Sony’s exhibition booth is called “wena Project.” This is a new project in the company’s business creation program ― a seed acceleration program, and a smart band called wena wrist the company is aiming to develop and release for sale.
“wena wrist” combines analog watch design with smart functions.
Teppei Tsushima, Director of Sony’s New Business Creation Division wena Business Preparation Office, had the following to say:
“I love watches and gadgets, and I always wore 2 or 3 of smart watches or smarts bands when I was a student. However, I always wondered whether it would be possible to combine all those functions into a single device, in a watch-like design. The idea of “wena wrist” grew out of my student days.”
Tsushima focused on the watch band (the wrist part). This device was born from the idea of including various functions all in the watch band worn around the wrist. Thus, the watch part of the wena wrist has been designed to keep the analog watch look. The smart functions in the band include an “Osaifu-Keitai” (electronic wallet) function using a FeliCa chip, functions that alert the wearer of incoming calls, email and SMS updates with light or vibration, and activity tracking functions to measure paces or calories consumed.
This project also gets attention for its crowd funding. Aiming for commercialization in April of 2016 with a target amount of JPY 10 million, funding quickly exceeded its target once donation acceptance commenced on the crowd funding site “First Flight,” and had already reached JPY 90 million as of October 8 with 23 days still to go before the donation time limit is up. With such momentum behind him, Tsushima, the youthful 25-year old leader’s eyes shine as he says “since so many people think so highly of wena wrist, I’m very happy.”
Having conceived the project in his student days and now materializing it at Sony, Tsushima smiles as he confidently wears a wena wrist
The crowds of people gathering around wena wrist shows the high level of interest in the device
- Booth No.
- 3N47
- Related links
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Sony : http://www.sony.co.jp/
