suring instruments, are produced in numerous varieties as B2B products. Due to the high-mix low-volume production involved, production costs tend to be high. Improving production efciency while keeping costs down is a major issue.Given these conditions, I think the ultimate pro-duction mode would involve the development of a versatile automated machine capable of assembling any product type, whether it’s a medical device or an environmental instrument. I would be interested in teaching a multi-joint-ed dual-arm robot with a camera to function as an eye for various components and assem-bly movements. The robot would automatically assemble the components placed before it. Realizing a production mode like that would eliminate the need to build production facilities for each product type. It would keep capital investment to a minimum.The facility operation rate would also be high-er. We could expect to save not just facility design resources, but the resources needed by the Manufacturing Engineering Department to maintain and use the facility. I know this sounds a bit far-fetched, but a common design that would work for hearing aids, medical devices, sound and vibration instruments, and particulate-related instruments would enable production using a common facility. I also believe we can apply AI to de-sign. I know it’s hard to automate design work done by humans, but as practical AI applica-tions broaden, I think it should eventually be possible to automate minimum design tasks.One example I can think of is an AI that gen-erates several candidate patterns for jigs and molds based on accumulated design data, when you input 3D data for a new component. You would simply select the optimal pattern and make a few modications before using a 3D printer to create a test piece. It would be convenient to use AI in this way. I think we will need to improve ef-ciency by having AI to perform all the tasks it proves capable of. But I think human workers will remain in charge of pursuing the ultimate precision. That won’t change.People at Rion tend to be very serious about doing their jobs in a methodical way. Each new product entails numerous development processes, which I feel is bit wasteful. Design concepts at Rion have gradually become more unied. It used to be that each designer worked with a different concept and used different parts. I understand it’s natural for people to come up with diverse approaches and solutions, but we need to unify things at a fundamental level to achieve the efficiency we need to allocate more time to work that requires higher intellectual functions. That will put us in position to create more new prod-ucts.What do you think lies ahead in the elds of sound and vibra-tion? Traditionally, the main strategy in the sound and vi-bration field was measurement first, and then suppression. But I think we can do more than just suppress sound and vibration. If I ever come up with something along these lines, it would be interesting to combine it with the production engineering ideas Mr. Hara may have.Both sound and vibration have energy. Earth-quakes, in particular, have a tremendous amount of energy. If we could find a way to use this energy in a positive way—for exam-ple, converting it into electricity—it would contribute to future society and help Rion play an even greater role in the world. The technical hurdles are quite high. But it would be interest-ing to convert negative phenomena like noise and earthquakes into positives. I like the idea of turning something negative into something positive.Noise and vibration are eternally present at the sites of customers who use our sound level meters and vibration meters. Gaining energy from such phenomena would also contribute from an SDGs perspective. It may even be possible to make noise pleasant. Lots of things in the world gen-erate noise. It would be interesting if we could convert the noise not at the source, but where the noise is perceived. For example, the sound leaking from someone else’s earphones on the train could be converted to the music of your preference; or the noise in the next room could be converted to a pleasant sound. A product like that would appeal to a broad range of people. It’s potentially an entirely new line of business. Instruments that measure sound and vibration basically constitute a B2B business. Something like that would present an opportu-nity to expand into B2C.gies and Rion’s FutureSESSIONA talk session with our mid-career engineersWhat technologies will help Rion contribute to society? This marks the third in a series in which two staff members from different departments envision Rion’s future.11Interview and article by Noriaki OkamotoAkira KikuchiSince joining Rion in 2010, he has mainly been involved with sales. In April 2021, he was placed in charge of solving issues related to sound and vibration in the New Business Promotion Section.
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