Murata’s AI technology aims to create a calm and comfortable workplace

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Murata has announced that KENKO technology, an AI emotion monitoring solution created in a joint development between Murata and The Elegant Monkeys (TEM) is being rolled out to the Japanese market.

KENKO is a cloud-based AI technology that integrates with different kinds of biometric sensors embedded in wearables and other IoT products.

The technology is intending to lay the foundations for the next generation of artificial intelligence – artificial emotions.

“With modern workplace culture becoming increasingly stressful, adding a new layer of mental-based analysis is already of essence," said Michinori Nozaki, General Manager, Business Innovation and Incubation at Murata Europe.

Murata and start up company TEM have teamed up with Mizuho Information & Research Institute (MHIR) to provide the Japanese market with a solution for generating corporate improvement and optimisation processes by using human emotions data to improve employment environments, employee satisfaction, wellbeing, and profitability.

Healthcare systems in Japan and worldwide are facing huge challenges, Murata explains. Healthcare expenditure has become higher than ever and is growing each year. In parallel, many modern workplaces are intensive and complicated environments to manage. They are facing challenges in terms of employee satisfaction, productivity, wellbeing and more. The current structure causes market inefficiency that has been acknowledged to be unsustainable in the long run.

Shiyo TAKEOKA, consultant at MHIR, said, “While it was possible to obtain biometric data from wearable devices, meaningful analysis was difficult. KENKO Technology converts data into meaningful information such as emotions and stress”.

In order to deliver an optimal end-to-end solution, each company will provide its own unique experience, know-how and technology. The complete solution includes hardware wearable product for vital sign data collection; Cloud-based AI for processing the vital signs data into objective emotional load measurement; and a consulting service in HR and management fields to extract insights and generate improvement on the customer side.