RTC Tech Solutions Inc. and Atlas Direction Inc. Conclude Capital and Business Alliance Agreement

RTC Tech Solutions Inc. (Head Office: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, President and CEO: Takashi Akutsu, hereinafter referred to as "Our Company") has concluded a capital and business alliance agreement with Atlas Direction Inc. (Head Office: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, President and CEO: Takayasu Okimoto, hereinafter referred to as "Atlas Direction") on July 1, 2026. Through this agreement, Atlas Direction has become a member of our group.

Atlas Direction is a company that has accumulated implementation experience of "Atlas Direction," a remote support service utilizing smart glasses and other devices, in fields such as manufacturing, infrastructure, and equipment maintenance. Through this alliance, we will promote the creation of a system that can provide the company's on-site remote support and our remote communication infrastructure as a unified group.

About Atlas Direction Inc.

Atlas Direction is a company that handles system and application development and consulting, centered around the remote support service "Atlas Direction," which utilizes smart glasses, tablets, smartphones, and PCs. "Atlas Direction" provides a mechanism for on-site use that allows a remote supervisor to support work while viewing video, by sharing the worker's viewpoint video and audio in real-time.

"Atlas Direction" supports PCs, tablets, and smartphones (iOS/Android/Windows) on the supervisor's side, and smart glasses (EPSON MOVERIO, Vuzix, etc.) equipped with Android and Android tablets on the worker's side. A key feature is the ability to share video and documents while continuing tasks that require both hands.

WebRTC is used for communication, and by primarily establishing direct peer-to-peer (P2P) communication between terminals after connection, low-latency, high-quality video calls are realized. Communication is encrypted, and even the relay server used when direct connection is not possible is designed so that communication content cannot be read due to encryption.

● Main Functions of "Atlas Direction"

Real-time Sharing: Real-time sharing of worker's viewpoint video and audio with remote supervisors.

Pointer Display: Overlays the supervisor's mouse cursor position onto the worker's video for guidance.

Screen Sharing: Distributes documents and procedure manuals from the supervisor's side for remote reference on-site.

Shooting + Editing: Adds markers and stamps to still images for use as evidence of work.

Recording: Records camera footage from the supervisor's side for use as work records and training materials.

Text Chat: Complements audio communication in environments where sound is difficult to hear, using keyboard input and preset phrases.

External Device Integration: Supports integration with drones and action cameras, and use in remote presence scenarios.

Implementation Examples

"Atlas Direction" is already in use in fields such as manufacturing and infrastructure. Here, we introduce two cases where smart glasses were combined with the remote support app "Atlas Direction."

● Chikuho Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Fukuoka Prefecture)

Chikuho Manufacturing Co., Ltd., which handles maintenance, repair, and sales of engines, construction machinery, cranes, and industrial machinery, introduced 5 units of smart glasses MOVERIO BT-35ES and "Atlas Direction" in March 2022.

With the background that it takes a long time for young technicians to become fully proficient and there is a shortage of experienced personnel, a system was needed that would allow support from remote veterans without interrupting work. Smartphones were considered, but smart glasses were chosen for tasks requiring both hands.

Smart Glasses MOVERIO BT-35ES

After implementation, remote veterans were able to support the site by sharing the worker's field of view with the built-in camera. Work can be done with both hands while viewing video and documents, and the movements of the veterans' eyes can be recorded for training young staff. Relatively simple tasks can be handled by non-specialist staff under the guidance of engineers, leading to a solution for labor shortages and faster response times. The deciding factors for adoption included price, performance, manufacturer reliability, and good compatibility with the app.

● Saibu Gas Nagasaki Co., Ltd. Nagasaki Plant (Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture)

Saibu Gas Nagasaki Co., Ltd. Nagasaki Plant, which manufactures city gas, introduced smart glasses MOVERIO BT-45CS and "Atlas Direction" in March 2024.

