Ricoh and Mitsubishi Electric Launch Joint Demonstration Experiment for Next-Generation Workshops Using Emotion Estimation Sensor 'EmocoAI'
Key facts
- Ricoh and Mitsubishi Electric Launch Joint Demonstration Experiment for Next-Generation Workshops Using Emotion Estimation Sensor 'EmocoAI'
- Ricoh and Mitsubishi Electric will install Mitsubishi Electric's 'Emoco Sensor Unit,' equipped with the emotion estimation sensor 'EmocoAI,' in a workshop room at Ricoh's value co-creation hub. Starting June 2026, the two-month experiment aims to visualize participants' concentration and drowsiness levels, quantify facilitation effectiveness, and develop new services.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 3, 2026
Direct answer
Ricoh and Mitsubishi Electric will install Mitsubishi Electric's 'Emoco Sensor Unit,' equipped with the emotion estimation sensor 'EmocoAI,' in a workshop room at Ricoh's value co-creation hub. Starting June 2026, the two-month experiment aims to visualize participants' concentration and drowsiness levels, quantify facilitation effectiveness, and develop new services.
- Citation
- Ricoh and Mitsubishi Electric Launch Joint Demonstration Experiment for Next-Generation Workshops Using Emotion Estimation Sensor 'EmocoAI' (June 3, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 3, 2026
Ricoh and Mitsubishi Electric will install Mitsubishi Electric's 'Emoco Sensor Unit,' equipped with the emotion estimation sensor 'EmocoAI,' in a workshop room at Ricoh's value co-creation hub. Starting June 2026, the two-month experiment aims to visualize participants' concentration and drowsiness levels, quantify facilitation effectiveness, and develop new services.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 3, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: June 3, 2026 at 13:21
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 6, 2026 at 23:42 (82h 21m after Collected)
Ricoh Company, Ltd. (President and CEO: Akira Oyama, hereinafter Ricoh) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (President and CEO: Kei Uruma, hereinafter Mitsubishi Electric) will begin a joint demonstration experiment aimed at realizing more creative workshops. They will introduce the 'Emoco Sensor Unit,' a multi-monitoring device equipped with Mitsubishi Electric's emotion estimation sensor 'EmocoAI (Note 1),' into the workshop room at 'RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO' (hereinafter RICOH BIL TOKYO), a value co-creation hub for achieving digital transformation (DX) using the latest AI technology.
In this initiative, by measuring 'emotion estimation data' that visualizes human emotions such as concentration and drowsiness of workshop participants in real-time, the companies aim to quantify the effectiveness of facilitation as data and realize next-generation workshops. By combining the workshop space provided by Ricoh with Mitsubishi Electric's emotion estimation technology, they will visualize the psychological state of participants, which was previously difficult to capture, and contribute to the realization of more advanced facilitation. Through this demonstration experiment, both companies will consider developing new services that contribute to work style reform and improved organizational productivity.
(Left) Workshop room at RICOH BIL TOKYO with the Emoco Sensor Unit installed (Right) Emoco Sensor Unit
■ Overview of the Demonstration Experiment
Background:
In recent years, with the diversification of work styles and the spread of remote work, improving the quality of meetings and workshops has become increasingly important for enhancing productivity. On the other hand, it has been difficult to quantitatively grasp the psychological state and concentration level of participants using conventional methods, and objectively evaluating the effectiveness of facilitation has been a challenge.
Ricoh aims to realize a society where workers are freed from routine tasks, can demonstrate their unique creativity, and gain a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. To this end, it promotes the use of DX and AI. In the workshop room at RICOH BIL TOKYO, AI technology is used to classify speech content in the space in real-time in a sticky-note format and project it onto a large screen, supporting discussions and enabling the automatic generation of summary documents. Additionally, AI agents automatically display related information on the screen, expanding participants' ideas and supporting the creation of diverse and rich ideas (Note 2).
Mitsubishi Electric is working to create new value using data through its proprietary digital platform 'Serendie®.' In October 2025, it launched the 'Emoco Analysis Service' (Note 3), which delivers 'emotion estimation data' that visualizes human emotions such as concentration and drowsiness, as well as vital data like body movements and sleep levels, and environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, using the 'Emoco Sensor Unit' used in this demonstration. Furthermore, for the development of new services, Mitsubishi Electric is conducting in-house demonstrations at its co-creation space 'Serendie Street Yokohama' regarding the acquisition and utilization of 'emotion estimation data' in office work.
