Hokkaido Company Pres. Develops AED Toy to Promote Awareness

Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)–The president of a company in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, has developed a children’s toy resembling an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to reduce the fear associated with using the lifesaving device. The toy sold out soon after going on sale last autumn, but it will be available for purchase again next March. The “Toy Cocoro,” named after the Japanese word for heart, kokoro, was developed by 37-year-old Kyosuke Sakano, president of an industrial machinery repair and inspection company in the Hokkaido city of Kitami. Its main unit is connected by cords to two pads resembling electrode pads on an AED. When children apply the pads to dolls, the toy plays a voice recording telling them that an electric shock is necessary. The toy vibrates when the heart-shaped button on the main unit is pressed. The toy does not deliver actual electric shocks. It tells children to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as an actual AED would. Drawing on his experience as a clinical engineer, Sakano began selling AEDs about five years ago through his company, which was founded by his grandfather. The president noticed that many people expressed fear over using AEDs during lifesaving training sessions conducted when delivering the products. He came up with the idea of making an AED toy, thinking that playing with it from childhood would foster a sense of familiarity with the device and reduce the fear. He decided to release the toy after presenting a prototype made with a 3D printer on social media in February 2023 and receiving positive feedback. He asked dozens of companies to manufacture the toy but was turned down due to the small production volume. A company in the central prefecture of Nagano later accepted an order for 1,000 units, enabling Sakano to release the toy about two years after deciding to do this. Sakano began accepting preorders at about 4,000 yen apiece last November, and the toy sold out in just about a week. After receiving many inquiries and requests, he decided to produce another batch for sale from next March. “Nobody knows when they may meet a person who collapses due to cardiac arrest,” Sakano said. “I hope children will be interested in AEDs through the toy and participate in lifesaving training with their parents.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]