The initial motivation was the desire to contribute to society in the field of engineering.　Among various fields, I was particularly attracted to mobility, which means vehicles.　I believe that mobility allows us to create the “most valuable asset, ‘time’” by making travel faster.　With such thoughts, I became interested in Honda, which creates various mobility solutions, including not only cars but also motorcycles, outboard motors, jets, and more.　While researching, I came across the philosophy of Soichiro Honda, and that made me think, “I want to work for the company he created,” which became the motivation for joining.

It's also what I'm currently working on, but my primary dream was to “eliminate traffic accidents using driving assistance systems”.　The biggest drawback of riding a vehicle is the risk of accidents, so I thought that eliminating accidents could have a positive impact on society.　

Before joining Honda, the occasions to see materials concerning ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) in the media started to increase.　With the goal of mass-producing this system at Honda, a company that creates various mobility solutions, I decided to join.

Right after joining, I was assigned to the Fundamental Research Institute where I worked on the software development of the bipedal robot “ASIMO”.　Associates in the Fundamental Research Institute often shared dreams and talked about the technology involved in getting robots to move.　It was a place filled with intellectual curiosity, and I found it to be a great environment.

The high level of enthusiasm was in line with my expectations before joining.　However, my desire to create something more directly useful to society has always been there.　I used to talk to those around me about wanting to develop a driving assistance system.　After that, when the autonomous driving car project started, I was able to get assigned to that project.

I was involved in the development of software to operate the autonomous driving system.　Also, I traveled to Honda R&D in Tochigi Prefecture for half of the week and worked on software development for the automated parking project.　After that, in 2013, I was transferred to Tochigi Prefecture and assigned to a project aimed at mass-producing driving assistance systems.　Specifically, it involved the development of a “Driver Abnormality Response System” that automatically stops the vehicle when the driver's condition may not be optimal.　

For the past five years, I have been in charge of the research and development of next-generation products, such as the driving assistance system platform.　The development towards the mass production of this system has recently been completed.

The mission is to create a society where people can move freely and safely using autonomous driving technology.　When advancing the project, it is crucial not only to focus on individual functions but also to consider how the driving assistance system can be applied in real life, providing value to customers.　Taking a macro perspective is essential in this process.

I believe Honda's strength lies in its bottom-up approach, where things are decided.　There is a culture within the company that encourages each associate on the front lines to realize what they want to do and to break existing preconceptions.　It's not an organization that strongly decides things from the top down, so having an environment where associates can work with high motivation and initiative is truly appealing and is also a strength of the organization.　This allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment because I can have my passion and plans acknowledged and work towards realizing my dreams.

At the time of joining the company, I often went for drinks with a senior colleague who worked on ASIMO's development.　On those occasions, I was repeatedly asked, “Nakatsuka, what do you want to achieve through your work?”

Being repeatedly prompted to think about what I truly wanted to do allowed me to crystallize the somewhat vague desire of creating a “safe driving system” into something concrete, defining it as “what I want to do at Honda”.

As mentioned earlier, the appeal of Honda lies in the fact that decisions are made by associates on the front lines.　Thus, self-reliance is expected from all associates, including young talents.　The strength of Honda lies in bringing together the dreams of its associates and turning them into reality.　Therefore, it is important for each individual to showcase their dreams, goals, and skills to those around them while advancing research and development.

And, just like my senior did for me at the time, I want to assist younger colleagues in clarifying their aspirations and goals.

The goal remains unchanged since joining the company: to create a society where transportation is enjoyable, free from accidents and anxiety brought on by driving.　And, this might sound like a dream within a dream, but I want to create a mobility that is exciting like a time machine, allowing free movement and providing unbelievable experiences.　For example, if people from an era without the Shinkansen express trains wanted to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, it would be impossible to reach there in just two hours.　In that sense, it feels like we are getting quite close to the time machine that people imagined in the past.　

However, the drawbacks such as traffic accidents and anxiety caused by driving still exist today.　Therefore, I would like to address such challenges and work towards ensuring that society can fully enjoy the benefits of mobility without the drawbacks.　Additionally, one of the specific dreams is to develop systems that not only reduce anxiety but also enhance the enjoyment of mobility for customers.

In the future, we will continue to develop mobility software so that, similar to smartphone or computer operating systems, it can be regularly updated even after the customer's purchase.　Not just a one-time sale, but by performing daily updates and customizing functions based on customer driving data, we can provide a more secure and safe system.　This approach fosters a sense of attachment as if the vehicle is evolving over time, enhancing customer satisfaction.　By doing so, I believe we can realize the enjoyment of mobility that lies ahead.