Awarded 2nd Place in the NEDO Prize-Based Program "GENIAC-PRIZE"
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in collaboration with Algomatic, won 2nd place in the NEDO "GENIAC-PRIZE" program for their proposal on converting tacit knowledge in manufacturing into explicit knowledge. The project uses AI to analyze and visualize the differences between expert and novice TIG welding techniques, aiming to streamline skill transfer and improve productivity.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 20:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 11:30
◆ Proposed a new approach to automatically analyze work differences between experts and novices using TIG welding technology as a subject
◆ Realizes the conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge at manufacturing sites, contributing to more efficient skill transfer and improved productivity
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), in a joint application with Algomatic Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shunsuke Ohno), has been awarded 2nd place in the "GENIAC-PRIZE" (Note 1), a prize-based program by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), for their proposal regarding the theme of "Converting Tacit Knowledge in Manufacturing into Explicit Knowledge."
The joint proposal by MHI and Algomatic is titled "Converting Tacit Knowledge into Explicit Knowledge through a 'Comparative' Approach of Expert and Novice Work Videos using TIG Welding (Note 2) Technology." While TIG welding is a high-quality welding method that supports a wide range of MHI products, from energy plants to rockets, it is difficult to master, with quality and work time varying depending on the welder's skill level, which presents a challenge for skill succession. In this proposal, simply by filming and uploading videos of welding work performed by experts and novices, an agent AI automatically analyzes the differences between the two. It selects the optimal method from multiple analysis modules to extract and visualize differences in skills, including embodied knowledge, from multiple perspectives. This allows skills that are difficult to verbalize to be systematically accumulated as explicit knowledge, enabling AI-based technical evaluation and feedback for novices.
In manufacturing, while the skills of experts are accumulated as tacit knowledge, verbalizing and standardizing these skills has been a long-standing challenge. This proposal challenges the visualization of embodied knowledge by "comparing" the work of experts and novices, and is expected to contribute to the efficiency of skill succession and productivity improvement at manufacturing sites, marking an important step toward future social implementation.
Under its management policy, "Innovative Total Optimization (ITO)," MHI is working to halve lead times and improve operational productivity through the concept of "Total Optimization," while also concretizing growth strategies for each business from the perspective of "Area Expansion." MHI will continue to promote the social implementation of this technology and contribute to skill succession and productivity improvement in manufacturing.
(Note 1) GENIAC-PRIZE is a prize-based program by NEDO aimed at promoting the social implementation of generative AI. It offers a total of approximately 800 million yen in prize money across four themes: "Converting Tacit Knowledge in Manufacturing into Explicit Knowledge," "Improving Productivity in Customer Support," "Developing Generative AI to Contribute to the Efficiency of Screening Operations in Government Agencies, etc.," and "Developing Risk Exploration and Risk Reduction Technologies to Ensure the Safety of Generative AI." At the final judging and awards ceremony on March 24, 2026, 42 entries were selected from over 200 applications. For more details, please visit: https://geniac-prize.nedo.go.jp/
(Note 2) TIG welding is a method of welding metal using a tungsten electrode and an inert gas such as argon.
■ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Website: https://www.mhi.com/jp/
Online Magazine "SPECTRA" (Japanese): https://spectra.mhi.com/jp
Official X (formerly Twitter): @MHI_GroupJP
Official Instagram: @mhi_groupjp
◆ Realizes the conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge at manufacturing sites, contributing to more efficient skill transfer and improved productivity
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), in a joint application with Algomatic Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shunsuke Ohno), has been awarded 2nd place in the "GENIAC-PRIZE" (Note 1), a prize-based program by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), for their proposal regarding the theme of "Converting Tacit Knowledge in Manufacturing into Explicit Knowledge."
The joint proposal by MHI and Algomatic is titled "Converting Tacit Knowledge into Explicit Knowledge through a 'Comparative' Approach of Expert and Novice Work Videos using TIG Welding (Note 2) Technology." While TIG welding is a high-quality welding method that supports a wide range of MHI products, from energy plants to rockets, it is difficult to master, with quality and work time varying depending on the welder's skill level, which presents a challenge for skill succession. In this proposal, simply by filming and uploading videos of welding work performed by experts and novices, an agent AI automatically analyzes the differences between the two. It selects the optimal method from multiple analysis modules to extract and visualize differences in skills, including embodied knowledge, from multiple perspectives. This allows skills that are difficult to verbalize to be systematically accumulated as explicit knowledge, enabling AI-based technical evaluation and feedback for novices.
In manufacturing, while the skills of experts are accumulated as tacit knowledge, verbalizing and standardizing these skills has been a long-standing challenge. This proposal challenges the visualization of embodied knowledge by "comparing" the work of experts and novices, and is expected to contribute to the efficiency of skill succession and productivity improvement at manufacturing sites, marking an important step toward future social implementation.
Under its management policy, "Innovative Total Optimization (ITO)," MHI is working to halve lead times and improve operational productivity through the concept of "Total Optimization," while also concretizing growth strategies for each business from the perspective of "Area Expansion." MHI will continue to promote the social implementation of this technology and contribute to skill succession and productivity improvement in manufacturing.
(Note 1) GENIAC-PRIZE is a prize-based program by NEDO aimed at promoting the social implementation of generative AI. It offers a total of approximately 800 million yen in prize money across four themes: "Converting Tacit Knowledge in Manufacturing into Explicit Knowledge," "Improving Productivity in Customer Support," "Developing Generative AI to Contribute to the Efficiency of Screening Operations in Government Agencies, etc.," and "Developing Risk Exploration and Risk Reduction Technologies to Ensure the Safety of Generative AI." At the final judging and awards ceremony on March 24, 2026, 42 entries were selected from over 200 applications. For more details, please visit: https://geniac-prize.nedo.go.jp/
(Note 2) TIG welding is a method of welding metal using a tungsten electrode and an inert gas such as argon.
■ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Website: https://www.mhi.com/jp/
Online Magazine "SPECTRA" (Japanese): https://spectra.mhi.com/jp
Official X (formerly Twitter): @MHI_GroupJP
Official Instagram: @mhi_groupjp