Our primary focus is on developing and providing methods to increase safety and security: Susumu Matsuda on how Santoku Corporation is influencing many sectors through its services

“RiMM serves as a comprehensive resource, reinforcing safety protocols across four primary disaster categories: general disasters like fires and traffic accidents, natural disasters, industrial accidents, and human-induced disasters.”

Santoku Corporation is a global company founded to import and export metal processing and manufacturing equipment and has been focused on pioneering advances in virtual reality (VR) technology. This commitment has empowered the company to visualize concepts and embark on ventures with an unwavering determination to explore new frontiers. Driven by an unwavering emphasis on comprehensive safety measures, Santoku has actively expanded its global operations. By harnessing the potential of VR, Santoku has revolutionized its approach to product development, creating prototypes tailored to specific customer requirements and obtaining invaluable feedback through rigorous field testing. The company integrates iterative enhancements based on changing requirements, ultimately leading to the successful introduction of products to the market. Following product release, the company maintains an ongoing process of seeking customer feedback, persistently aiming to improve the functionality of the software.

A couple of years ago, in 2014, Santoku Corporation introduced RiMM, or Risk Management Method, marking the pioneering launch of a VR product dedicated to safety education.

The Silicon Review reached out to Susumu Matsuda, Executive Director of Santoku Corporation, and here’s his response.

Interview Highlights

Q. As a glbal company, what are Santoku Corporation’s key focus areas?

Our primary focus is on developing and providing methods to increase safety and security. For example, in 2005, we developed an accident reenactment computer graphics video to prevent accidents involving infants. In 2007, we developed a driving simulator with accident response functions to prevent railway operation disasters. In 2013, we developed a protection training simulator to protect nuclear power plants from terrorism. In 2014, we developed a training simulator for training disaster prevention personnel who can now respond to natural disasters better. In 2015, we developed a simulator to study and train nuclear plant decommissioning. In 2016, we developed and commercialized a disaster experience simulator to prevent industrial accidents.

Q. What strategies does Santoku implement to meet the growing market demand?

We implement a range of strategies to fulfill the increasing market needs. For example, in the past, VR development was mainly about developing custom-made products in response to customer requests, but RiMM was born by exploring packaged products through the development of various simulators. Since then, we have developed VR package products using RiMM and continued to provide safety measures to society.

RiMM serves as a comprehensive resource, reinforcing safety protocols across four primary disaster categories: general disasters like fires and traffic accidents, natural disasters, industrial accidents, and human-induced disasters. Moreover, our efforts have centered around breaking down the disaster experience into six distinct stages. This method has facilitated the creation of customized products designed to enhance safety and improve people’s abilities at each stage. The six stages encompass a skills training simulator for task-oriented learning, a disaster reenactment video for case studies, a disaster experience simulator to heighten risk awareness, a 360-degree panoramic video-based danger-pointing education program, and a disaster prevention module.

We have commercialized disaster training simulators that promote decision-making and action. Human memory, sensitivity, awareness, and knowledge need to be strengthened through regular and repeated education. By repeatedly providing education at each stage, RiMM strengthens people’s safety against disasters and leads them to a safe and secure state.

Q. Can you introduce us to your services? What are their main features?

A disaster experience simulator was commercialized in 2016. Subsequent studies have shown that employing RiMM regularly for a period exceeding three years has led to a noticeable decrease in the occurrence of lethal incidents across various sectors. This substantiates that the implementation of RiMM effectively enhances safety measures. Currently, RiMM is actively integrated into 34 occupational fields, and nearly 700 machines are in operation for safety education. Apart from its use in Japan, it has also been embraced by over six nations in the Asia-Pacific region, extending to the Middle East.

Furthermore, our team develops products in three locations: Japan, Vietnam, and Mexico. We can develop content using VR, commercialize units that reproduce the sense of touch, pain, smell, pain, and balance felt by the body using robot control technology, and develop cloud products using network, server, and database technology. When developing safe and secure methods, we believe that it is important to research and develop products that match the biological characteristics of people, so we research and develop methods by elucidating human characteristics using brain chemistry, neuroscience, and psychology.

Q. Can you tell us more about RiMM?

To date, RiMM has developed and provided products that protect the human body. Since 2020, we have been focusing on research and development of ways to achieve peace of mind and maintain peace of mind. Through these efforts, we plan to improve and add products that meet the final step of our philosophy of safety and security (keep peace of mind).

This diagram shows the advantages of the RiMM VR disaster experience. With normal VR, the experience ends with just seeing, hearing, and drawing an image of the disaster in your head. RiMM’s disaster experience uses a sensory reproduction unit with three or more senses to reproduce and directly convey multiple sensations appropriate to the nature of the disaster. This allows the person experiencing the disaster to feel the fear of the disaster with their entire body. This also prevents mental disorders by appropriately adjusting the intensity of fear on five levels. By feeling it with your body, you can experience it directly touching your heart. After experiencing a disaster, the sensations experienced during the disaster remain in people’s memories even after the experience. RiMM is a product developed based on human biological characteristics and serves as an effective method for enhancing human safety.

Susumu Matsuda | Executive Director of Santoku Corporation

Susumu Matsuda is characterized by his unwavering dedication to his principles, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to devising methods and ideas that enhance safety through the replication of human sensations using VR technology. Susumu’s overarching objective is to cultivate a secure and protected society for the well-being of both humanity and the environment, reflecting his strong vision for the future. Susumu in:

• 2005 established Studio WA Orient Co., Ltd. in Tokyo to develop VR software.
  
  
• 2009 established Studio WA Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh to create 3D data for VR.
  
  
• 2012 announced the concept of RiMM.
  
  
• 2016 developed an expanded VR disaster experience system that allows you to experience disasters using your five senses.
  
  
• 2020 started research that combines engineering and life science to develop safe and secure methods.
  
  
• 2022 announced RiMM Safety and Security Cyclone Philosophy: ‘Stimulate the five senses and directly touch the heart’.

With a background in mechanical engineering, Susumu Matsuda specialized in the study of automatic control theory. His professional journey involved gaining expertise in CPU architecture during his tenure at an electronics manufacturing firm, where he was instrumental in the development of control programs for die bonders and wire bonders utilized in semiconductor manufacturing. Additionally, he dedicated 13 years to the development of machine vision processing algorithms. Following the impactful events of the 9/11 terrorist attack, he made the pivotal decision to embark on a venture in the VR industry.

“In 2005, we developed an accident reenactment computer graphics video to prevent accidents involving infants. In 2007, we developed a driving simulator with accident response functions to prevent railway operation disasters. In 2013, we developed a protection training simulator to protect nuclear power plants from terrorism. In 2014, we developed a training simulator for training disaster prevention personnel who can now respond to natural disasters better. In 2015, we developed a simulator to study and train nuclear plant decommissioning. In 2016, we developed and commercialized a disaster experience simulator to prevent industrial accidents.”