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Kao and DOCOMO Agree to Collaborate in the Healthcare Field
Will use Kao's Virtual Human Body Generative Model and DOCOMO's d Healthcare to Propose Optimal Healthcare Solutions for Individual Customers
On February 28, 2022 Kao Corporation and NTT DOCOMO, INC. agreed to a collaboration using both companies' platforms with the goal of proposing optimal healthcare solutions for individual customers.
With the coming era of 100-year lifespans, extending healthy life expectancy—in part so that people can live long, healthy, fulfilling lives—has become a major social issue. The state of customers' health differs by age, gender, living conditions and other factors, and effective healthcare solutions also vary widely from person to person.
This collaboration envisions combining Kao's Virtual Human Body Generative Model*1 , newly developed with the cooperation of Preferred Networks, Inc., and DOCOMO's "d Healthcare®"*2 and digital technologies, etc. with the goal of creating optimal healthcare solutions for each individual customer by estimating the state of the customer's health.
Outline of Collaboration
DOCOMO has been working to advance efforts to estimate a variety of disease risks and health conditions using AI technology. With the consent of the customer, a portion of the customer's data recorded daily in d Healthcare, DOCOMO's health management and promotion application for smartphones, will be entered into Kao's Virtual Human Body Generative Model, enabling the estimation of more than 1,600 data items related to health and lifestyle*3 .
Based on the estimated data, and by linking DOCOMO's d Healthcare and other services, Kao and DOCOMO will provide advice on health-related behavior as well as life care-related products and services tailored to each individual. The goal is a society which allows customers to feel even healthier.
Roles of each company
| Kao | ･Provide Virtual Human Body Generative Model ･Provide life care-related products and services |
|---|---|
| DOCOMO | ･Provide healthcare services ･Provide AI-based estimation technology |
Going forward, Kao and DOCOMO will consider future collaboration as mutual partners in Kao's digital life platform*4 business and DOCOMO's healthcare platform business.
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* 1 Kao and Preferred Networks have developed a new system that can estimate a variety of data about health and lifestyle from certain data about the body, etc. For example, from the number of steps taken and body weight, it is possible to estimate values for items such as triglycerides and LDL cholesterol that would normally be measured during a health checkup. Refer to the Kao press release for details.
(URL: https://www.kao.com/global/en/news/business-finance/2022/20220228-001/) -
* 2 The "d Healthcare" health management and promotion application for smartphones provided by DOCOMO records data such as number of steps walked, weight, blood pressure and body temperature, allowing users to track daily changes on a graph or calendar. Users also have access to free content that can help them enjoy acquiring healthy habits. Users of the paid version of the app can also make use of online health advice, allowing them to consult a doctor about a variety of health concerns via 24-hour online chat.
(See the service website at https://health.dmkt-sp.jp [Japanese]) -
* 3 When providing Kao with data recorded in "d Healthcare," DOCOMO will do so only to an extent that does not identify the individual customer.
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* 4 An open platform in the life care field being advanced under Kao's Mid-term Plan "K25."
Company Profiles
Kao Corporation
| Representative | Yoshihiro Hasebe, Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Established | May 21, 1940 (founded June 19, 1887) |
| No. of employees (consolidated) | 33,507 (as of December 31, 2021) |
| Business description | Consumer products businesses, including Hygiene & Living Care, Health & Beauty Care, Life Care, and Cosmetics, and the Chemical business to meet the needs of industry |
NTT DOCOMO, INC.
| Representative | Motoyuki Ii, President and Chief Executive Officer |
|---|---|
| Address | Sanno Park Tower, 2-11-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Start of business | July 1, 1992 |
| No. of employees (consolidated) | 28,113 (as of March 31, 2021) |
| Business description | - Communications business - Smart life business - Other businesses |
Media inquiries should be directed to:
Corporate Strategy
Kao Corporation