The Connection Between Wellbeing and Cars: Mazda and Hirosaki University’s Vision for a Healthier World Through Human-Centered Cars

Can we create cars that make you healthier with every drive? Mazda and Hirosaki University are working together to explore this possibility.

The MAZDA MIRAI BASE editorial team visited Hirosaki University (Aomori Prefecture) to talk with You Yamazaki, Assistant Manager of Social Systems Research at Mazda Technical Research Center's Advanced Human-Centered System Research Field, and learn more about Mazda and Hirosaki University’s innovative joint research project.

Since moving to Hirosaki for research, I've experienced firsthand how difficult life outside of major cities can be without a car. In areas with limited public transport, cars are essential, even for elderly people needing to attend doctor appointments. If we could provide the right support to help anxious drivers continue to drive safely for longer, it could make a huge difference.

You Yamazaki, Assistant Manager, Social System Research, Advanced Human-Centered System Research Field, Technical Research Center.

Our approach starts with understanding and addressing anxieties. From there, we work to help people maintain their vitality and health, ultimately connecting this to experiencing the joy of mobility. Freedom of mobility is intrinsically tied to wellbeing: being able to travel somewhere new independently or to meet and talk to friends who live far away, these freedoms are essential to human happiness.

Take driver assistance systems, for example. What one driver experiences as helpful support might feel intrusive to another. We each have our own driving sensibilities and preferences. At Mazda, we’re committed to thoroughly understanding these individual differences and providing personalized support for each driver.

I originally wanted to design cars and started in chassis development, working on driver interface components. I became increasingly interested in human factors while designing precision-control elements like the organ-type accelerator pedal, which places the pivot point near the heel for better control. I also had the opportunity to work as an instructor for the Mazda Jinba Ittai Academy at Mazda's Miyoshi Proving Ground in Hiroshima, where we share Mazda's car-making philosophy with employees and visitors.

From the passenger seat, I observed over 1,000 drivers interacting with our vehicles. Their reactions to the same car’s features varied dramatically: some would become excited about certain aspects, while others showed no reaction at all. What fascinated me was how, even from the passenger seat, I could sense what attracted them and what they valued from the moment they sat in the driver's seat. These experiences gradually revealed how each person brings their own unique perspectives to driving. That's when I grasped the importance of truly understanding people.

We all have our own driving preference and style. The future of car development lies in understanding these differences and responding to each person's unique characteristics. This perspective on expanding mobility possibilities is behind advancing our research with Hirosaki University.

The open lab at Hirosaki University's Health Future Innovation Center brings together researchers from various companies, including Mazda.

Data from people with illnesses is abundant, but we have few examples of data from healthy individuals. Regular health checkups typically focus on basic metrics like blood tests, electrocardiograms, and chest X-rays, often with limited parameters.

The Iwaki Health Survey goes beyond these standard measurements to cover the entire body, including oral health and skeletal muscle condition. We've accumulated about 3,000 data points from each of our approximately 20,000 participants over 20 years. The data includes extensive information about mental health and lifestyle, attracting interest from companies focused on wellbeing.

Professor Koichi Murashita of Hirosaki University, leader of the COI-NEXT project.

One project goal is to change Aomori's position as the prefecture with Japan's lowest life expectancy. Aomori ranks lowest among 47 prefectures for both male and female life expectancy. Some might attribute this to the cold climate, but Nagano Prefecture, also a cold region, ranks among the highest for longevity. In other words, Aomori has significant room for improvement.

Wellbeing emphasizes not just physical and mental health but also social connections. Take the example of social contagion in obesity: studies indicate that friends of the same gender have more influence than family members living together. This suggests that social networks may impact health more significantly than physical proximity.

I believe that the key to extending longevity lies in our social capital—the networks, relationships and shared values between people.

Not at all. Mazda was already working on innovations related to Kansei (sensory perception) to enhance psychological wellbeing. Even then, they shared their hypothesis about a relationship between sensory richness and health. Indeed, our analysis of Mazda's data from the Iwaki Health Survey confirms that people who enjoy cars tend to be healthier, regardless of gender.

Cars are essential to life, especially in rural areas. As wellbeing is deeply connected to everyday living, people could become naturally healthier through their daily interaction with cars. That’s the wellbeing outcome we’re aiming for. While cars have traditionally been seen as mere transportation tools, from a health perspective, they have significant potential to positively impact people's lives. We have high expectations for Mazda's ability to create human connections through cars.

Studying wellbeing has made me even more aware of the incredible diversity among us humans. A person's health can be partially explained by their genome, but not entirely, and the same applies to lifestyle factors. There’s no simple formula that can predict health outcomes based on genes and habits.

Through our research in Hirosaki, I've come to realize that cars can be excellent sensors for monitoring human physical condition, similar to a smartwatch. They could measure pulse rates through image recognition or assess muscle condition through steering and pedal operation. This could even allow working adults in cities to monitor their elderly parents living in rural areas.

From left: Professor Yoshinori Tamada, Director of Health and Medical Data Science Research Center, Hirosaki University, and You Yamazaki from Mazda’s Technical Research Center.

While it's true that increased car use has been historically linked to decreased walking, in a future where cars function like smartwatches, they could analyze collected data to recommend exercise or dietary habits, or perhaps propose parking slightly further from destinations to encourage walking.

In terms of cars assisting with health, we could adjust power steering assistance based on the driver's physical capabilities, effectively incorporating training functions into everyday driving.

Driving is often seen as taking the easy way out, but motorsports like F1 require significant muscle strength and endurance. Mazda MX-5 MIATA serves as an ideal entry point to the world of motorsports.

Whether through innovations like MX-5 MIATA or the rotary engine, Mazda creates value that sets them apart from other car manufacturers. I hope they continue pursuing positive experiences like joy, fun, and excitement, rather than just eliminating negatives.

The 1989 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA brochure featured the phrase ‘happiness for everyone.’ Instead of focusing on horsepower or technical specifications, Mazda chose to emphasize universal happiness. This philosophy perfectly aligns with the wellbeing research Mazda pursues today.

All it takes is the courage to get behind the wheel. Then we can experience the joy, excitement, and personal growth that comes with the challenge of driving. This connects directly to Mazda's core purpose. While this research carries significant responsibility as it shapes our company's direction, that responsibility brings tremendous motivation.

At Mazda, we see cars as something that can evolve beyond mere transportation tools to become a catalyst that can expand people's dreams and possibilities.

Yamazaki sits behind the wheel of a Mazda MX-5 MIATA used at Hirosaki University for data measurement.