Tokyo, Japan – April 1, 2019 – Wacom today announced the exhibition of a new concept model, named “Hashira no Kioku (Height Marking in Wood),” in collaboration with mui Lab, Inc. at the Milan Design Week 2019, from April 9 to 14 in Milano, Italy. The “Hashira no Kioku (Height Marking in Wood)” is a combination of Wacom’s digital pen technology and mui Lab’s intuitive, natural user interface made of wood which sets users free from distraction with its subtle design.
The “Hashira no Kioku (Height Marking in Wood)” also features a special poem by Ms. Mizuki Misumi, a reknowned poet and the 22nd Sakutaro Hagiwara Award recipient. The UI and UX design and the poem, together emphasizes the traditional customs and habits that are often lost in the midst of technology’s advancement, and presents a new “Digital Lifestyle,” cherishing human richness.
The concept models of “Hashira no Kioku (Height Marking in Wood)” will be exhibited at the TENOHA MILANO, a lifestyle store introducing sophisticated Japanese products, and the TOKYO CREATIVE 30, which is a group exhibition gathering works by conotemporary creators from Tokyo.
◆TENOHA MILANO, Via Vigevano,18, 20144 Milano MI
Time & Date: 10:30 – 20:30, from April 9 (Tue.) to 14 (Sun.), 2019
◆TOKYO CREATIVE 30 at SUPERSTUDIO, Via Tortona, 27, 20144 Milano MI
Time & Date: 10:00 - 21:00*1, from April 9 (Tue.) to 14 (Sun), 2019
*1 10:00 - 18:00 last day
Press day: 10:00 - 20:00, Monday, April 8
＜Background＞
Inspired by the widely adopted practice across the world of measuring children’s heights and marking it on a house pillar, we identified pens and pillars (or furnitures) as people’s daily life companions that connects organically with each other. By reproducing families’ shared memories beyond the limitation of time and space through cloud computing, this “Hashira no Kioku (Height Marking in Wood)” enables the users to experience technologies blending in their daily lives. The poem by Ms. Mizuki Misumi, which was composed specially for this concept model, further enriches the experience.
Measuring and marking heights of children growing up day by day on the pillar is a treasured moment for a family. The concept model uses digital pen to draw lines for marking child’s height, instead of etching it on the pillar’s surface. Then, the height of the child is immediately measured and the value (number) appears on the screen. By accumulating data, such as helights of the child’s siblings, the concept model can also encourage more conversation among families.
Given this background and inspiration, Wacom’s Active ES(TM) digital pens are clad in unique jackets that resembles wooden patterns, white chalks and charcoal drawing tools, making them the perfect companions to go with the concept model.
Pen jacket design（From top, wooden pattarn, which chalk and charcoal drawing tool）
This concept model by Wacom and mui Lab assumes an appearance of a bonafide wood pillar when not activated, and immediately turns into an state-of-the-art IoT device when activated, revealing a new aspect of digital ink application. Wacom continues to strive in delivering high-quality digital pen and ink experience in collaboration with partner companies.
About Wacom
Founded in 1983, Wacom is a global company based in Japan with subsidiaries and affiliate offices around the world to support marketing and distribution in over 150 countries and areas. It is the world’s leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays and digital interface solutions. The advanced technology of Wacom’s intuitive input devices has been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world and provides business and home users with their leading interface technology to express their personality. The company also offers its products as OEM solutions to leading manufacturers serving incremental markets. Wacom’s interface technology, called Wacom Feel IT technologies, is also offered as an integrated solution to strategic partners. Most tablet device and PC manufacturers count on the advanced features and reliability to deliver a superior user interface experience. For further information about the products of Wacom see www.wacom.com.
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications, Wacom Co., Ltd
Wacom-pr@wacom.co.jp
+81-3-5337-6702