Due to COVID-19, it is hard to dream of any company going abroad. Nevertheless, small and medium-sized Korean companies are attracting attention – especially those who were introduced to various Japanese companies by Elematec (TOYOTA Group’s Shosha, Trading company), which has a business contract with LA Times Asia Journal Holdings. The aforementioned Korean SMEs are Infoming (vital signs monitoring system via smart band), GB Soft (vital signs monitoring system via camera), and Emma Healthcare (skincare device using Plasma).
SOFTBANK in Japan has started to actively examine plans to sell Infomining’s smart band. The wearable device uses light on the wrist to measure six vital signs – electrocardiogram, blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen saturation, pulse, body temperature – on an AI server via smartphone. Measurements can be made even if the user moves for 24 hours at a minimum interval of one minute. Its electrocardiogram measurement is 99.71% accurate for about 30 different types of heart diseases. Infomining has established a telemedicine system at three of the top hospitals in Korea and is working on a contract after a successful clinical testing. Infomining started a negotiation with one of the telecommunications companies in Korea to apply it to senior care services. Now, SOFTBANK has begun a full-fledged review for a business model to sell Infomining’s Smart Band to the older aged user base of 4G communication networks in Japan.
CARECOM of Japan, a company that produces and sells mainly the Nurse Call System, is interested in Infomining and GB Soft. CARECOM wants to apply Infomining’s vital signs monitoring system via smart band to sell to hospitals, welfare centers, and health centers in Japan. For GB Soft, CARECOM wants to GB Soft’s system to its own smart mirror products that are used for Nurse Station. As long as there are cameras such as laptops, smartphones, smart mirrors, and CCTV, GB Soft’s system can analyze the incoming video from an AI server, then measure the four vital signs – blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pulse, temperature. It is a system that can be measured using infrared light even in dark places. GB Soft has already been installed at the site of Lotte Engineering & Construction and Daewoo Construction in Korea, and is under joint development with Hyundai Motor to apply a system that measures driver’s sleepiness to self-driving cars. Now, CARECOM has received estimates from GB Soft and Infomining and will decide on a budget at its executive meeting.
MAXELL in Japan is highly interested in Emma Healthcare’s skincare device using Plasma. Emma Healthcare has a number of sales records through a famous Korean Instagram influencer. It also entered the Pangyo branch of Hyundai Department Store, a branch with recorded sales of $894 billion. After receiving the estimate from Emma Healthcare, MAXELL is preparing to sell the product on TV home-shopping in Japan, targeting people with many facial and hair skin troubles due to various stresses. MAXELL believes that sales will be effective through TV home-shopping platforms because many people are working from home due to COVID-19.
Mike Choi
Asia Journal
(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)
