OLYMPUS TECHNOZONE Vol.69 2007-11
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INDEX
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Close collaboration between medical professionals and engineers was the key to success in the development of endoscopes.
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The first gastroscope
The development of the gastroscope by medical professionals and Olympus engineers is an excellent example of the parallel model. |
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| Opening Ceremony for Riken BOCC |
Your comments on the need for cooperation between scientists and businesses remind me of the history of gastroscope development by Olympus. The first gastroscope appeared over half a century ago, in 1951. A doctor working at the University of Tokyo's Koishikawa Hospital asked us if we could develop a small camera that could be used to look inside the stomach. Our engineers developed a prototype, which although it was revolutionary at the time, was impractical: it was difficult to use and was always breaking down.
That was the start of our involvement with endoscopes. Our engineers worked with clinical physicians to find solutions to a variety of problems, and our endoscopes evolved rapidly. Today they are used in medical facilities throughout the world.
I attribute our success with endoscopes to three factors. First, medical professionals and a manufacturer worked together. Second, the doctors understood the effectiveness of endoscopes, and they worked hard to disseminate new diagnostic methods and therapies through conferences and seminars. Third, Olympus developed new core technologies in response to a continuing stream of requests from doctors. We also took corporate responsibility for establishing global sales and service networks. Fortunately we made good progress in all three of these areas, and that is why we were able to build this major business.
The important thing is that the doctors were sitting at the same table with Olympus engineers. The previous generation of university professors grew up during Japan's industrial development, and their research was closely linked with industry. That experience is essential.
Unfortunately, universities have been insulated from industry since around the 1970s, and university people these days have little real-world experience. Riken is not a university, but our main activity is pure research. Now that we have established Riken BOCC, I hope that many people from Olympus will take the opportunity to look at what Riken does. I'm sure you'll find many seed technologies with business potential.
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