What do you think has potential and what interests you?
Have you taken any steps to start or continue it?
This time, we will introduce an event that made us feel the great energy created by people who have taken such a step. The third Field Hack, an event to hack the potential of the region with technology, co-hosted by Monosus with the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS) , the general incorporated association Place , and UCHICO, has ended successfully. As project manager, I was involved in the overall planning and facilitating of the event.
" Field Hack " is a hackathon in which teams of engineers, designers, project managers, and others from around the country come together to use technology to tackle a theme set in their local area.
Participants who want to utilize their skills in the local area or for their hobbies and interests will come together with people who are constantly working on new things in local industries and traditions to develop prototypes.
The third event was held in Yosano Town, Kyoto Prefecture, where four teams from across Japan tackled three themes set in the area: weaving , fermentation , and health tourism . (For more information on why Monosus is holding a Field Hack, please see this article.)
The great energy I felt this time. The process of how that energy was cultivated can be seen in the following five steps:
- Day 0: Kick-off meeting
- Day 1: Fieldwork & Analysis
- Day 2: Idea/Concept Sketch
- Day 3: Presentation
- Day 4: Consultation
I would like to look back on this experience with photos!
Day 0: Kickoff Meeting (6/9)
The kick-off meeting was a place to explain each event and meet the Yosano Big Brothers and Big Sisters*1 and the local coordinators*2. This time, a networking event was also held.
The venue was "nest," a renovated soy sauce storehouse run by General Incorporated Association Place, one of the organizing organizations that we worked with as a local coordinator. From the wonderful setup to the chalk art, the venue was designed to make you feel like it's about to begin!
The kickoff is the first time participants meet their older brothers and sisters. The key is to lower the barrier to communication, even if only a little, so that they won't feel shy about asking questions when they start working on Day 1 the next day. It's also an important time to let participants know that there is a backup system in place, and to encourage conversation so that they feel at ease about the event as a whole.
*1 Yosano Big Brothers and Big Sisters: Local collaborators who are involved in the industries and activities that are the subject of Field Hack *2 Local coordinators: Local coordinators who act as intermediaries between participants and their Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Day 1: Fieldwork & Analysis (6/10)
This is the input day where each team will do fieldwork and discussions based on a theme accompanied by Yosano Nii-san and Nee-san and a coordinator. The hints obtained on this day will lead to the concept of the prototype. This is the best part of Field Hack, where the local people think and coordinate, and it is the most important day of the event.
For example, the "Textile" team learned about the history of the textile industry in Yosano Town and received an explanation of looms and the process, while the "Fermentation" team heard from Nii-san, the master brewer, about brewing methods and his thoughts on brewing sake using local resources such as water and rice.
What is very important in fieldwork is to let people know the thoughts of each of the older brothers and sisters, and to make them want to do something about those thoughts! I think this will further increase the potential of the prototype that will be born from now on. Therefore, the organizers and collaborators came together to discuss the design of the fieldwork.
After the three-hour fieldwork was completed, the participants returned to the venue and, under the facilitation of Professor Shigeru Kobayashi from the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences, one of the organizing organizations, moved on to working with their older brothers and sisters to organize the information they had input in preparation for the next day's prototype concept and idea/concept sketches.
Participants organize and lay out the information they have input. It is important to do this while the information is still fresh in their minds.
By summarizing the input information on sticky notes and verbalizing it, you will be able to feel and develop emotions about the thoughts and feelings of your older brother and sister that you learned about during the felt work. This will lead to the idea and concept sketches that will be presented the next day.
The key to this time is to create an atmosphere where you feel free to ask detailed questions without making any interpretations, in order to draw out emotions more accurately.
After taking in and organizing a huge amount of information in a short period of time, a social gathering was held.
This time, we held a BBQ in a park overlooking Yosano Town, and enjoyed the surprises prepared by the Yosano Town Hall, and the event went on until late into the night. By this point, a sense of trust had been formed between each team and their older brothers and sisters, and a relationship of working in the same direction had been built.
