Daiya Industry was established in 1963 in Okayama, Japan and has been a successful manufacturer of orthopedics such as supporters and braces for more than half a century. On the basis of the management philosophy of offering medical products that fulfill customer needs and wishes, their products are developed from the customer’s point of view and are able to help with various symptoms, body parts, and sizes.

They produce innovative products through links and tie-ups with academic institutions and technologies from other business sectors. Their epoch-making product DARWING is a full body support that supports both inner muscles and braces outer muscles. DARWING is chosen by both professional and amateur athletes alike.

One of their latest innovative products is a Power Assist Glove that is an inflatable hand exoskeleton that is designed to augment the user’s grasp, enabling them to hold onto objects better with air-featured artificial-muscle technology. Wearable walking assist device , Power Assist Walk, from the same series won the section prize of The Super Monodzukuri Parts Grand Award 2019. Their brand “bonebone” has over 1000 items that are co-created with their clients, which include about 30,000 osteopathic and orthopedic clinics. They have also been exporting their products to 18 countries around the world, such as the US, Canada, Germany, UK, Italy, China and South Korea.

GLAB is a venture company in Hiroshima founded by Kazuyoshi Gamada Ph.D., who is a physical therapist for rehabilitation of athletic injuries and joint diseases, and a professor with the Department of Integrated Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences at Hiroshima International University.

He was the first to apply the “ReaLine Concept” for rehabilitation of joint diseases as well as athletic training. This concept is based on realigning the joints by restoring normal soft tissue gliding, neuromuscular function as well as a reeducation of athletic and daily movement. The most unique aspect of this concept is to minimize the risk of strength training by restoring joint alignment until it becomes pain free in passive joint motion.

ReaLine devices were developed to enhance the rehabilitation or training of the ReaLine Concept. ReaLine CORE is a unique invention consisting of 2 units that are applied to the pelvis and thorax. They allow various standing exercises to realign the pelvis and thorax, to optimize the spinal motion, and to enhance functional movement and stability of the core. They treat the cause of pelvic and/or spinal problems widely seen in orthopedics, rehabilitation, athletics, and the beauty industry.

SYSTEM FRIEND is a company located in Hiroshima, Japan and has been providing a wide range of services including software development, software planning, and operation support ranging from open-source software customization to scratch development. They have also developed technology for medical and welfare equipment services, which all began with a coincidental encounter with a doctor at rehabilitation hospital in town who was in need of such assistance.

The Mobile Motion Visualizer AKIRA is a piece of medical equipment that was born out of the real needs of rehabilitation patients and physicians. Utilizing a contactless sensor, it is able to evaluate the ranges of joint motion. Using AKIRA is as simple as taking a video. Without any marker and without increasing the burden on patients, it is able to measure and record all 3D information relating to posture and motion of the body.

Furthermore, it is equipped with an array of functions aiding analysis and measurement. As a range of motion measuring device, this system can be widely used for scenarios where body measurements are required, not just for medical purposes. To make it more efficient for real world situations, the company has also added some extended functions such as the gait measurement and analysis.

Using their developed technology, the company has also provided AKIRA care for daily life activities (ADL) evaluation and AKIRA fit for analyzing posture and motion. They also carry out projects for in-home nursing care support.