New interactive technology stars at Osaka-Kansai Expo
JAPAN NEWS
The “Future of Sleep” bed uses sensors to analyze the physical condition of the person lying on it and adjusts the mattress to the best position for them.
OSAKA, Japan >> Exhibitions where visitors can experience advanced technology are attracting big crowds at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
The 13 interactive pavilions, showcasing technology presented by Japanese companies and private organizations, have addressed long lines in various ways to allow as many visitors as possible to enjoy the exhibits.
Enjoy the Future of Sleep
In the Pasona Group Inc. pavilion, crowds gathered around graphic displays and other health care exhibits on April 18.
Before the expo began, a beating heart made from induced pluripotent stem cells attracted a lot of attention. (The cells are described by Cedars Sinai as “master cells capable of maturing into any human cell they want.”)
But since the opening, a bed that visitors can lie on to experience “the future of sleep” has rapidly become popular.
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The bed uses sensor technology, developed by major machine parts manufacturer MinebeaMitsumi Inc., to analyze the physical condition of the person lying on it, and the mattress automatically changes its angle to guide them into a comfortable sleep.
A woman from Nisshin, Aichi prefecture, who reclined on the bed, said, “It was fluffy and comfortable. It’s nice that it offers everybody sleep support that’s just right for them.”
Long lines formed at the bed display from the first day of the expo, and the pavilion now distributes tickets to visitors with designated times to try the bed.
The main feature of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.’s pavilion, the IOWN next-generation telecommunication technology, also drew crowds.
To allow as many people as possible to experience the bleeding-edge technology, NTT pavilion operators set up additional telephones with IOWN technology outside the space. The telephones allow users to transmit not only video and audio, but also touch and vibration to people in faraway places.
Tradition is the draw for international tourists
Certain pavilions are highly popular among children and international visitors.
The Japan Gas Association offers everyone, even children, the chance to have fun as they learn how technology is used to cause a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and hydrogen that produces methane, the main component of city gas.
Visitors can also enjoy using extended reality, or XR, technology, which fuses reality with images from virtual reality. Participants wearing goggles can transform into a ghost in a virtual space to take part in XR games.
The game is so popular, advance reservations fill up quickly. But the gas association has created an area at the pavilion where visitors can wait for cancellations.
Instead of technology, Osaka Restaurant Management Association offers participants something traditional: sushi-making. The event, organized by vinegar maker Tamanoi Vinegar Co., is filled to capacity day after day.
The company said the response has been “beyond our expectations,” and it has decided to hold an additional event specifically for international visitors.
“We hope as many foreign visitors as possible will enjoy Japan’s traditional cuisine,” said a Tamanoi official.
The expo runs through Oct. 13.