Purpose and Details:
Nine 'Emoco Sensor Units' will be installed in the workshop room to measure the concentration and activity levels of workshop participants in real-time. This will quantify the correlation between facilitation and the psychological state of participants, building a mechanism for facilitators to use this data to improve their facilitation methods. Throughout the demonstration period, the accuracy of data acquisition on emotional changes due to different facilitation methods will be verified, aiming to establish next-generation workshops and commercialize services based on the results.
Information to be Acquired:
- Concentration level (alertness, immersion)
- Activity/tension level
- Drowsiness level (calmness, relaxation)
- Number of body movements, etc.
Roles of Each Company:
Ricoh:
- Provision of the demonstration environment (workshop space) at RICOH BIL TOKYO
- Design, operation, and facilitation of AI-powered workshops
- Consideration of advanced workshops using 'emotion estimation data'
Mitsubishi Electric:
- Acquisition of 'emotion estimation data' using the 'Emoco Sensor Unit'
- Support for data analysis on the correlation between facilitation and psychological state using the digital platform 'Serendie'
Period:
June 2026 - July 2026 (approximately 2 months)
Future Developments:
After this demonstration experiment, Mitsubishi Electric plans to conduct demonstrations on the acquisition and utilization of 'emotion estimation data' from workshop participants at its co-creation space 'Serendie Street Yokohama.' Using the results of each verification, both companies will proceed with the joint development of new office services utilizing emotion estimation data.
■ About RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO
As part of its efforts to strengthen value co-creation activities with customers using the latest AI technology, Ricoh reopened RICOH BIL TOKYO in February 2024. At RICOH BIL TOKYO, leveraging Ricoh's strength in customer contact, the company combines over 100 customer value scenarios from various industries with its proprietary AI technology, which excels in natural language processing and spatial recognition, to co-create flagship value provision cases. Positioned as an Executive Briefing Center (EBC), the facility welcomes executives from customer companies and provides end-to-end support, from designing AI-powered value scenarios and business designs to implementation, through dialogue and workshops, aiming to solve fundamental issues and create new business co-creation.
https://jp.ricoh.com/about/ricoh-bil
■ Related News
New workshop room that promotes creative discussions using AI is born at 'RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO'
https://jp.ricoh.com/release/2025/0926_1
■ Related Links
RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO
https://jp.ricoh.com/about/ricoh-bil
'RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO' Logo
Serendie Website
https://www.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp/serendie/
Mitsubishi Electric's Digital Platform 'Serendie' Logo
* Ricoh Company, Ltd.'s company name and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the company.
* 'Serendie,' 'Emoco,' and 'EmocoAI' are trademarks of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.
■ About the Ricoh Group
The Ricoh Group provides digital services, printing, and imaging solutions that support customers' DX and lead their businesses to success in approximately 200 countries and regions worldwide (Group consolidated revenue of 2,527.8 billion yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025).
In this initiative, by measuring 'emotion estimation data' that visualizes human emotions such as concentration and drowsiness of workshop participants in real-time, the companies aim to quantify the effectiveness of facilitation as data and realize next-generation workshops. By combining the workshop space provided by Ricoh with Mitsubishi Electric's emotion estimation technology, they will visualize the psychological state of participants, which was previously difficult to capture, and contribute to the realization of more advanced facilitation. Through this demonstration experiment, both companies will consider developing new services that contribute to work style reform and improved organizational productivity.
(Left) Workshop room at RICOH BIL TOKYO with the Emoco Sensor Unit installed (Right) Emoco Sensor Unit
■ Overview of the Demonstration Experiment
Background:
In recent years, with the diversification of work styles and the spread of remote work, improving the quality of meetings and workshops has become increasingly important for enhancing productivity. On the other hand, it has been difficult to quantitatively grasp the psychological state and concentration level of participants using conventional methods, and objectively evaluating the effectiveness of facilitation has been a challenge.
