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.
What we realized was that when trying to move around in a wheelchair within current society, there are barriers that can't be overcome solely by one's own strength. When considering moving around in a wheelchair, people generally focus on factors within their control, such as stability and weight reduction. However, when venturing into society, there are instances where one inevitably needs help from others. Recently, there were news reports about wheelchair users being refused by taxis, and it seems that taxi drivers feel it is risky due to the possibility of breaking the wheelchair due to unfamiliarity. This hesitation to provide support is not limited to taxis but also occurs in subways and buses. To eliminate such barriers, we thought about what design elements could help not only the people using the wheelchair but also those who support wheelchair users in society.
If you look at "Wheeliy," you'll see yellow points in various locations. While this is also the brand color, it is used for functional reasons as well. For example, lifting the handle at the yellow point allows for one-push folding, and holding the yellow point on the frame allows for balanced lifting. These considerations were factored into the design.
Overcoming Welfare-Oriented Design & Promotion
MondenAnother major feature, which also serves as the brand concept, is the idea of "a wheelchair that travels daily." We aimed to design a wheelchair that instills a sense of excitement and makes people want to go outside.
Often, our development team discussed how glasses have transitioned from being corrective devices written in Kanji to the fashion items they are today, represented by the Katakana word メガネ (megane) meaning "glasses." We wanted to create a product that fits seamlessly into everyday life, without standing out as a welfare device. It's like riding a sleek road bike that even able-bodied people find cool. Creating this world was one of our major themes.
