The sixth and final smart city workshop for university students in Yokohama City, "What does the future of 'Smart City Yokohama' look like?" was held. This time, with the cooperation of NTT East Corporation, the students visited the "Wellness Lounge (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)" and "NTTe-City Labo (Chofu-shi, Tokyo)" to experience and tour the cutting-edge technologies, after which they exchanged opinions with company representatives.
Morning: Visit to NTT East's "Wellness Lounge" (Shinjuku Ward)
In the morning, the group toured the Wellness Lounge, a wellness demonstration facility that envisions deployment in a variety of spaces, including offices, public facilities, break rooms, hospitals, and nursing homes. Inside the facility, the group was introduced to the concept of "practical wellness," which uses cutting-edge equipment and AI to visualize fatigue and mental state, leading to data-based suggestions and experiences.
Main experiences and sightseeing points at the facility (morning)
・Measurement & recommendation workspace "KAGEROU"
・30-minute intensive work and self-medication "KOKAGE"
・"HINATA" conference room that enhances wellness through the five senses
Explanation from NTT East (summary)
The person in charge explained the background behind their efforts to develop business in the "well-being/wellness" field, centering on data utilization, rather than just communication networks. They also emphasized that rather than relying on a single device, they combine multiple elements (spatial design, experience, data analysis, etc.) to verify value while capturing changes in the user's condition.
Main points raised during the exchange of opinions (excerpts)
During the exchange of opinions, students asked a series of frank questions about the design philosophy for facility use (balancing ease of use with behavioral change) and the difficulties of using data (personal information and psychological hurdles). They were particularly interested in "systems that encourage resting behavior" and "how to create value from data utilization."
"Making a reservation to take a break...it has the opposite effect."
"The distinctive feature of this approach is how to create an environment in which the individual can take action on their own initiative."
Afternoon: Visit to NTT East's "NTTe-City Labo" (Chofu City)
In the afternoon, the group visited "NTTe-City Labo," a facility where they could experience the NTT East Group's efforts to "co-create a regional recycling-based society." The facility houses exhibits from a wide range of fields, and introduced solutions that can help resolve regional issues.
In addition to observing e-sports, digital art, and disaster prevention solutions, the workshop also included a personal mobility experience.
Conclusion of this year's program (total of 6 sessions)
This will be the final session of the series of smart city workshops that began in November.
This year, with the cooperation of companies and organizations, we will provide more opportunities to learn about the initiatives of companies than last year, and by incorporating an opportunity to attend the Asia Smart City Conference 2025 (ASCC), which will be held in Yokohama during the period, the program will allow students to gain information about overseas thinking and case studies.
The participating students expressed the following opinions:
- It was an extremely valuable opportunity to learn about and interact with companies' initiatives in this way outside of job hunting.
・Every time I attended, I had new realizations and discoveries, which made it very meaningful.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those involved who cooperated with us.