After enjoying the BBQ, everyone seemed to be enjoying this encounter, regardless of whether they were participants, organizers, or operators, as they listened to the soothing music played by the DJ at the specially set up bar.
Day 2: Idea & Concept Sketches (6/11)
This is the day when each team will take what they have input and turn it into a prototype idea and concept. Following on from the previous day's input organization time, Professor Kobayashi will act as facilitator.
After that, each team will present their concept to their older brothers and sisters, and they will refine the direction of the prototype, i.e., "what to develop."
Each team will express their concept in their own way, with some teams expressing themselves through pictures and others creating an image of an actual prototype using cardboard. It is not just about creating something interesting, but it is important to draw out what the team's characteristics can be used to respond to the thoughts of their older brothers and sisters that they felt during the fieldwork.
After each team spent intimate time with their older brothers and sisters, ideas that captured their feelings naturally came out one after the other.
The team that was fascinated by the sound of a weaving loom expressed the sense of realism in a drawing. The health tourism team created a prototype image out of cardboard, based on the motif of a guardian lion dog, which is secretly popular in the area they encountered during their fieldwork.
For example, the two teams that tackled "health tourism" created a concept that would not only give visitors a sense of relaxation when they come to the countryside, but also make them feel healthy when they leave. They gave a presentation that included the characteristics and skills of the teams and the setting of the Yosano Town Atsue district.
Even if the theme is the same, each team will come up with a prototype concept from their own unique perspective.
Because they had created the concept in a short period of time, everyone was filled with anticipation for each prototype. After that, they discussed the direction of the presented concept, decided on the actual development schedule, and the meeting ended. The team left Yosano Town. This was the beginning of the four-week development period!
With a sense of expectation for the future, we calmly discussed how to spend the next four weeks. At the time of our farewell, the people of Yosano Town saw off each car as it headed to the station (crying)
This time, in order to support the team in maintaining the energy that was generated, we also held an "interim report" where the teams could share and consult with their older brothers and sisters on their development status. Since maintaining a certain level of energy during the event is key, it is also important to support the team in setting detailed milestones, such as in the interim report. The meeting was basically held via video conference, but some teams even visited Yosano Town.
Day 3: Presentation (7/8 ~4 weeks later~)
Presentation Time
After a four-week development period, each team gathered in Yosano Town to present and demonstrate their prototypes. The presentations were open to the general public, not just those involved.
The recital begins in the midst of a midsummer-like heat. The venue is almost full.
The presentation has begun. We will introduce four wonderful and inspiring prototypes that are responses to the ideas of Yosano Big Brother and Big Sister.
"Fermentation": Team Oriza Prototype name: (Currently in development!)
Oriza brewed sake using rice and water produced in Yosano Town, a passion of Nishihara of Yosano Niisan Yosa Musume Sake Brewery, and focused on "making sake together with the local community," working to visualize the local resources involved in sake brewing.
Users can zoom in on Yosano Town from the QR code on the sake label, and trace the sake-making process, finding out what ingredients are used and where they come from. This information can also be shared on social media. The brewer can also press a button to send a message the moment the sake is "done," making this a prototype that can connect both parties.
"Health Tourism": Team Hmmi.e
Men's health tourism
Hmmi.e developed a prototype called Men's Health Tourism, where people can learn about the unique information of the Yosano Town Utsue district and interact with local people while working out. They took advantage of the characteristics of being a male team to combine health and tourism.
In addition to the basic function of informing users of exercise methods, number of repetitions, and fluid intake instructions using a smartphone attached to the water dumbbell, when users reach rest points called "Respo," audio guides will explain the location and give instructions for the next exercise. Also, when the robot encounters a local person, it will display information about that person in the form of an illustrated guide, creating an opportunity for interaction.
