TOKYO, Japan, May 14th, 2024 -
Pasona Group Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Group CEO: Yasuyuki Nambu) has announced a partnership with Nara Medical University and CCH Sound Inc., a company striving to popularize "cartilage conduction," the health-conscious technology known as the “third auditory pathway.” The partnership aims towards the fruition of workstyles which promote the physical and mental well-being of all people. These three organizations will work together to develop new products utilizing cartilage conduction technology and promote collaborations with businesses to introduce this innovation into work environments.
As part of this initiative, Pasona Group will adopt cartilage conduction devices in the company's pavilion "PASONA NATUREVERSE" at the Expo 2025 (Osaka-Kansai Expo), a first in the history of the Expo. Staff headsets and audio guide earphones will showcase the potential of this groundbreaking auditory technology to the world.
Cartilage conduction was discovered by Hiroshi Hosoi, President and Chairman of Nara Medical University. Through this "third auditory pathway," vibrations on the outer ear cartilage generate air oscillations (sound) in the outer ear canal which are transmitted to the middle ear and eardrum. Unlike traditional audio devices, "cartilage conduction earphones" transmit sound by simply resting lightly near the cartilage without blocking the ear canal. This innovation is expected to foster the development of revolutionary new applications for use with smartphones, smart glasses and more. Additionally, because the earphone design has no openings, they are easily kept clean, one reason for their current use to support the elderly at local government offices across the country.
Therefore, to support the emergence of a bright, dynamic future society where all people live with vigor and robust health, the Pasona Group has partnered with CCH Sound and Nara Medical University to develop new cartilage conduction devices and form business collaborations to introduce this technology into various workplaces. As an initial trial, the Pasona Group will adopt cartilage conduction technology in work contracted for the Osaka-Kansai Expo, as well as at reception counters at companies, local governments, call centers, and at Pasona Group restaurants and tourism facilities on Awaji Island. This adoption will improve the health and safety of work environments while also helping to raise the quality of service provided not only to the elderly and the disabled, but for all people.
Additionally, the cartilage conduction technology will be put into use at the "PASONA NATUREVERSE" pavilion. The adoption of devices for internal staff communication will make the most of the technology’s advantages that include comfortable use with less strain on ears even over long time periods, easy detection of surrounding sounds by keeping ear canals open, and the ability to hear customer voices even during use of audio devices. Also, to provide a more moving experience to the many visitors from around the world, audio guides with multilingual translation functions will be available through cartilage conduction earphones, for foreign visitors, the elderly, and other guests at the pavilion. The real world application of cartilage conduction technology will raise awareness of the attractive possibilities promised by this new audio innovation.
Through this collaboration, the Pasona Group aims to further expand the mainstream adoption of cartilage conduction technology, to bring into being a society of true prosperity in which everyone can wholeheartedly live a life of energy and vigor.
Pasona Group, CCH Sound, and Nara Medical University Collaboration Details
Start Date
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Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 |
Objective
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To realize workstyles which promote the physical and mental wellbeing of all people through the widespread adoption and proliferation of cartilage conduction technology.
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Content
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・developing new products and solutions utilizing cartilage conduction technology
・establishing healthy and safe working environments via implementation of the technology
・improving service quality through utilization of the technology
・introducing and proliferating the technology at the Osaka-Kansai Expo |
About "Cartilage Conduction"
For more than 500 years, 2 routes have been known for hearing sound: air conduction, which detects the compression waves of the air, and bone conduction, where vibrations are transmitted through bone. In 2004, Professor Yuji Hosoi of Otolaryngology at Nara Medical University (currently President) discovered that when vibrations containing audio information are applied to ear cartilage, such information is clearly transmitted to the inner ear, naming the phenomenon "nankotsu dendo", or "cartilage conduction" in English.
Distinct from "bone conduction," "cartilage conduction" features completely different hearing mechanisms and characteristics of sound transmission. Cartilage conduction is an auditory phenomenon in which sound (vibration) energy vibrates the external auditory canal which forms the outer half of the tubular ear canal, thus generating air-conducted sound (air compression waves) inside the ear canal, reaching the inner ear via the eardrum and middle ear. Bone-conducted sound is heard when sound (vibration) energy is transmitted directly to the inner ear via the skull, without passing through the eardrum or middle ear.
Features of "Cartilage Conduction" Technology
・Round earphones with no holes for clean use and no earwax accumulation
・No insertion into ear canals means fewer concerns about ear canal infections
・Keeping ear canals open allows detection of surrounding sounds, for smoother conversation with people nearby
・Sound is generated inside the ear canal, for clear sound quality
Reference: Pasona Group Inc. Company Overview
Location
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PASONA SQUARE, 3-1-30 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
Established
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February 16th, 1976
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Paid-in Capital
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5 billion yen |
Representative
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Yasuyuki Nambu, Group CEO
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Business Activities
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Expert Services (temporary staffing), BPO Services (contracting), HR Consulting, Education & Training, Global Sourcing (overseas HR services), Career Solutions (employee placement, career support), Outsourcing, Life Solutions, Regional Revitalization Solutions |
Reference: CCH Sound Inc. Company Overview
Location
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Do Produce Bldg., 4-28-8 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto |
Established
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October 2019
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Paid-in Capital
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139.5 million yen |
Representative
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Masanaga Nakagawa, CEO
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Business Activities
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Development, manufacturing, and sales of cartilage conduction transducers; development, manufacturing, and sales of cartilage conduction acoustic devices; cartilage conduction business consulting, cartilage conduction patent licensing |
*CCH Sound was awarded top prize in the "Body Category" at the "Well-being Business Contest 2022" organized by Pasona Group
About "PASONA NATUREVERSE"
▲"PASONA NATUREVERSE" exterior concept image
Concept
Pasona Group's job is to harness the potential of the individual. We aim to help build a society in which everyone can flourish in good health and vibrance.
“Thank You, Life.”
We want to create a world where life is respected; a world enveloped in gratitude for life, from children to the elderly, among all people across the world.
Our society is a part of the natural world, and humanity's continued existence is thanks to nature. However, at some point, we began to take nature for granted. Have we forgotten to be grateful?
Giving thanks to each other, to the rich blessings bestowed upon humanity by nature, and for the fact that we are alive right now. We want to create a new world in which these expressions of thanks resonate and are passed down to the next generation.
We hope that many people from all over the world will visit our pavilion and become creators of a future in which reverberates with gratitude, and work together with us to create the "NATUREVERSE" (Nature×Universe). This is the hope of Pasona Group.
Exhibition Overview
■ Main Themes
(1) Body: Medical / Food
Creating a healthy body through the latest medical care and food.
※As Executive Producer of the pavilion, we welcome Dr. Yoshiki Sawa, Professor Emeritus of Osaka University and leading expert in regenerative medicine using iPS cells.
(2) Heart: Life Purpose / Compassion
Many things have occurred in our society since the pandemic began. Now is the time to create a spiritually rich society in which everyone can think about their future based on the spirit of "compassion," and which is full of diversity and purpose in life.
(3) Bonds: Work / Mutual Aid
Creating a truly prosperous society in which all people can work vibrantly and live happily, in other words, a "society of mutual assistance" and a "mutual society".
▼Please refer to the official site for pavilion details
https://www.pasonagroup.co.jp/english/expo/
Inquiries
PR Department, Pasona Group Inc.
+81-3-6734-0215
