Panasonic is working with a major Japanese railroad company to solve a new problem that has arisen in recent years - large numbers of people putting wireless headphones on the tracks.
Japan's railway companies are urging customers not to leave wireless headphones on the rail because small audio devices are difficult to reach.
When people get on and off the train or wait for the train on the platform, the wireless earplugs usually fall off.
According to JR East, there were 950 helmet accidents at 78 stations in Tokyo from July to September. JR East was part of the former Japan Railway Special Agency for Tokyo and Tohoku.
According to reports, this number appears to account for a quarter of all items thrown.
Western Japan Railway, Keio, Tokyu and other railway operators in Japan are facing similar situations and are encouraging passengers to use wireless headphones with greater caution.
Typically station workers use "magic hands" to pick up larger objects that have fallen onto the aisle, such as: b. Hats or smartphones.
The presence of pebbles between the poles makes it difficult to retrieve small items like the AirPod Pro, so employees sometimes have to wait for the last pull to retrieve dropped headphones.
To solve this problem, Panasonic was asked to work with JR East (East Japan Railway Corporation) to develop a vacuum device that is easy to use.
The device is being tested at Ikebukuro Station, the main hub in northern Tokyo. Initial results show that it performs much faster than a conventional clutch.