Firefly Project: The Secret of Shining Stairs

The beginning of worries

Tanaka, a member of a local cultural promotion office in Japan, has been deeply concerned about the rapid aging of the local population in recent years.

How can we promote the health of residents and activate local specialties and culture simultaneously?

Birth of an Idea

One late night, as Mr. Tanaka took a walk to clear his mind, he saw the twinkling of a firefly.

At that moment, one idea flashed in his mind.

"Right! What if the specialty product blinks every time the stairs light up?" This idea began an innovative program that connects health, fun, and local specialty products.

Challenges and Obstacles

However, bringing the idea to reality was not as easy as he thought.

Mr. Tanaka attempted to develop a system that measures the sound and weight generated each time the stairs are illuminated, but this was a challenging task. Furthermore, making a QR code appear when it is not visible from the floor but becomes visible when illuminated was a job only lighting experts could do.

He consulted various experts from different fields, but the system of combining floor materials and lighting was not easily solved. Then, one day, Mr. Tanaka had a conversation with his younger brother, a sculptor living in the United States.

He listened to his brother's difficulties and advised that a company called LumiSpace in Korea might be able to help.

Realization of the project

Mr. Tanaka immediately contacted Lumispace.

Lumispace had the technology to combine floor materials and lighting to make a QR code appear only under specific conditions.

Through this technology, he created a system that makes specialty sculptures blink every time he climbs the stairs.

Special devices shaped like fireflies, expressing the form of a specialty product, were installed on each step, designed to generate a QR code when all 37 steps are lit up.

Scanning the generated QR code links to a profile page where you can input your health data with your smartphone. When users input their profile, this information is stored on a central server, and a health card is automatically generated.

Established a system where regional love gift certificates are automatically sent by mail with health cards.

Execution of the program

The project progressed rapidly and was officially announced as the 'Firefly Project.' Residents can now care for their health by going up and down the stairs and quickly obtaining information about local specialties through QR codes. In addition, the local love vouchers automatically sent via Line Messenger have greatly helped to revitalize the local economy.

Results and Future

The Firefly Project was a great success, promoting both local residents' health and local specialties.

Based on this project, Tanaka is continuing research to introduce a similar program in other regions. Like the tiny light of a firefly, this project is shining a bright light on the local community.

Through Mr. Tanaka's perseverance, innovative ideas, and the collaboration of various experts, a new cultural promotion program linking health, fun, and local specialties was born.

This project will continue to inspire many people and contribute to the sustainable development of local communities.