan Kids System, to find out more about the system, how it was developed and what the future holds.
We spoke with...
Goleta Networks, Inc.
Masahiro Kuroda
Visualising the 'real activity and physical activity' of children going about their day as usual!
Editor: Thank you very much for your time today. Can you quickly give us an overview of the Sansan Kids System and its features?
KURODA: The Sansan Kids System is a system for nursery staff and researchers to visualise children's growth and development. Specifically, the system measures and analyses children's activity and physical activity, and the results are used for childcare, education and research.
Editor: What was the impetus behind the development of this system?
KURODA: The development of the system started 10 years ago when children's outdoor activities were restricted after a major earthquake. The research and development of this system started because local authorities wanted to survey children's physical activity with a sense of crisis.
So in an environment where children's physical activity is restricted, there is a 'need to visualise the exercise situation'. This is exactly what is also relevant with the recent new coronas. In the third year of the new corona outbreak, we are seeing many things, such as a decrease in physical activity among kindergarten and primary school children.
A similar method of measuring children's physical activity is ......, which often involves bringing children to a facility in a laboratory, having them do a day of simulated physical activity there and analysing the survey data. However, data on children exercising in an unfamiliar environment is not accurate data. In this respect, the Sansan Kids system provides data from situations where children are playing around in kindergartens, nursery schools and primary schools as usual.
Editor: So you can measure children's real physical activity!
A system that minimises the labour of frontline workers and the financial burden of implementation.
Editor: What exactly is the measurement method of the San San Kids system?
KURODA: Children wear a device weighing 10 grams called an ' activity meter'. Of course, we take double and triple measures to prevent aspiration, assuming they are infants. Children wear the device themselves when they arrive at nursery school or kindergarten, and remove it when they leave. Data is only taken up once a month.
