Three Key Issues Honda Venture Ashirase Considered to Achieve Mass Production

Ashirase Inc. was established as the first business venture project to originate from IGNITION, Honda’s new business creation program, to develop “Ashirase,” a shoe-mounted navigation device to help the visually-impaired walk.

A new model, “Ashirase 2,”exceeded 300 units in its initial production run, succeeding in mass-production. This issue of Honda Stories provides through interviews an overview of the company’s efforts from its beginning to mass production.

Honda's efforts to accelerate entrepreneur-support

――What is the current status of the IGNITION, Honda’s new business creation program to support entrepreneurs realize their ideas and dreams?

Nakahara: IGNITION was originally an in-house program launched in 2017 with the aim of solving social issues and creating new value through the creative ideas, technologies, and designs of Honda employees.

In 2020, a program was added to employees to start their own businesses outside of Honda. Last year, we expanded the program to include ideas from both inside and outside the company.

In the past, businesses revolved around making and selling good products in large quantities, but today it is difficult for Honda alone to provide solutions to complex social and environmental issues. We judge ideas and operate IGNITION through our hope to work with people to create a better society.

Chino: In addition to business collaboration and cooperation with Honda, IGNITION allows us to nurture our businesses with support from investors in various fields, including independent VCs, financial institutions, and CVCs.

In fact, Ashirase, Inc., which I established through IGNITION, was Honda’s first project, which facilitated smooth communication with financial institutions and parts manufacturers. I am very grateful.

History of the IGNITION System

Knowing the obstacles to using the product in daily life

――As a person in charge of IGNITION selection, what do you feel are the strengths of Ashirase?

Nakahara: IGNITION judging criteria is very simple. In addition to being in a growing market, having a winning product, and being able to bring a product or service to market quickly, we examine the growth potential and possibilities of the proposer.

Devices to support the visually impaired would usually consist of a device mounted around the eyes or face, but Ashirase came up with the idea of attaching the device to the legs.

I think this is the kind of originality that is typical of Honda employees, going beyond common sense or normal frameworks to come up with a flexible idea.

I also think that being foot-mounted, Ashirase has opened up new business possibilities.

While car navigation systems use tire data to improve the accuracy of GPS and adjust routes for road guidance, Ashirase uses data from walking to improve the accuracy of navigation.

The data collected by Ashirase for walking, route, and daily life issues faced by the visually impaired, can be used for business purposes, and this is a major strength.

――In October 2024, Ashase succeeded in mass production. The initial production run surpassed 300 units. What was the most difficult aspect of mass production?

Chino: After we had turned our idea into a product, we held an event with nearly 300 people to try Ashirase to see how it could be improved. We then conducted a crowdfunding campaign in March 2023 as the final test for mass production, planning to proceed to mass production of the same model if we received a high level of satisfaction.

In reality, only 30% of the Ashirase test users who participated in crowdfunding were satisfied. Moreover, the basic performance of the product, transmitting navigation by vibration, was defective, and all 120 units had to be recalled.

Problem 1: Prototype test sessions and everyday life are completely different

In addition to the hardware defects, we were surprised that the software, which we had been working to improve through numerous prototype test sessions, was not satisfactory for the crowdfunding campaign.

We eventually realized that the high level of satisfaction we had been getting up to that point had been based on nothing more than a product set up perfectly by the manufacturer and tested under ideal conditions.

Path to Solution 1: Listening sincerely to, and developing the product with, the users

The users’ preparation for a product with a completely new shape that had never existed before, such as opening the box, attaching the device to shoes, pairing it with a smartphone, setting the destination via an app, and learning the meaning of the vibrations, was extremely complicated and difficult.

Furthermore, if the product is to be used in daily life, the route to the destination should be a familiar route. Even if it takes a bit of a detour, it would be better to walk along a main street with well-developed sidewalks, Braille blocks, and sound signals.

The first Ashirase only displayed the shortest route to the destination. We realized that we had not considered how large a barrier there was to getting to the point where we could use and master it in our daily lives.

Gaining customer feedback through the promise of the next model free

――How did you tackle these problems?

Chino: During the time between collecting and fixing defected units and shipping them in July, we worked to update the software, including the application and website.

We changed the settings so that users can listen to a spoken description of how to use the system, as we do in the hands-on sessions, and My Routes registration was added.

Problem 2: Unknowingly being trapped in our own “norms”

Chino:We were developing a navigation system for going to unknown places, so we thought it wasn’t necessary for familiar paths. But in reality, when people are distracted or thinking about something, they make wrong turns.

For the user, the moment they make a wrong turn, they are in an unknown place. For peace of mind, navigation was needed even for familiar paths.

We worked for a year to understand what the customers’ real needs were in their daily lives and updated Ashirase. After six months, we were able to bring Ashirase to the level where more than 70% of customers were satisfied, and we were able to begin mass production.

Nakahara: I think this is one of Chino’s great strengths. He has the ability to listen not only to users, but also to investors and people inside and outside the company. When he makes a mistake or doesn’t understand something, he asks, and accepts the answer.

Path to Solution 2: Creating a system that allows people to cooperate in development, and understanding their norms

Chino: We actually promised to give away the next model free of charge to crowdfunding investors. We received many very informative survey responses from users who expected improvements.

We think that many of the users felt that we were like friends who were developing Ashirase together.

We also consider investors as our friends, so we do not hide data or try to make it look good, and we believe it is important to be sincere with these people. With this shared perspective, I would then like to have discussions with them on how we should proceed.

――Mass production had been rescheduled once, and is a little later than originally planned.

Problem 3: Fixation on original schedule due to stakeholder pressure

Nakahara: There is a lot of pressure from various stakeholders, including investors, to mass produce Ashirase. We could have stayed with the initial schedule, but Chino faced the issues square on with a customer-first approach.

I think the past three years have been spent in sincere efforts to find ways to make this solution more convenient for customers. Although it took longer than we had initially expected to get Ashirase into mass production, I feel it was a very important period.

Path to Solution 3: Tackling existing customer issues before racing into mass-production

Chino: Product development involves many people, including investors and factories, so it is tempting to adhere to the original schedule and storyline, but if you are not adding value for your customers, I think you need to have the courage to hold back on sales targets and reschedule.

In addition, startups tend to aim for a quick Product Market Fit (PMF), but the first step is Problem Solution Fit (PSF), which is to consider whether the product is properly solving the customer’s problems. If this step is neglected, everything that follows will not go well.

Chino: I believe that the way to eliminate the asymmetry of information for the visually impaired is to create an environment where they are move visible in society on a daily basis. I would first like to create an environment where the visually impaired are more naturally a part of out society.

To that end, I would like to increase Ashirase sales and profits, and then expand overseas. I believe the mass-production stage we achieved is only the beginning.

―― Thank you.