Takayuki Yoshimura is Theme Leader of Mobile X-Ray System with Dynamic Digital Radiography, Healthcare Business Headquarters at Konica Minolta, Inc., discusses one of the five material issues that underpins our goals: supporting healthy, high-quality living. We asked Takayuki about how Konica Minolta are building a healthier tomorrow by advancing medical care, and moving towards a world where we can predict diseases before they even develop.
Takayuki Yoshimura: Since childhood, I've had a passion for creating things, which led me to pursue a career in product development. In my department, naturally, we engage in creating products, and within the Healthcare department, we're essentially at the forefront of shaping products.
Takayuki Yoshimura: When people think of development, they often imagine it as simply creating products and new technologies, and finishing there, but that's only about half of the image. There are many related tasks including regulatory compliance, manual creation, and software.
Takayuki Yoshimura: Our main vision is to release products that bring new value and support medical practices. We believe in supporting ordinary people through medical equipment to help them achieve a higher quality of life.
Takayuki Yoshimura: My belief is that to have a sense of truly living and to attribute meaning to life, a high-quality life with good health and minimal inconvenience is fundamentally necessary. I think that only with this foundation can a normal life truly flourish.
Takayuki Yoshimura: In 2018, we released a product with the capability of Dynamic Digital Radiography. Dynamic Digital Radiography (DDR) is a technology to generate dynamic images by continuously displaying X-Ray images captured by continuous pulse X-ray irradiation. However, this function was limited to specific locations, specifically X-ray rooms. By implementing this into mobile examination units called "mobile units," which can move to patient rooms, we aim to address the needs of individuals who cannot come to the X-ray room. We're working towards resolving this by making the conditions for using the equipment more flexible and accessible, enabling the equipment to move to those patients in need.
Takayuki Yoshimura: The procedure of Dynamic Digital Radiography typically requires patients to be moved to the designated location. However, there are patients affected by COVID-19, critically ill patients who cannot move on their own, or those with multiple tubes attached to their bodies after surgery, making it challenging for them to relocate. Instead of moving these patients, we aimed to offer a new value by having the equipment move itself to the side of the patient's bed while they lay there. This allows the Dynamic Digital Radiography to be performed without requiring patient movement.
Takayuki Yoshimura: People might not realise they are sick, leading to delayed treatment. This is a reality. Therefore, I think if we can make it even slightly easier, less invasive, painless, and simpler for individuals to understand their own conditions, we can help them notice any issues sooner and potentially provide some assistance.
Takayuki Yoshimura: Since the products I am developing are medical devices, I have expectations, or rather hopes, for improvements in medical devices. Currently, using medical equipment is highly complex, to the extent that there's a national qualification, such as a clinical engineering technologist, solely for operating these devices. However, if these operations could become more intuitive and easier to use, it would broaden the scope of accessibility and potentially unlock more value.
Takayuki Yoshimura: I wonder if in the future, there will be a gradual reduction of barriers between machines and the human body. In essence, I believe there will be an increase in intuitive interactions. Various products, including medical devices, seem to be gradually becoming more user-friendly. Eventually, I believe we will move closer to a scenario where machines or products, merely by imagining in our minds, will respond in ways that align with our thoughts, reducing the need for extensive manual learning and allowing for more intuitive interaction. It was so interesting to explore Takayuki’s insight into ways of supporting healthy, high-quality living. It’s clear he has some exciting aspirations when it comes to Konica Minolta’s new technological developments, particularly when it comes to more autonomous, intuitive ways for patients to receive healthcare in the future.