Ideathons and Hackathons hosted for Docomo’s partners and rental programs for H2L’s products

H2L Inc (H2L) and NTT Docomo Inc (Docomo) has agreed on 9th January 2019 to collaborate on creating new services and use cases for our age by
combining the use of H2L’s BodySharing technology and 5G technologies.

BodySharing technology has two main components. The first component involves the use of muscle displacement sensors to transmit and exchange
readings of body movement with computers to allow humans, robots, VR/AR objects to share their bodily movements with each other.
The second component involves haptic feedback techniques to share the feeling of touch between human, robots and virtual objects or characters.
It is anticipated that 5G technologies will render real time exchange of bodily sensations between remote entities possible.

Docomo has initiated the Docomo 5G open partnership program in February 2018 to create new use scenarios with a broad range of partners.
Workshops and discussions have been hosted to share latest discoveries and achievements of 5G with companies and organisations from various fields (over 2000 note *1 below).
In this collaboration, there are plans for matching 5G and H2L’s BodySharing technologies with technology from participants of the program to create new services.
As part of the collaboration, Ideathon and Hackathons targeted at participants of the program will be held in co-operation with H2L.
In addition, a rental program will be initiated to rent out H2L’s “FirstVR®” VR gesture controller embedded with Optical Active Sensing for free to the program’s participants.

In 9th January 2019, Docomo will open up a 5G verification facility named “Docomo 5G Open Lab OKINAWA” at Napa city, Okinawa.
It will be there that the two companies will present contents of FirstVR as part of the promotion of Okinawa’s development.

As part of this collaboration H2L and Docomo will provide VR content that allows tourism of distant areas to be experienced with the involvement of one’s body instead of videos alone.
By creating use scenarios for various fields, the aim is to contribute to regional industrial development and solve societal issues.

*1 As of 31st Dec 2018
*2 An ideation is an event where members from various fields get to briefly gather to communicate and develop ideas on a set topic.
A hackathon is an event where engineers establish teams to create services and applications in a given time limit based on a theme, idea or technology.
*3 FirstVR is a registered trademark of H2L Inc.
*4 Docomo 5G Open Lab is a trademark of NTT Docomo Inc.

[OUTLINE OF THE COLLABORATION]

1. PURPOSE
By the spring of 2020, Docomo aims to begin a new commercial service that links up 5G technology with
H2L’s BodySharing technology which allows sharing of experiences between Human-Human, Human-Robot.
Docomo aims to promote industrial development and solve societal problems by creating new use cases for this service.

2. AREAS OF COLLABORATION
(1) Co-ideation of services and use cases applying the combination of 5G and BodySharing Technology
(2) Implement policies for members of Docomo 5G open partnership program
1 Hosting 5GxBodySharing Ideathon and Hackathon
2 Begin Rental program of FirstVR
(3) H2L products to be displayed in Docomo 5G Open Lab

3. ROLES OF EACH COMPANY

H2L
・Ideation of new services and use cases for 5G and BodySharing technology
・Provide technical support and know how for implementing policies for Docomo 5G open partnership program memberships
・Creation of original content for presentation in Docomo 5G Open Lab OKINAWA

DOCOMO
・Using Docomo’s partner assets in the 5G open partnership program to carry out the creation of new services using 5G and BodySharing as core technologies.
（Hosting of Ideathon and Hackathons、Staring FirstVR rental programs）
・Display H2L’s products and content in Docomo 5G Open Lab

[H2L PRODUCTS AND CONTENT OUTLINE]

1. VR Device “FirstVR”
FirstVR is a gesture controller product that allows one to operate VR/AR applications with their hand by connecting with smartphones.
Optical Active Sensing is used to read muscle displacements at the forearm to deduce finger movements.
FirstVR is made up of a set that includes Controller (LEFT PHOTO), and VR Goggles for Smartphones (RIGHT PHOTO).

2. Haptic Interface “UnlimitedHand”
UnlimitedHand is a device that not only lets you control VR/AR environments with input generated by your own hand,
it also allows the wearer to feel feedback generated from the virtual world by simulating haptics using electrical muscle stimulus technology.
For example, the device would slightly send a signal to extend your fingers the moment that a virtual bird lands on your hand to simulate the bird’s presence.

3. 14-Channel EMS Kit “PossessedHand”
PossessedHand is a device in the form of two forearm straps embedded with electrodes capable of inducing motion on human hand and fingers.
Specific muscle sets in the forearm are linked through tendons to the fingers. By contracting or expanding these muscles, the device induces motion at the hand and fingers.

4. VR Content for Promotion of Tourism in Okinawa Prefecture
With footage shot at Higashi, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture of Mangrove Kayaking and Standup Paddle Boards VR content is produced.
By manipulating the footage according to the gesture read from the FirstVR device, the content provides users with an immersive experience of paddling.
Users can perform paddling gestures and movements to tour the site in VR.

 

[H2L Company Information] Company Name: H2L Inc.
Representative: Kenichiro Iwasaki
Location: The SOHO Room 1304 2-7-4, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
Capital: 153.5M JPY (as of 2017/12/31)
Founded: 2nd July 2012
Employees: 9 (as of 2018/10/31)
Business Area:
・Developing solutions and projects that apply EMS for motion control of human hand and fingers
・R&D for Medical and Rehabilitation
・R&D for Haptic Feedback
・Others

[DOCOMO Company Information] Company Name: NTT Docomo Inc.
Representative: Kazuhiro Yoshizawa
Location: Sanno Park Tower, Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Capital: 949.6795B JPY (as of 2017/03/31)
Founded: July 1st 1992
Employees: 7767, extended 27,464 (as of 31st March 2018)
Business Area:
・Telecommunications
・Smartlife
・Others

[Point of Contact] H2L inc.
Promotion Dept.
Kyoko Horie and Mayu Komori
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NTT Docomo
Corporate Business Strategy, Service Development
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