Discussion: Shintaro Monden & Ken Endo: "Thoughts on Design and Engineering for Products that Become Part of the Body"

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A special feature "Body / Clothing & Functionality" presented with Ken Endo, a researcher in robotics and prosthetics and CEO of Xiborg Inc. This time, Quantum Inc. Chief Design Officer, Shintaro Monden joined us for a discussion.

Monden, who designed the everyday travel wheelchair "Wheeliy," and Endo, who works on prosthetic legs. Both have presented new perspectives on products placed in the realm of welfare. We bring you a wide-ranging dialogue about thought processes surrounding products that become part of the body, along with approaches and attitudes toward design and engineering.

PROFILE

Shintaro Monden

After working at domestic design firms and foreign PC manufacturers, designing a variety of products from one-of-a-kind furniture to laptops sold in tens of thousands globally, he joined Quantum. He oversees Quantum's design department, leading new business development across a wide range of fields, from product, graphic, and UI/UX design to boundary areas. His strength lies in conducting a series of product development processes from design research, concept development, pilot studies, to mass production design support seamlessly. The products he has worked on have won numerous awards such as iF Design, RedDot Design, D&AD, Cannes Lions, and Good Design Award. They are highly acclaimed both domestically and internationally, and have even been selected for the permanent collection of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany.

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PROFILE

Ken Endo

CEO of Xiborg Inc.

After completing his master's course at Keio University, he went to the U.S. He worked in the Biomechatronics Group at the MIT Media Lab, specializing in the analysis of human physical abilities and the development of lower-leg prosthetics. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2012. Meanwhile, he served as a lecturer at MIT's D-lab, teaching courses on prosthetic devices for developing countries. Currently, he is an associate researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories. Engaged in research related to the extension of human physical abilities using robot technology, he was selected as one of the 35 innovators under 35 (TR35) by the "Technology Review" published by MIT in 2012. He was also named a Young Global Leader at the Davos Congress in 2014.

About the Everyday Travel Wheelchair "Wheeliy"

Design to Promote Social Support

MondenTo talk about the background of "Wheeliy" development, molten, known for products related to basketball and volleyball, expressed a desire to design a new wheelchair as a new project in their medical welfare equipment division. At the beginning of the project, there was no clear goal for what kind of wheelchair to make, and none of the development members were wheelchair users. So we started by meeting with various wheelchair users and experts to identify the problems and difficulties they face in their daily lives.

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