"Health Tourism": Team Otome Dengeibu Succulent Bracelet and Guardian Dog Robot
The Otome Denkibu developed a "succulent bracelet" and a "guardian lion robot" to watch over the safety and health of participants in facilities and programs that promote mental and physical health amid the rich nature and beautiful scenery of Onjo. By providing fun and anticipation during travel, as well as quantitative analysis of physical data, the club created an opportunity for participants to attend regularly.
The "Succulent Bracelet" can track your heart rate, steps, GPS information, etc. The "Komainu Robot" (famous in the Atsue area?! Nabusakawa Komainu) is waiting at the accommodation facility, and will tell you the old tales of Atsue, etc., as well as the map of your last walk and your healing level.
"Textile": Team Hongo Tech
HATA no CODE
Hongo Tech focuses on the appeal of the work and the people who make textiles, a traditional industry in Yosano Town, rather than on the products themselves. With the desire to increase the number of people involved in textiles by spreading the appeal they feel, they presented a media art piece titled "HATA no CODE" that combines the sound of a loom and footage of a loom in operation.
At the presentation, the lights in the room were turned off and their works were broadcast using a heavy-duty speaker borrowed from Nii-san. The sound of the loom, which could once be heard anywhere along the street, was transformed into a work of art.
(I don't think a photo does it justice! Once they've perfected it and uploaded it somewhere, I'll be sure to include a link here!)
Feedback after presentation & demo time
After each team's presentation, they received on-the-spot feedback from their older brothers and sisters, as well as from Professor Kobayashi, who serves as their technical advisor.
Rather than one person taking on a task, the participants and their older brothers and sisters created the prototype together, sharing their thoughts. There were some moving moments with the prototype.
The event then moved on to demonstration time, where visitors were given the opportunity to see and touch the prototypes they had heard about, allowing them to experience the potential of each prototype.
Of course, at the end of the presentation, there will be a party for all participants and those involved.
On this day, some participants were adjusting prototypes and revising presentation materials right up until the day of the presentation, while others had stayed up all night to participate, and you could see a sense of accomplishment and relief on each of their faces. Compared to Day 1, everyone seemed calmer, enjoying their final night together while reflecting on the hectic month they had spent with the people of Yosano Town.
The main players in the presentation are the participating teams. It is important to provide as much support as possible so that each team can easily make a presentation or demo, and so that as many people as possible can see and give feedback. This time, the people of Yosano Town came together to cooperate, and we were able to finish in good condition (I think!).
Day 4: Consultation (7/9)
The final program of Field Hack was a consultation session to discuss the next plan for further development and prototype implementation with local people such as older brothers and sisters and local coordinators. Since everyone is very busy, it is very difficult to continue in a detailed manner for a long time, but the key point of the day is how to take the prototype to the next step, the next goal, and how much specific discussion can be held about costs and schedules.
This time, in addition to Big Brother, Big Sister, and the coordinator, town hall staff and experts were also present, which allowed for a more multifaceted discussion and spurred progress towards implementation.
Although I have written at length, the atmosphere of each program was hot, and Field Hack was a high-energy event. Where does this event's energy come from?
First of all, I wondered what energy is... and I thought it was something that was born when people who had never met before came together and worked toward a single possibility.
In this case, Yosano Nii-san and Nee-san, who are professionals in their respective fields, and the participating teams who use technology, shared their ideas, thought about what they could do in response, and created something. I feel that by meeting two people who would not normally have any contact with each other through the Field Hack, discovering a possibility, and working towards it together, it will generate tremendous energy.
However, I think this is something that can only be accomplished in an instant because it is an event. Field Hack is, after all, an event to take the first step in a short period of time. How long can we sustain this energy that was born there? I think this is the organizers' next mission (stay tuned!).
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Yosano Town, all the participants, and all the organizations that helped out.
I think it was an event filled with emotion and people's thoughts, which cannot be described simply as a hackathon.
I can't get enough of Field Hack.
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