How to make a real product using Kansei design approach?
A Development of safety device for keeping children and the old from the lost
SeungHee Lee*, Dahyun Kim**, Shunsuke Kimura***, Takuto Matsumoto***, Masatoshi
Hamanaka***** Faculty of Art and Design, University of Tsukuba, lee@kansei.tsukuba.ac.jp**Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba,
kimda@kansei.tsukuba.ac.jp***Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, shunsuke,
takuto@music.tsukuba.ac.jp****Faculty of Systems and Information Engineering, hamanaka@iit.tsukuba.ac.jp
Abstract: This study introduces a development of a practical product which wasbased on an approach using Kansei simulation of children’s behavior. It has been
started since 2006 for children under 6 years old who have few experiences ofaccidents or events, and less ability of communication with their parents. We
tested to know the efficient of heart rates while they feel fear and anxiety to face toevents then it could be one of the functions on our device. We analyzed their heart
rates and behaviors while they were watching simulated movies showing
dangerous situations. By a support of the Ministry of internal affairs andcommunications, we develop a device named “Onigiri Machine” to keep thechildren in safe while their parents are working in daytime. It was highly evaluatedby scientist not only in Japan but also in the world through the conferences papers,
newspapers and magazines after the project. Now, it became an issue to keep thechildren and the old in shopping malls or in the hospitals in Tsukuba. We refined
the device to update the functions and qualities to produce for practical uses in apublic service. Finally, this study shows how the device to be used for children andthe old in a public spaces to keep them safe and how it delivers the data which isbased on personal situation in a easy interface for their accompanies.
Key words: Children, The old, Device, Safety
1. Introduction
Since 2005, when my little child was one year old, we have started this study to keep her
personal safety while the author works at school from nine to six a day. It was quite hard tofind a nursery for under one year old baby in our town. Many of working mothers had to1

survey and apply for the nurseries as soon as they delivered babies even before the birth
specially where registered officially in the city. So that some places have so many children totake care.
Generally, regular working mothers should let their children stay at least for 8 hours aday at minimum and they can communicate with their children face to face for 4-5 hours a dayin average. It is hardly said that it is enough to know what is happening to their children’s
growths in both physical and mental way. Furthermore, from 0 to 6 year children, before theelementary school, their ability of communication by language is not enough to communicate
with people correctly. The author had some frustration of communicating and getting
information on her child but the only way was to keep watching her behavior and reactions
during limited moments. Under 6 year children got the most influences with people aroundthem and imitate their behaviors naturally. Isn’t there any more clever way for working parents
to know and feel their children?
This study introduces how we had fulfilled the whole process from the stage ofresearch on children’s behavior and emotional reactions, to the final stage to make a practicalsystem for real users in a public places. The development of “Onigiri Machine”, now supports
to share information of children or the old who cannot communicate enough well with people.
Concerning to develop a device which can detect children’s conditions in anxious or
emergence situation, we planed to set up some important functions, such as heart rates, GPS,camera, 3D accelerator, XB network and micro computer for communicating and controllingthe sensors. The most outstanding progress of this study was done in 2009-2011, while theSCOPE (Strategic Information and Communications R& D Promotion Program) project fundedby Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Based on the children’s heart rates
experiments in 2006.

2. Process
2.1 Heart Rate Experiments
Heart rate is one of the important elements to know the conditions of children when they feelanxiety facing to new experiences or any uncomfortable situations. The purpose of theexperiment was to know how the heart rates are efficient for children to predict and show theiremotion out while the device detect children’s conditions in any situations.
From 1-6 year children in nursery was invited to the experiments. We prepared
simulation films those show dangerous and anxious situations normally evaluated by adults.

2All the participants’ parents agreed with the IRB of University of Tsukuba and we fully
checked with the safety of the experiments for testing the heart rates of the children. The
simulation films were originally made or edited with copy free films. It brought a result thatchildren’s Kansei was generally represented around 2-3 years old through the practicalexperiences and learning by their parents or people around so that their emotional reaction isgetting similar to adult people (Fig.1).

Fig. 1. About the Experiment, the facilitation and stimulations

2.2 Design Development
Kid’s Friendly Design
For the development of the Onigiri Machine, it was very important issue that we proposed avery unique approach for Onigiri Machine, such as designing first and put the advanced
technology in a box later. The reason why designing first than the technology is, to makechildren wear the device as their own willing to be fascinating by attractive form giving andease to wear. We call it, ‘Kids Friendly Design’.
For ‘Kid’s Friendly Design’, we should first concern the weight and size of the device,and secondly about how and where to wear on child’s body. Concerning preferred graphicaldesign or decoration for children would be the last step.

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Weight and size of the device
To fix the size of the device, we surveyed children’s body scale based on Research institute of
Human Engineering for quality life in Japan. They’ve reported all the sizes of average bodyscale of ages from 0 to 12 from Japanese children since 2005 every year. The width of chest
size for 3 year old children is 164mm and 5 year is 176mm. Based on the width of chest, thedevice should not be exceeded 100mm in any direction which can be attached on child’s neck,most of them are between 30 to 50 grams and which can be attached on their waist, are lessthan 100 grams. And we also surveyed about the weight to mothers in the kindergarten, 75
percent of them answered under 100 grams can be applied to their children. For references, thealarm buzzer has 45~60 grams and mobile phones for children have 130~150 grams.

How and where to wear the device
To attach on an appropriate position on children’s body, we should concern that it should not tobother children’s active movements and at the same time the camera on the device should bekeep well focused even on the movements.

