BACE Blog

ICFF Preview Part 1 – Japan by Design

May 22, 2009 by Mel Lim | business, conferences | 2 Comments

I love Japanese design.
I have great admiration for their work ethics, dedication to craftsmanship and innovation.

This exhibition at ICFF is the 2nd kansei-Japan Design Exhibition, with the first held in Paris 2008. The Kansei Value Creation initiative aims at the “kansei value”, which is the concept of combining monozukuri (manufacturing) of Japanese design and the art of monogatari (story telling). It focuses on the new element of economic value, functionality, reliability and price competitiveness of Japanese products.

The first product that I was thrilled to see in person was Paro. I was introduced to Paro in 2003 by CNN. Paro is the 8th generation of therapeutic robot that has been used widely in Japan and Europe.

Unlike industrial robots, “Mental Commitment Robots” are developed to interact with human beings and to make them feel emotional attachment to the robots. Rather than using objective measures, these robots trigger more subjective evaluations, evoking psychological impressions such as “cuteness” and comfort. Mental Commitment Robots are designed to provide 3 types of effects: psychological, such as relaxation and motivation, physiological, such as improvement in vital signs, and social effects such as instigating communication among inpatients and caregivers. – excerpt from Paro’s website.

As a dog lover, I was a bit hesitant about Paro, but when designer Takanori Shibata explained how Paro can benefit patients that maybe allergic to animals and offer them the companionship, I began to see why one can warm up to Paro. Paro responds to sound, temperature, touch, posture and over time develops it’s own character. So I tried petting Paro…first it purred and responded towards my touch. Then I lifted it, it also responded…maybe not immediately like my chihuahua Bambi, but it made a cute “meowing” sound…and of course, I had to try pulling its fake whiskers…and it sure reacted, in a LOUD screech!!! Paro is indeed perfect for those living in places where animals maybe prohibited such as hospitals, senior living homes, care centers or nursing homes.

Originally used for manual labor, Cactus Design redefined working gloves into fashion pieces. The designs is supposed to give the illusion of tattoo applied directly on the hand.

Shibori is a tie-dye method that produces imitable crackled patterns once it is untied and raising folds that appear alive, soft and tactile. I’ve recently seen the same effect done on kimonos at the San Diego Museum of Art, Timken Gallery featuring Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota. The bai-shibori tie dye mini lamps are made of Japanese paper, silk (bai-shibori) and steel frame.

And then of course, the folds/ Japanese origami. Koryo Mirua, a spacecraft architect, invented folds that will allow a flat surface to be unfolded and refolded in an instant pulling on its two opposite corners. This same method has been applied to making road/city maps. This same “simple” method has also be used in solar panels used in outer space and large space antennas. Now talk about infusing technology + traditional craft.