HEALTH & WELFARETECHNOLOGY BRINGSTHE JOY OFGOING OUT
TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIESLeft: ODA Yuriko is a wheelchairuser herself. She has been expanding
her activities by cooperating with thecentral and local government’s
barrier-free initiatives based on theinformation gathered by WheeLog!.
Right: CHINO Wataru wasinvolved in the development of theelectronic control of electric vehicles(EVs) and automatic driving systems
at Honda. Following an accident
that involved a close relative, hebegan developing a tool to assist thevisually impaired to walk.

visually impaired by providingthem with the freedom and safetyof walking using technology.”
He is developing the productrapidly for commercial launch in2022, with an eye to eventuallydeploying it overseas.
In the same vein, WheeLog!
is an application based on theexperience of its developer, ODA
Yuriko, who was diagnosed with
the intractable disease of “distalmyopathy” in her early 20s. It is
the world’s first app that uses maps
to record and share the routes
that users have taken with theirwheelchairs, allowing other users
to see wheelchair-accessible routes
at a glance, even in cities they havenever been to before. In addition,
various types of barrier-freerelated information, such as thelocation of wheelchair-accessible

restrooms, elevators, and ramps,
is collected through user posts to
support wheelchair users in theiractive outings.
At the beginning of her
wheelchair life, Oda thought itwould no longer be possible togo out like she used to. However,when she later learned that there
was a barrier-free beach near to herhome, she realized the importanceof sharing information broadly
with everyone, which gave her theidea for the map app. “The barrierfree environment is rapidly
improving in Japan, making it
more important for everyone
to gather information and use it
together.”Oda has come to realize thateven people with disabilities
can help others by sharing
information and having others

Barrier-free accessibility is crucial to realizing an inclusive society. In attempting to achieve that goal, innovative
products and services are being launched one after another. How do their developers envision a barrier-free future?
One of the principles of theSustainable Development Goals(SDGs) is to “Leave No OneBehind.” In Japan, where various
efforts have been made to realizethat principle, many products andservices are being developed tohelp people with disabilities movearound the city freely.
One of those is Ashirase,a navigation system for thevisually impaired. Attached tothe user’s shoes and linked toa smartphone application, thesmall device instructs the user

where to go via vibrations. A
former engineer at Honda MotorCo., Ltd., CHINO Wataru
founded Ashirase Inc.—the firstventure company to emerge
from Honda—to develop thesystem. He has also participatedin demonstration tests using theQuasi-Zenith Satellite System(QZSS), an original Japanesesatellite positioning system.
Through numerous interviews
with the visually impaired, Chino
learned that they live their lives
by making full use of all theirsenses other than sight. The aimof Ashirase is thus to support
visually-impaired people as theywalk by providing navigation fromtheir feet, without interferingwith the use of their senses.
By ensuring an environment
where individuals can pay close
attention to their surroundings,
even visually-impaired people will
be able to walk outside safely on
their own.
Chino says, “Walking is thebasis of mobility. I hope tosupport the independence of theTop left: Ashirase is scheduled to bereleased at the end of 2022. The basic
functions have been made simple tokeep the price low, but there are plans
to develop an array of optional
functions, too.
Top right & Left: Ashirase uses location
information from smartphones todetermine users’ routes. The device,with a built-in motion sensor andelectronic compass, vibrates to guide theuser to the destination.

Top: The WheeLog! workshop gets all participants to experience
the city in a wheelchair. Not only does it provide an opportunity
to survey the barrier-free situation, but it also helps able-bodied
people understand what information wheelchair users need byshowing them the latter’s perspective.
Bottom: WheeLog!, which also has many able-bodied users, has
become a tool for sharing barrier-free information with everyone,
regardless of whether they have disabilities or not. The app isavailable in 10 different languages and can be used outside ofJapan as well.

use it through WheeLog!. She
continues to take on the challengeof solving social issues using thepower of information toward
the realization of Goal 11 of theSDGs, Sustainable Cities andCommunities.
One element of an inclusive
society is an environment in whichpeople with visual impairments
and those in wheelchairs can goout on their own without having
to give anything up. Aiming
to realize such a society, thebarrier-free movement is gaining
momentum, driven by passion
and innovative ideas.