Fujitsu and TOTO launch trial for AI-powered restroom safety solutions | IoT Now News & Reports

Fujitsu Limited and TOTO Ltd. have collaborated on a trial to enhance the safety of restrooms for elderly individuals and those with disabilities in commercial facilities and train stations. This trial utilises a privacy-conscious, millimetre wave-sensing technology, that has been used by Fujitsu before. The solution incorporates Fujitsu’s Actlyzer, an AI-based analysis technology, to provide a safer and more inclusive experience for various users.

Innovation to help diverse users in all aspects of their daily lives

In the 1960s, TOTO first launched its efforts to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities and in the 2000s, embraced universal design initiatives to improve the user experience in compliance with national regulations as well as the demands of accessibility.

Fujitsu’s proprietary, human-centric AI technology makes it possible to analyse information obtained from millimetre wave sensing technology and estimate aspects like posture with high accuracy based on the position and height of the subject. This allows administrators to detect without cameras when users experience difficulties or accidents in the restroom including falls, or to perform wellness checks when spending a long time in the space while ensuring that their privacy is strictly respected.

The two companies aim to use these respective strengths to jointly conduct a trial to verify the effectiveness of the solution using TOTO’s knowledge of creating barrier-free restroom toilets that are easier to use for all people and Fujitsu’s millimetre wave sensing technology.

Details of the trial are as follows:

Trial of monitoring technology using millimetre-wave sensors in restrooms

1. Implementation period: From Monday, January 15, 2024, to the end of December 2024
2. Location: TOTO UD Laboratory (R&D Centre) (Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and Fujitsu F3rdLab (Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
3. Trial content: The millimetre-wave sensor in the barrier-free toilet installed on a trial basis senses the user’s status as reflected wave information and point cloud data and the effectiveness of the detection of long stays in the room, falls, etc., will be verified to evaluate the solution’s viability and improve the results.

Roles of the two companies

• TOTO: Technology evaluation using extensive knowledge of designing diverse barrier-free toilets and restrooms and proposing directions for technology improvement
• Fujitsu: Provision of sensing technology, data collection and analysis and technology improvement based on technology assessment

Consideration of commercialisation of privacy-friendly sensing technology

Based on the evaluation results of the trial, the two companies will further improve their privacy-friendly technology to create and service public restroom spaces that are safe and secure for users of barrier-free toilets including the elderly, people with disabilities and users with small children or infants.

Future Plans

TOTO will continue to make proposals that address social issues by integrating existing technologies with digital technologies and will actively collaborate with various companies to create new value for society and customers.

Based on the evaluation results, Fujitsu will further improve its monitoring technology and aim to develop a privacy-friendly monitoring technology service in Japan by the end of fiscal 2024.

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• Source: https://www.iot-now.com/2024/01/22/142009-fujitsu-and-toto-launch-trial-for-ai-powered-restroom-safety-solutions/