Fig. 2. The Onigiri Machine and how to wear

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Design development of the wearable device
Build-in a prototype
From the shoulder sac types of design, we finally build the sensors based on the idea B-3. The
total weight of the sensors which should be built in, would be at least 90 grams, the necklace
type was rejected from the candidates, otherwise it will be a big burden on their neck. Among
four ideas of shoulder types, it offers relatively high position of camera and merit of ease towear. In detail, to decide the size of device, we made updated sketch of B-3 and made a 3D
prototype by 3D printer. To put the sensors safe in a box, the layout of positions were tested.
On figure 3. Solving the way to fix on the body, small connection parts were created on thecorners. We named it ‘Omusbi’ (=Onigiri), meaning of ‘Rice ball’ or ‘Connection’ in Japanese.
‘Rice ball’ is traditional in between lunch and supper snack for children and any ages of people
in Japan. ‘Connection’ is also meaningful function with this study to share information not
only between children and parents but also with local supports.
The on-off switch on the rear side is in a tiny hole to be securely turned with an originallydesigned stick to prevent to be adjusted by somebody else.

Fig. 3. Build-in a prototype of Onigiri Machine

3. Experiments at Kindergarten
We built up 12 hand-made devices, and set up over 30 relay sensors to chase the positioning
the devices every 10 meter in the kindergarten. For the final user test, we collected about 50
children through ethical research pre-survey of the experiment by their parents. The subjects
were average ten children in every age.

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To observing the behavior of the children with the devices, there were over 5 staffs attended
during the test to check both real physical movements and digital data of positions.

Starting website for reviewing the events in the kindergarten by parents
The reviewing site was open to the subjects at the beginning of the experiment. It shows every
move of children in the kindergarten, for example when they move to hall from the classroom,
then the device takes a picture. So, there are number of pictures as they moved the places.
However, if the device uses in ordinary life, it should be turn on the power of camera when achild got a big change of heart bit or fall down or jump down on the ground.

4. Experiments at Shopping mall for preventing the lost
4.1 Practical use of system for real usersIn 2011, the development of Onigiri machine was treated as an important social issue throughinternational science magazines, newspapers and TV shows in Japan. Many of working
mothers eagerly wanted to have the Onigiri machine for their children.
But it was not easy to put it in a real production, so one of the functions of detecting theposition, we apply it to a small device for professional guard men when they walk around for
security check in the night in his duty area.
Co-author Dr. Hamanaka rebuilt the device to a smaller size to put it on the waist forthe guard men. Figure 4 shows the new shape of device. It has only GPS and XBee tocorrespond with the network platforms in the building. So it is lighter and smaller and put
inside of the pockets.
So, the system of detecting the positions, kept progressing better and accurate
functions according to technology since the first development.

Fig. 4. Device for detecting position of guard men6

4.2 Practical use for Children and the Old
After more than 6 years of SCOPE project, the biggest shopping mall in southern east Japan,
asked us to apply this system for children preventing them from the lost while their parents are
shopping in the mall. With the function of heart rates, not only for preventing the lost, but also
the shops can get information when the children got excited in the shop, in detail they can use
the information to promote their products or events.

4.3 Facilitation
For detecting the positioning of the lost children, we implemented the GPS in the device, but it
does not work inside of the mall, so we had to put the XBee mobile network at the shopping
mall every 30 meters of the flat as infrastructures for the network and controlling the device.
Figureshows the positioning of XBee mobile network in the mall.

Fig. 5. XBee Network points in a shopping mall

The test for users, such as children and the old, we now preparing for a real production ofOnigiri machine based on their behaviors and preferences and so that it will have more
possibilities of use, not only preventng from the lost but also knowing user’s Kansei in many
situations.

75. References and Citations
13_Reference (Serif, 10pt)(Serif, Italic10pt)[1] SeungHee Lee, SeungGi
Hong, Masatoshi Hamanaka, 13_Reference+italic
Yuichi Murakami,The Onigiri

Machine: Development of Wearable Device by Kid’s Friendly Design for Children’s Safety,
IASDR 2011, Delft, The Netherlands[2] SeungHee Lee, Jahee Sohn, Atsushi Usami, Masatoshi Hamanaka(2010) Development ofWearable Device by Kid's friendly Design for Kid's Safety, Human Computer Interaction 2010,
Brisbane, Australia[3] SeungHee Lee, Masatoshi Hamanaka, Yoshiki Iwamoto, Dahyun Kim(2010) Heart-rate
Response to Simulated Anxious Events- Development of Kid's Friendly wearable device forchildren's safety-, Design and Emotion Conference 2010, Chicago, USA[4] Masatoshi Hamanaka, Yuichi Murakami, Atsushi Usami, Yuji Miura, and SeungHee Lee(2010) System for Detecting Kindergartners’Potential Emergency Situations, World MultiConference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics 2010(WMSCI2010), July Florida, USA,Vol. I, pp. 296-301.

[5] Farringdon, J., Moore, A.J., Tilbury, N.,Church, J., Biemond, P.D. (1999) Wearable Sensor
Badge and Sensor Jacket for Context Awareness. ISWC, pp.107.

[6] Kern, N., Shiele B., Junker Holger, Lukowicz P., Troster G. (2003) Wearable sensing toannotate meeting recordings Euro-Par 2006. LNCS, vol.7, No.5, pp. 263-274. Springer,Heidelberg London.

[7] Wiklund M., (1994) Usability in practice: how companies develop user-friendly products.
Academic Press Professional, Inc.

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