Helping to provide peace of mind to seniors and people with disabilitiesSupport for telemedicine systems that enable remote medical examinationsDriving the diversification of work environments through leveraging ICT to enable teleworking and other work stylesSupport of nursing care and social service programs
With declining population and the aging of society, more and
more senior citizens and people with disabilities require support
to be able to lead safe and secure daily lives. The NTT
Group is working to address the needs of these communities
through utilizing ICT to develop support for nursing care and
welfare services. This includes the consideration of community
design that enables all people to live in safety and security,
and initiatives that leverage communications technologies to
enable anyone to obtain the information they need.
Initiatives
Broadband-enabled systems for the prevention of long-term nursing care
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The NTT Group launched experiments in July 2005 to test a
broadband-enabled system for preventive healthcare aimed
at avoiding the need for long-term nursing care at a later date.
The system supports the total spectrum of such preventive
healthcare, from health examinations to guidance for maintaining
health, including a rich menu of advice for improving
motor functions, diets, and oral functions. The system utilizes
video communications for enjoyable use at home as well as
nursing homes and public facilities. We will continue to invest
in such ICT-based efforts to alleviate instructor shortages and
support the prevention of long-term nursing care with the aim
of contributing to the overall vitality of Japanese society.
Trial service for emergency messages via text and sign language
Most of the data information devices and services available
today feature text and voice messaging for people with normal
hearing, but those with hearing impairments need easyto-
understand information services in sign language to help
them participate more fully in society. To this end, NTT Cyber
Solution Laboratories in cooperation with Hitachi, Ltd. in April
2006 launched a trial of a new system for sending emergency
messages via text and sign language. Once this new technology
is broadly deployed, it will be possible in the event of
disasters to inform all members of the general public, including
those with hearing impairments, in trains, buses and other
public spaces where information via TV, telephone, and other
familiar information is unavailable.
Monitoring services for seniors
The NTT Group provides services for monitoring the personal safety of seniors who live on their own.
For example, ACTOS Mimamori eye is the name of NTT MARKETING ACT services that enable family members to use their PCs and mobile phones to check on the daily activities of seniors who live alone by means of sensors installed in the home.
NTT DoCoMo also offers mobile phones that automatically send a text message to a designated mobile phone number each time it is placed in its battery charger.
Since December 2005, NTT TELECON has been providing a similar service that notifies family members by e-mail of the volume of gas used by a senior living alone.
ICT-based support for medical services
Seniors living far from hospitals and nursing care facilities or
who otherwise have trouble finding transportation to such facilities
can well appreciate the convenience of a system that
allows them to receive medical examinations and nursing care
services remotely. The NTT Group is applying its expertise in
ICT to these and other issues through the development of solutions
that will help maintain the vitality of Japan's aging society.
Initiatives
Verification testing of a TV phone service for medical examinations at home
The NTT Group is leveraging ICT to develop telemedicine services.
In July 2005, NTT Communications, in cooperation with
NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation and Asahikawa
Medical College, launched the trial operation of a TV phone
medical examination service. This system allows users to undergo
medical examinations in their own homes by transmitting
blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and other data to the
hospital. This system was used for performing actual examinations
on patients from the fall of 2005 until March 2006.
Telemedicine system
The Asahi Clinic in Tadami Town, Fukushima Prefecture began
operation in August 2005 of a telemedicine system provided
by NTT EAST. This system connects Asahi Clinic with
the Fukushima Prefectural Aizu General Hospital via a highspeed
optical fiber cable system that enables doctors at the
clinic to transmit CT, MRI, and other data to the general hospital,
where it can be used in consultation with specialists.
ICT-based telepathology
The NTT Group, as part of its efforts to help eliminate regional differences in the availability of medical services, initiated in April 2005 full-fledged operation of a system for ICT-based telepathology, which had been undergoing trial operations on an experimental basis with the cooperation of Iwate Medical University. This system, which makes use of WarpVision, an optical fiber-mediated high quality video communication service for enabling pathologists to examine the cells and tissues of patients in remote areas as if they were on site, has been deployed by over 10 hospitals so far.
In June 2006, this system received a u-Japan Award ("Life" category) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in recognition of its contribution as a leading-edge IT service providing solutions for business and everyday life issues. Future plans call for the use of ICT to help resolve the lack of medical specialists on distant islands and in remote locations throughout Japan.
Remote prenatal care using optical fiber networks: Making remote medical examinations by world-renowned doctors a reality
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NTT Service Integration Laboratories, in cooperation with the National Center for Child Health and Development, initiated in March 2006 trial operation of a US-Japan remote prenatal care system that utilizes an ultrahigh-speed experimental network connecting NTT Laboratories with an academic research network throughout Europe and North America. Although the world continues to suffer from a shortage of prenatal care specialists, the use of ultrahigh-speed telecommunications is making remote medical examination and treatment by world-renowned doctors a reality.
Providing a variety of work environments
Faced with a declining population, Japan urgently needs to create
a diversity of work environments to maintain a sufficient
workforce. To ensure that people from all stations of life are
able to find stable work, including people with disabilities, the
elderly, those raising young children or nursing family members,
the NTT Group is using ICT to help create a variety of
work environments.
Initiatives
Expanding employment opportunities with the Digital Map Virtual Factory
Opened in July 2003, NTT Neomeit's Digital Map Virtual Factory
is a virtual community where staff members living in different
locations are able to work together in the creation and
maintenance of digital map data via a broadband network.
Staff members include people with disabilities who are unable
to commute to work easily, and also those who are unable
to work regular hours because they are raising small children.
The Digital Map Virtual Factory is contributing to the expansion
of employment opportunities, and currently (2006) boasts three group offices and a workforce of 129 teleworkers. NTT Neomeit has also launched a new business producing digital cartoon content for mobile phones, and further employment opportunities are expected to be generated on an ongoing basis.
CAVA Teleworking system
Teleworkers contracted by NTT Com CHEO are now handling a major portion of ISP-related inquiries that do not involve the exchange of customer information through a home-based call center operation system, CAVA. Teleworkers throughout Japan who have registered with NTT Com CHEO are able to work from their own home, and now respond to inquiries and provide support for nearly half of the callers contacting ISP call centers.
The system allows teleworkers to determine for themselves when and how long they will work each day, thereby enabling them to continue to work even while providing childcare or healthcare for family members, or otherwise dealing with circumstances that make it difficult for them to leave their homes. NTT Com CHEO's system currently provides work opportunities to 850 registered teleworkers.
Continuing education and group training for teleworkers is provided twice a year at workshops held throughout Japan, and the organization of teleworkers into regional groups helps maintain motivation as well as enhance communication between teleworkers and management.
NTT Com CHEO is committed to using its expertise in ICT to help create employment opportunities in a wide variety of industries that will accommodate the needs of teleworkers.