Ricoh aims to realize a society where workers are freed from routine tasks, can demonstrate their unique creativity, and gain a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. To this end, it promotes the use of DX and AI. In the workshop room at RICOH BIL TOKYO, AI technology is used to classify speech content in the space in real-time in a sticky-note format and project it onto a large screen, supporting discussions and enabling the automatic generation of summary documents. Additionally, AI agents automatically display related information on the screen, expanding participants' ideas and supporting the creation of diverse and rich ideas (Note 2).
Mitsubishi Electric is working to create new value using data through its proprietary digital platform 'Serendie®.' In October 2025, it launched the 'Emoco Analysis Service' (Note 3), which delivers 'emotion estimation data' that visualizes human emotions such as concentration and drowsiness, as well as vital data like body movements and sleep levels, and environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, using the 'Emoco Sensor Unit' used in this demonstration. Furthermore, for the development of new services, Mitsubishi Electric is conducting in-house demonstrations at its co-creation space 'Serendie Street Yokohama' regarding the acquisition and utilization of 'emotion estimation data' in office work.
Purpose and Details:
Nine 'Emoco Sensor Units' will be installed in the workshop room to measure the concentration and activity levels of workshop participants in real-time. This will quantify the correlation between facilitation and the psychological state of participants, building a mechanism for facilitators to use this data to improve their facilitation methods. Throughout the demonstration period, the accuracy of data acquisition on emotional changes due to different facilitation methods will be verified, aiming to establish next-generation workshops and commercialize services based on the results.
Information to be Acquired:
- Concentration level (alertness, immersion)
- Activity/tension level
- Drowsiness level (calmness, relaxation)
- Number of body movements, etc.
Roles of Each Company:
Ricoh:
- Provision of the demonstration environment (workshop space) at RICOH BIL TOKYO
- Design, operation, and facilitation of AI-powered workshops
- Consideration of advanced workshops using 'emotion estimation data'
Mitsubishi Electric:
- Acquisition of 'emotion estimation data' using the 'Emoco Sensor Unit'
- Support for data analysis on the correlation between facilitation and psychological state using the digital platform 'Serendie'
Period:
June 2026 - July 2026 (approximately 2 months)
Future Developments:
After this demonstration experiment, Mitsubishi Electric plans to conduct demonstrations on the acquisition and utilization of 'emotion estimation data' from workshop participants at its co-creation space 'Serendie Street Yokohama.' Using the results of each verification, both companies will proceed with the joint development of new office services utilizing emotion estimation data.
■ About RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO
As part of its efforts to strengthen value co-creation activities with customers using the latest AI technology, Ricoh reopened RICOH BIL TOKYO in February 2024. At RICOH BIL TOKYO, leveraging Ricoh's strength in customer contact, the company combines over 100 customer value scenarios from various industries with its proprietary AI technology, which excels in natural language processing and spatial recognition, to co-create flagship value provision cases. Positioned as an Executive Briefing Center (EBC), the facility welcomes executives from customer companies and provides end-to-end support, from designing AI-powered value scenarios and business designs to implementation, through dialogue and workshops, aiming to solve fundamental issues and create new business co-creation.
https://jp.ricoh.com/about/ricoh-bil
■ Related News
New workshop room that promotes creative discussions using AI is born at 'RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO'
https://jp.ricoh.com/release/2025/0926_1
■ Related Links
RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO
https://jp.ricoh.com/about/ricoh-bil
'RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO' Logo
Serendie Website
https://www.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp/serendie/
Mitsubishi Electric's Digital Platform 'Serendie' Logo
* Ricoh Company, Ltd.'s company name and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the company.
* 'Serendie,' 'Emoco,' and 'EmocoAI' are trademarks of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.
■ About the Ricoh Group
The Ricoh Group provides digital services, printing, and imaging solutions that support customers' DX and lead their businesses to success in approximately 200 countries and regions worldwide (Group consolidated revenue of 2,527.8 billion yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025).
FAQ
What is the purpose of this demonstration experiment?
To visualize the emotions of workshop participants and quantify the effectiveness of facilitation, aiming to realize next-generation workshops.
What are the main technologies used?
Mitsubishi Electric's 'Emoco Sensor Unit' equipped with the 'EmocoAI' emotion estimation sensor, and Ricoh's AI technology.
When and where will the demonstration experiment take place?
It will be held for approximately two months from June to July 2026 at Ricoh's value co-creation hub, 'RICOH BUSINESS INNOVATION LOUNGE TOKYO'.