Kinki University Professor Hiroaki Nishikawa's Wearable Sensor Research Selected for "KSAC-GAP Fund Program IV (Healthcare)" Step 1

The research and development project "Technology to make high-quality single-crystal thin films of functional ceramics flexible, contributing to the development of new wearable sensors," proposed by Hiroaki Nishikawa, Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Kinki University (Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture), has been selected for Step 1 of the 2025 "KSAC-GAP Fund Program IV (Healthcare)" solicited by the Kansai Startup Academia Coalition (KSAC), a platform selected for the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) "Fund for Creating New Industries from Universities Startup Ecosystem Co-creation Program."

This project will verify the potential for application to next-generation wearable sensors that combine high measurement functionality with comfortable wearability. Relic Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takaaki Kitajima / CTO: Ryo Oba), a business co-creation company that supports new business development and innovation creation for Japanese companies, has been involved in assessing business viability and preparing the application from the conceptual stage of this project. With this selection, Kinki University, KSAC, and Relic will fully launch their collaboration, proceeding with application exploration and verification of technology and business viability based on the technology for transferring hard and brittle single-crystal functional ceramic thin films onto flexible substrates. Concurrently, they will commence full-scale co-creation with the aim of commercialization and startup creation, looking ahead to Step 2 and beyond.

Overview of Selected Project

[Principal Investigator]

Hiroaki Nishikawa, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kinki University

[Research and Development Project Title]

Technology to make high-quality single-crystal thin films of functional ceramics flexible, contributing to the development of new wearable sensors

[Background and Social Issues]

With the advancement of aging populations and the promotion of healthcare DX, the importance of remote patient monitoring (RPM) at home is increasing. Existing biomedical measurement devices, while equipped with high measurement functions, are rigid, making them prone to causing discomfort during wear. On the other hand, flexible sensors may still have challenges in measurement performance. Thus, achieving both measurement performance and reduced burden during wear is one of the challenges for continuous and reliable acquisition of biological data. This research and development project will verify the potential for application to next-generation wearable sensors through technology that imparts flexibility while maintaining the high functionality of functional materials.

Technological Features

Based on the core patent held by the Nishikawa Laboratory, the single-crystal thin film transfer process using a water-soluble sacrificial layer and buffer layer allows for transfer to plastic substrates at a practical size (square centimeter class) while suppressing damage, maintaining the high functionality of the single-crystal level. This is a key feature.

Comments from Stakeholders

Hiroaki Nishikawa Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kinki University

There is a wealth of information obtainable from the body surface through the skin, including subtle signals such as body temperature, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram, which can lead to understanding health status and disease prevention. Therefore, with the goal of applying functional oxide materials capable of detecting various signals to "wearable sensors" that can be used in close contact with the skin without discomfort, in order to measure even weak signals with high sensitivity, I have been conducting research with students and graduate students of Kinki University, including Yusuke Morita (completed 2011), Shinji Matani (completed 2018), Soda Hirao (completed 2020), Tomofumi Mizuyama (completed 2021), Yuya Oda, and Naoki Nishikawa (both completed 2024), under the university's founding spirit of "practical education."

We have also received grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 22760013, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 23K04608) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (A-STEP Trial Type JPMJTM20QS). I believe that the selection for the KSAC-GAP Fund is a result of the support received through these collaborations. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.

Functional oxide materials exhibit excellent high-sensitivity characteristics as sensors, but being ceramics, they are hard and brittle, posing a challenge for wearability. Our laboratory has developed a technology to create these functional oxide materials as extremely thin "thin films," one-hundredth the thickness of a human hair or less, and attach them to flexible materials such as plastics (Patent 7378133). This project aims to translate these research results into social implementation. With the cooperation of KSAC and Relic Inc., we aim to develop wearable healthcare devices that can contribute to the health management of many people in Japan, an ultra-aging society.

Yusuke Akaiwa Deep Tech Innovation Center, Relic Inc. Deep Tech Lead & Capitalist

The wearable sensor market has been growing in recent years, driven by the expansion of healthcare DX and remote monitoring demand, and holds significant market potential in Japan, where the population is aging. Within this market, Professor Nishikawa's technology has great novelty in its ability to achieve both "high measurement functionality" and "comfortable wearability," which have traditionally been difficult to reconcile. In particular, the unique technology to make functional ceramic single-crystal thin films flexible while maintaining their high performance holds great promise as a foundational technology for next-generation wearable devices.

Relic's Deep Tech Innovation Center will support the social implementation of this technology and contribute to solving the health challenges of many people by providing comprehensive support from business strategy formulation to market validation and partner collaboration.

About the Deep Tech Innovation Center

Relic's Deep Tech Innovation Center (DTIC) provides comprehensive support for the commercialization of deep tech, from technology evaluation and strategy formulation to prototyping, validation, and post-commercialization growth. We have established a system that provides end-to-end support, from identifying research seeds, market analysis, business plan development, funding support, to growth support, and have supported over 100 projects at 30 companies, primarily universities, research institutions, corporate R&D departments, and financial institutions. We also engage in secondary investments and due diligence for financial institutions. As a specialized organization for "social implementation of technology," we aim to expand the possibilities of technology and create businesses.

Website

<Interview Article>

The Reality That 60% of Technology Disappears: The Actual State of "Deep Tech Commercialization" Challenged with Relic

https://prtimes.jp/story/detail/7bZ38jIK3eB

Relic Inc.

Company Name: Relic Inc. Representative: CEO Takaaki Kitajima / CTO Ryo Oba Head Office Location: Ebisu Garden Place Tower 19F, 4-20-3 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Established: August 2015 Business Activities: Incubation Tech Business, Business Produce / New Business Development Support Business, Open Innovation Business (Startup Investment, VC Fund Management, CVC Establishment/Operation Support, Joint Business/JV Creation, etc.), Innovator Human Resource Development Support, Regional Revitalization / Regional Innovation Business, Innovation Workplace Business Corporate Website: https://relic.co.jp

Relic is a "Business Co-creation Company" that works with major Japanese companies to bring new businesses, open innovation, and AX/DX from conception to monetization, core business integration, and all exit strategies such as carve-outs and dispatched entrepreneurship. We overcome the unique barriers and constraints of large corporations with Relic's proprietary "Dejima Co-creation Scheme®," where Relic acts as the business entity. Our BTC (Business, Technology, Creative) organization, one of the largest in Japan, executes everything from strategy to implementation and growth. As a group of entrepreneurs who have created diverse businesses and startups, exceeding 10 billion yen in sales, and a group of specialists who handle a wide range of fields including AI, hardware, and deep tech, we provide integrated innovation management, including investment from our own products and managed VC/CVC funds. We are the only business co-creation partner in Japan, boasting the No. 1 domestic market share in new business development (※), and have been involved in business development and joint ventures for over 5,000 companies from our bases in 18 prefectures nationwide. ※2024, "Survey on Boutique Consulting Market in New Business Development," Relic Inc. / Digital Infact Inc., https://relic.co.jp/press-release/54696/

[Contact Information for Inquiries]

Deep Tech Innovation Center, Relic Inc. Contact: Akaiwa

TEL: 03-6455-0735 / E-MAIL: [email protected]