2024.08.30
Interview with Group CTO
Tap Water Philosophy - A Challenge to the Next-Generation​
Future Lifestyle Pursued through Technology Future Vision: Tatsuo Ogawa, Group CTO, Panasonic Holdings Corporation

This is how the Technology Future Vision emerged. This concept has been visualized using concrete images.

The Tap Water Philosophy advocated by the founder Konosuke Matsushita underlies the formulation of the Technology Future Vision.

Ogawa: Our founder Konosuke Matsushita once said, "If we produce an abundant supply of things we need in this world, like tap water, which can be obtained at very little cost, then it will eliminate poverty." This means that if we could supply large quantities of goods like tap water in Japan at that time, which would flow freely from the faucet, then these goods would be available at lower prices to people around the world, thus helping them overcome poverty. The founder also stated, "Even if an inexhaustible supply of goods is made available, people must first know how to use them."

While valuing this philosophy, by 2040, we aspire to create green energy, which corresponds to Konosuke's view of water, and widely distribute it to people around the world in an efficient manner. We also aim to create a society where people live with a sense of fulfillment and build co-caring relationships. We will work to practice this Tap Water Philosophy of the new era.

The video we created to present the formulation of our Technology Future Vision introduces the concept of a co-caring social system as the underlying basis of society, where green energy is not only widely available, but also accessible, and people live with a sense of fulfillment and build co-caring relationships.

Perovskite solar cells, which are under development by PHD, represent solutions for making energy and resources flow through our everyday lives. The inkjet coating method is adopted to allow greater flexibility in size and design, depending on the production process, in anticipation of use for various applications.

Ogawa: The highlight of this product is that it can be applied to the windows and walls of buildings, where conventional silicon-based solar cells could not be applied. Unlike those conventional devices, perovskite solar cells do not require high-temperature heat treatment; therefore, a decrease in energy consumption during manufacturing is also expected.

With world-class high conversion efficiency and technology for flexibly adjusting transparency and size, we aim to lead the market in building-integrated photovoltaics and to significantly improve energy generation in urban areas.

By launching the operation of a prototype production line for large-sized modules (1 m x 1.8 m) by the end of 2024 and starting the test marketing for building material-integrated solar cells in 2026, we aim to achieve a renewable energy rate of over 40%^*3 in urban areas.

*3 The Strategic Energy Plan issued by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy specifies the portion of renewable energy in Japan’s total power production as 36–38% by 2030. Accordingly, the Panasonic Group aims to contribute to the achievement of 40%, exceeding the target value, in urban areas where power consumption is high.

In the area of helping people live with a sense of fulfillment, the Panasonic Group focuses on the development of CPS, among the technologies that will create meaningful time.

Ogawa: Essential work performed in fields such as manufacturing, construction, primary industries, and nursing care involves critical jobs that are indispensable to our daily life. However, in the past few years, workers in these fields have been enduring tough conditions due to labor shortages and other reasons. As the Panasonic Group, we have created household appliances that have liberated people from doing some housework, thus giving them more time for leisure activities. Following this tradition, we will endeavor to free essential workers from labor.^*4

*4 The word "labor" here refers to acts to sustain human life. People also need to set aside time for work (acts to create the human world) and activities (acts performed together with others such as communication).

We are working to transform labor-intensive workplaces typified by essential work into environments where individuals can demonstrate their abilities. We will support them with solutions using CPS technology and promote automation, mechanization, and remote and cooperative work, thus increasing efficiency and productivity.

Moreover, to provide workplaces where workers can achieve growth while taking on challenges and find their jobs rewarding, we will develop technologies that provide operational support and matching of business skills, as well as technologies for visualizing business effectiveness and facilitating interaction with customers. This will help people engage in decent work^*5 that is meaningful and fulfilling.

*5 Work that is worthwhile and humane

By promoting these reforms, we aim to help build a society that enables everyone to have greater relaxation and control over their time.

Ogawa: As the third factor for developing an ideal society, we will also take on challenges to promote caring for the self and tolerant relationships with others.

Humans live by maintaining relationships with others. In order to build co-caring relationships, I believe we must first establish a harmonious state within ourselves and recognize the differences between ourselves and others. This will help them develop a tolerance for accepting such differences.

Therefore, we will promote technological innovation through three approaches: understanding the state of oneself, building tolerant relationships with others, and enabling customized physical and mental recovery.

One example is the development of automated cell culture apparatus for the physical recovery of seriously ill and other patients.

In current cancer treatment, autotransplantation using a patient's own cells poses a low risk of immune rejection, but it also requires time and money. Therefore, PHD will help promote a new personalized medical treatment for cancer using iPS cells by providing closed-culture apparatus.

Closed-culture apparatus has the advantages of a small-footprint enclosure and low contamination risk, allowing the automatic production of T cells^*6 required for personalized medicine for cancer treatment. By leveraging the mechanism and evaluation technologies accumulated through long-standing expertise in manufacturing, we aim to promptly complete a prototype.

We will contribute to the creation of a future society where personalized medical treatment, currently only available at advanced medical facilities, can be easily provided at local clinics, and where everyone has access to regenerative medicine leading to customized physical and mental recovery solutions.

*6 T cells act on the immune system having functions, including the recognition and elimination of infected and cancer cells. Each cell recognizes a single substance, which varies by cell. This property remains the same even after it is changed into an iPS cell.

Ogawa: In the PHD's Corporate Technology Sector, engineers almost always independently examine business plans and partnership development in the conventional business incubation phase. However, to bring our current vision to life, we have restructured the Business Development Office, which serves as a specialized organization for business development, and established a structure employing staff members with engineering backgrounds as well as extensive experience in new business launches.

We adopted a model called the Three Horizons and are flexibly approaching business development with a view to co-creation with external business partners.

While expanding the circle of people who can resonate with our target state, we are committed to creating the future we aim to achieve, rather than letting the vision languish without progress from a concept or study phase. Without placing an excessive priority on profit, we must take on challenges as a business entity to achieve a society where people make thoughtful choices and build co-caring relationships.