The plant faced challenges in reducing management costs, labor saving, improving the reliability of on-site safety, and efficiently passing down technology and skills to new employees. With a small operational staff, a system was needed to efficiently conduct inspections, examinations, and training, quickly access necessary documents, and provide remote guidance to new employees on-site.

Smart Glasses MOVERIO BT-45CS

After implementation, the ability to record video has been utilized for recording inspections of long-term assets such as gas holders. During the selection process, in addition to the characteristics of smart glasses such as the camera being in the center of the glasses with minimal parallax between the worker's and supervisor's views, and good resolution and color reproduction, the compatibility with "Atlas Direction" features such as resolution adjustment based on radio wave conditions and one-touch screen off was highly evaluated.

Synergy as a Group

Many industries with on-site operations, such as manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, and equipment maintenance, share common challenges of skilled worker shortages and the transfer of technology and skills. Our Company has been involved in the remote communication business in Japan for over a quarter of a century, developing and providing systems such as the video conferencing/web conferencing system "LoopGate," the inter-office constant connection system "Otonari Office," and the remote counter system "TeleMado."

Our company's technology, which supports situations where "people connect," such as conference rooms, inter-office connections, and consultation desks, and Atlas Direction's remote support, which "supports work" on-site, are complementary. By collaborating, both companies will establish a system that can consistently propose remote communication tailored to various purposes, from "connecting people" in conference rooms to "supporting work" on-site. As a group with a strong domestic development and support system, we will respond more broadly to challenges such as improving on-site productivity, technology transfer, and labor saving.

President's Comments

Takashi Akutsu, President and CEO, RTC Tech Solutions Inc.

"For over a quarter of a century, our company has been engaged in remote communication that connects distant locations. The on-site remote support cultivated by Atlas Direction is a force that supports the 'work sites' beyond the 'conference rooms and counters' we have handled. By combining the technologies of both companies, we will respond more broadly than ever before to on-site challenges such as labor shortages and skill transfer."

Takayasu Okimoto, President and CEO, Atlas Direction Inc.

"We have delivered remote support utilizing smart glasses and other devices, 'Atlas Direction,' to manufacturing and infrastructure sites. By becoming a member of the RTC Tech Solutions group, we will further strengthen our development and support system and expand remote support to more sites."

Future Outlook

Both companies will continue to work on improving customer convenience by promoting product and service integration and developing support systems. We will continue to contribute to solving customer challenges through remote communication. We appreciate your continued patronage.

Company Overview

● RTC Tech Solutions Inc.

Item

Details

Company Name

RTC Tech Solutions Inc.

Representative

Takashi Akutsu, President and CEO

Business Start

April 1, 1997

Establishment

July 1, 2013

Location

Osaka Office: SN Bldg. 5F, 5-6-4 Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, 530-0047 Tokyo Office: Shiba Fal Building 5F, 2-9-3 Shiba-koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0011

Business Description

Development and sales of remote communication systems (e.g., "LoopGate," "Otonari Office," "TeleMado," "Hybrid AI Camera," "Hybrid Conference System," "Conference Room Integration")

URL

https://rtc-tech.co.jp/

● Atlas Direction Inc.

Item

Details

Company Name

Atlas Direction Inc.

Representative

Takayasu Okimoto, President and CEO

Establishment

November 26, 2020

Location

Hakata Mutual Building 5F, 2-19-29 Hakataekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, 812-0011

Business Description

Development and provision of remote support service "Atlas Direction," system and application development, consulting

URL

https://atlas-direction.co.jp/

Contact Information

RTC Tech Solutions Inc. Contact: Sakaguchi TEL: 0120-372-275 Inquiry Form: https://rtc-tech.co.jp/contact/

* "LoopGate," "Otonari Office," and "TeleMado" are trademarks or registered trademarks of RTC Tech Solutions Inc. "iOS" is a trademark of Apple Inc. "Android" is a trademark of Google LLC. "Windows" is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. "EPSON MOVERIO" is a trademark or registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. "Vuzix" is a trademark or registered trademark of Vuzix Corporation. Other company names and product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.