What was your initial inspiration for developing the Ultra-Ma? As a technical expert, I have been involved with computer memory for the last fi fty years, and through that experience I have learned a fair amount about human memory mechanisms, recall methods and so forth. At one point I began to wonder if stimulating the cranial area might have benefits to the patient, which led me to the idea of creating the world's fi rst cranial ultrasound irradiation device. Were you working together with Doctor Kosaka at that time? A few years after I began development of the Ultra-Ma, I saw a conversation on television between Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Yoichi Masuzoe, and Doctor Kenji Kosaka who was already an authority on DLB [dementia with Lewy bodies]. Afterward, I introduced myself to Doctor Kosaka, and we became an inseparable team. Is your approach of stimulating cells in this way a novel idea? Yes, it's akin to playing sports casually in order to gently strengthen the delicate cranial section of the body. In order to deliver energy in the form of vibration to the extremely tiny cells within the cranium, gentle and small stimuli are best. Pursuing a gentle, stress-free "workout" in this way does not create any negative side eff ects. Various types and strengths of ultrasonic wave exist. Which did you focus on using in the Ultra-Ma? I focused on waves that can impart extremely minute vibrations to the interior of the head. Because the cranium is filled with fl uid, adopting the frequency of waves used by dolphins to communicate underwater seemed like it would facilitate an effi cient means of conveyance. The Ultra-Ma's output strength is about 1/2000th of the roughly 3-watt output seen in ultrasonic therapy apparatus used to heal injuries in athletes. These tiny vibrations basically "stroke" or "caress" the cells at high speeds; each time the Ultra-Ma emits a beep, the cells are gently vibrated 9,000 times. When you run your fi nger along the rim of glass of water to create a sound, this distributes the vibration energy evenly throughout the glass and thus creates uniform ripples across the water's surface. In the same way, the Ultra-Ma's small vibrations are distributed readily throughout the cranium, which results in the patient feeling reinvigorated and refreshed. I believe the Ultra-Ma can be o f g reat u se t hroughout the world, and I plan to harness my passion for this project as I move forward with continuing development eff orts. Ultra-Ma stimulates the cranial area Yoshio Shimotori Ultra-Ma Developer, Ueyama Seisakusho Co., Ltd. 7