Did you know that World's Fairs, those great global gatherings celebrating human progress, have been around since 1851? The one in Montreal in 1967 (memories of Expo 67!) left its mark on a generation in Quebec. Today, these exhibitions attract fewer visitors than they once did, but they continue to draw almost as many participating countries, with nearly 150 nations present at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
Located on the artificial island of Yumeshima, this new edition's theme is " Designing the society of the future, imagining our lives tomorrow ." At its heart: a huge wooden ring 2 kilometers in circumference, a true symbol of connection, sustainability, and collective dreams.
At Ikigai Box, we love anything that sparks the imagination, but also anything that could—perhaps, one day—concretely improve our daily lives. So we've selected 5 innovations that could change our lives (well, in a few years... until their manufacturing cost fits into our budget 🫠). Health, art, ecology, solitude, co-creation... You'll see, there's something for everyone!
🫀 An artificial heart that beats for the future
Among the major innovations presented at the Osaka World Expo 2025, the one that makes our hearts beat the most... is precisely a heart. Not made of chocolate or origami (although we like those too), but an artificial heart grown from human stem cells, developed by Professor Yoshiki Sawa ( source ). This very real prototype could revolutionize medicine in the years to come. It was presented to the press last September but will have its own show at the end of June in the Pasona Inc. pavilion.
👉 Unlike existing mechanical artificial hearts, this one is biological: it is generated from iPS (induced pluripotent stem cells), capable of transforming into any type of cell in the body. In this case, into cardiac cells. The ultimate goal? To create custom-made organs, compatible with each patient, and drastically reduce long waiting lists for transplants.
And that's just the beginning! This breakthrough opens the door to other applications: modeling diseases on organs in the laboratory to better understand their development, testing new drugs safely on recreated human tissue, and designing smarter bioprostheses.
💡 What if we could one day replace our organs like we change a bicycle part? Well, not tomorrow morning. The challenges remain numerous (cost, ethics, long-term effectiveness), but there is hope.
That said, this is no reason to skip good habits: eat well, move a little, breathe deeply... It's still the best way to keep your heart beating for a long time! ❤️
🤖 Empathetic robots: a presence that feels good
Imagine coming home after a long day, dropping off your keys, and being greeted by a robot that sincerely asks, “ How are you today? ” Not just for the sake of it, but with a genuine capacity for listening and empathy.
This is the ambition of several projects presented at the Osaka World Expo, such as Nicobo , a small textile robot developed by Panasonic. With its soft design (it resembles a minimalist stuffed animal), Nicobo isn't meant to clean or keep an eye on the house. No, its thing is emotional interaction.
Concretely, it reacts to voices and caresses, and adopts almost human behaviors: it sulks a little if ignored, cheers up when spoken to, and offers a calming presence. The idea behind this robot? To break isolation, particularly among the elderly, and bring a little human warmth into our hyper-connected, but sometimes solitary, daily lives.
💡 These robots are equipped with artificial emotional intelligence: they learn over time to recognize the moods of their users, adjust their responses, and even create an attachment relationship.
What if we told you that we could soon give one to our grandmother, or have one in our living room as a zen companion? Well, we'll let you decide if you'd give it a name. Or if you'd fall a little too much in love with it 😅.
In any case, this innovation raises a good question: how could we better take care of others, simply by our presence?
🌱 Better Co-Being: living better, together
Sometimes, innovation doesn't fit in a high-tech box, but in a simple, bright concept. At the Osaka World Expo, the Japan Pavilion is offering a unique experience called Better Co-Being , a play on words between well-being and co-being. A sweet idea... but full of power.
👥 The goal? To create a connection between visitors so they can experience the impact we can have on each other—for the better! Through sensory sensors, light effects, and interactions, you'll discover how your emotions influence those of others, and how simple actions can improve collective well-being.
It's neither an app nor a robot. It's a call to slow down, to observe, to connect . On your way out, you'll even be given a card with suggestions for micro-actions to repeat in your daily life: call a friend, smile at a stranger, offer a sincere compliment...
💡 What if, in our often hurried and individual society, true luxury was taking care of the community around us? What if happiness was found... in others?
🪐 A piece of Mars on Earth: should we look elsewhere or save it here?
Let's not kid ourselves: seeing a real piece of Mars, right there in a glass case, is guaranteed to give you a thrill. At the Osaka World Expo, one of the Japanese pavilions is featuring a sample of a Martian meteorite that's several million years old. Just that. 🚀
But beyond the intergalactic wow factor, this curiosity makes us think. Because while space agencies like NASA and JAXA dream of sending humans to Mars within a few decades, the question remains: should we really look for a backup planet? Is it realistic? Is it desirable?
🌍 For our Ikigai community, who love to do things themselves, pamper their plants, and live in the moment, this innovation speaks above all to a terrestrial emergency. Science allows us to explore elsewhere, but our most beautiful planet remains our own.
And this little pebble from afar then becomes a poetic reminder: taking care of our soil, our air, our daily lives, is still (and always) our greatest challenge.
🏗️ Takenaka's ephemeral and ecological architecture
We know it: major events like the Olympic Games or World Expos often leave behind concrete scars. Empty stadiums, abandoned pavilions, and shattered promises. 🏟️
But at Expo 2025 in Osaka, a breath of fresh air is blowing through buildings thanks to Takenaka Corporation, a Japanese architecture giant committed to a temporary and sustainable approach. The idea? To design pavilions that will disappear without a trace... or almost.
Their favorite material: Japanese wood, local, renewable, assembled without nails or chemical glue. And the most spectacular example is the large wooden ring, 2 km in circumference, floating above the artificial island of Yumeshima. A powerful symbol of harmony between modernity, nature, and respect for the ephemeral.
But it's not just pretty: this type of structure could inspire modular housing, demountable buildings for disaster areas, or temporary installations in our cities. Basically, less concrete, more constructive intelligence.
🌱 What if, tomorrow, we built at home with the same wisdom? With local, removable, reusable materials? Perhaps after knitting or fermentation, circular construction will become the next trendy hobby? (Okay, we're only half kidding!)
🎌 What if the future was taking shape in Osaka?
Whether it's a heart that beats without organs, a robot that understands you without speaking, or pavilions that float away like autumn leaves, the Osaka 2025 World Expo isn't just a showcase of futuristic gadgets. It's a laboratory of possibilities, a mirror of what our daily lives could become if we dared to dream (and invest a little in R&D!).
These innovations remind us of one essential thing: the future isn't built solely in laboratories or engineering offices. It's built in our lifestyle choices, in the conversations we have over dinner, in the hobbies we explore, and in the questions we ask ourselves.
So, which of these inventions spoke to you the most?
What if we imagined together a world where technology doesn't replace humans, but brings them closer together?
🗓️ As a reminder, the Osaka Expo is running until October 13, 2025, and the next one will be in Riyadh in 2030. Who knows? Maybe by then, one of you will have had a great idea and presented a project there! We believe it, the Ikigai community is full of surprises ✨
And if all this hasn't convinced you yet, Osaka is home to the longest sushi conveyor belt in the world . 🍣 Nothing revolutionary, but you have to admit it always brings a smile to your face!
