NOK Applies Brainwave Technology to Forklift Safety

NOK Corporation (Head Office: Shibadaimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, Group Chief Executive Officer: Masao Tsuru; hereinafter referred to as "NOK") has applied its brainwave measurement technology, originally developed for dementia prevention, to workplace safety management in logistics, participating in the development and proof-of-concept trial of the "Forklift Accident Prevention Program,"* a joint project involving five companies including Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. (Head Office: Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President, Representative Director and CEO: Koji Ishikawa).
This program aims to reduce accident risk by visualizing the readiness of forklift operators during operation using brainwave data. Within the project, NOK is responsible for acquiring brainwave data during operation via a helmet-type device equipped with a dry rubber electrode for brainwave measurement.
In addition to developing the helmet-type device that enables brainwave acquisition during operation, NOK supported the initiative on both the technical and practical fronts by providing its own logistics center as a proof-of-concept site. The proof-of-concept trial was conducted from July 2025 to January 2026, and the program's effectiveness was confirmed. A commercial service launch is planned for the future.

Background: Applying Healthcare Technology to Safety Management

NOK's brainwave measurement technology, originally developed for dementia prevention, is distinguished by its ability to capture faint brainwave signals even in everyday environments and during physical movement. Building on this capability, the company explored potential applications in logistics safety management, ultimately leading to an initiative that uses biometric data to visualize the condition of forklift operators during operation, with the aim of reducing accidents. This has opened the door to a new approach: objectively assessing workers' physical and mental states — something that has historically been difficult to measure — and applying these insights directly to safety management.

Toward Real-World Implementation: Device Development for Logistics Environments and In-House Proof-of-Concept Trial

To bring this program into practical use, NOK approached the initiative from both technical and hands-on implementation perspectives.
With deployment in logistics settings in mind, NOK adapted an existing brainwave measurement device into a helmet-integrated design, enabling brainwave data acquisition during active operation. This makes it possible to monitor operators' signals in real time without adding to their workload during actual duties.
NOK also established its own logistics center as a proof-of-concept site, enabling data acquisition and verification in a real-world environment. Rather than remaining a theoretical exercise, the program's practical viability has been confirmed through a fully operational field implementation.

Future Outlook

Going forward, NOK will leverage the insights gained from this program to (from a technical standpoint) support the advancement of accident prediction and risk assessment by acquiring high-precision biometric data. The company also has its sights set on expanding beyond logistics into a range of other working environments, including manufacturing, with the aim of implementing a new, data-driven approach to safety management. Under its commitment to "Essential Core Manufacturing — The manufacture of pivotal products that shape society," the NOK Group will continue to advance the real-world implementation of human-sensing technologies for the workplace, contributing to safer, more secure working environments everywhere.

About NOK's Brainwave Rubber Electrode

NOK's brainwave rubber electrode is a dry rubber electrode that acquires faint brainwave signals in the microvolt range from the forehead and earlobes with high precision. Using NOK's proprietary compounding technology, which uniformly disperses metallic particles throughout rubber, the electrode achieves conductivity comparable to that of metal. Gentle on the skin and reusable, it captures data with minimal discomfort, requiring nothing more than a light press to the skin.

*Forklift Accident Prevention Program
A joint project involving five companies: NOK, Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., Sompo Risk Management Inc., Littlesoftware Inc., and Toyota L&F Kanagawa Co., Ltd. The program acquires and analyzes brainwave data from forklift operators during operation to build a safety management framework. Through the proof-of-concept trial, it was confirmed that data yielding information on operator characteristics and physical and mental readiness relevant to accident prevention could be obtained. Using these results, the program aims to reduce accident risk through targeted training and support tailored to individual characteristics and optimized, evidence-based staffing arrangements.
For further details, please refer to the joint press release issued on April 24, 2026.