icuco® touch&care Selected for All Nurseries Operated by Meitetsu Smile Plus Co., Ltd. 'Poppo-en'

icuco Inc. (Headquarters: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture; CEO: Yoichi Yanase; hereinafter "the company") announces that Meitetsu Smile Plus Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City; President & CEO: Masahiro Kitamori; hereinafter "Meitetsu Smile Plus") will sequentially introduce the nap monitoring sensor 'icuco® touch&care', developed and provided by the company, for all 0-year-old children across its 21 nursery facilities named 'Poppo-en'.

Guided by the vision of 'Solving parenting anxieties through visualization and creating exciting experiences for families,' the company aims to reduce anxiety and burdens for all involved in childcare, fostering an environment where children are safeguarded by society as a whole. Through this introduction, we hope that technology will support childcare professionals on-site—complementing human observation—to enhance both children's safety and caregivers' peace of mind.

At Poppo-en, the decision has been made to integrate ICT technology into existing manual safety checks involving direct touch and visual observation. This integration aims to improve safety management, reduce the workload of childcare staff, and provide a more comfortable sleeping environment for children. As a result, 'icuco® touch&care' will be introduced for all 0-year-olds across all 21 facilities.

Toward Nap Monitoring Unaffected by Bedding Specifications

Childcare facilities routinely conduct 'nap checks' to monitor children's conditions during nap time. Especially in infant classes, caregivers must carefully observe breathing, body temperature, skin color, and sleeping posture, adjusting positions as needed and recording observations. Even during seemingly quiet nap periods, childcare staff operate under constant pressure to avoid missing any abnormalities.

Previously, Poppo-en used mat- or panel-type sensors, but concerns arose that the physical presence of such devices might affect children's comfort during sleep. To address this issue, the nursery has adopted the wearable clothing-type nap sensor 'icuco® touch&care', which is less affected by bedding configurations.

Complementing Human Observation with Clip-on Sensors

'icuco® touch&care' is a nap monitoring service that detects sleeping posture, body movements from breathing, and changes in skin temperature by simply clipping the sensor onto a child's clothing collar. Data is automatically recorded and managed via a dedicated app. The system sends alerts when prolonged prone sleeping or lack of movement is detected, thereby supporting caregivers' monitoring efforts.

This introduction is not intended to replace or eliminate traditional nap checks conducted by staff. Rather, it serves as a supplementary measure to support visual and physical monitoring by childcare professionals. By leveraging technology, the system helps reduce psychological burdens associated with constant vigilance, enabling caregivers to engage more confidently and attentively with each child.

Key Benefits of Implementation

- Consideration for children's sleep environment: As a wearable device, it does not interfere with bedding setup, allowing children to sleep in their natural posture and familiar environment.

- Multifaceted nap monitoring: Caregivers can monitor sleeping posture, body movement, and skin temperature changes via the app. Alerts are sent if prolonged prone sleeping or absence of movement is detected.

- Efficient nap check documentation: Data collected by the sensor is automatically recorded and stored in the dedicated app, which can also be used to generate nap check logs. This reduces the burden of manual recording and ensures consistent documentation quality.

- Operational safety without button batteries: The device uses a simple charging system, eliminating risks of accidental ingestion of button batteries and reducing maintenance efforts related to battery replacement.

Comment from a Nursery Director at Poppo-en

"With this introduction, we feel that we have created a more comfortable and secure sleeping environment for the children. The multi-angle monitoring provided by the sensor, combined with our staff's own visual checks, has enhanced the quality of our supervision. We will continue to prioritize safety and comfort, providing warm and attentive childcare."

About Meitetsu Smile Plus Co., Ltd.

A 100% subsidiary of Nagoya Railroad Co., Ltd., Meitetsu Smile Plus operates under the management philosophy of 'Expanding circles of smiles in the community by supporting working parents.' The company manages after-school programs 'TELACO,' nurseries 'Poppo-en,' and children's sports facilities 'SPOCCO.'

About icuco® touch&care and icuco Inc.

The nap sensor 'icuco® touch&care' is a nap monitoring app and sensor developed by icuco Inc., a company dedicated to family-oriented service planning and the development, design, and manufacturing of related products. Guided by the vision of 'Solving parenting anxieties through visualization and creating exciting experiences for families,' the service enables monitoring of sleeping posture, breathing-related movements, and skin temperature changes in infants and toddlers via a wearable sensor. Data is automatically recorded and managed through an app, with alerts sent in case of anomalies, thereby complementing supervision and supporting efficient documentation and reduced caregiver workload.

Company Overview

Company Name: icuco Inc.

Representative: Yoichi Yanase

Headquarters: emCAMPUS WEST 1F, 2-82 Ekimae-Odori, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture

Corporate URL: https://www.icuco.co.jp/

Business Activities: Planning of family-oriented services and development and provision of related products