Ushio Bessho - Senior Designer

Reimagining the Value of Shaving

"Everything began with my ambition to reimagine what shaving is. Conventional electric shavers were evaluated based on how fast, closely, and gently they could shave beards. However, today, quite a few people choose devices based on their designs and how they fit into their lifestyles.

So, I thought that an electric shaver should not be just something to clean beards, but rather a device that could uplift us and enhance our quality of life by caring the skin. Thus, I reviewed and considered everything, including colors, textures, and size, to make it perfect."

Where the Bold, No-Handle Design was Born

"Panasonic has an 'Advanced Design Review'
annually, where we discuss proposals made by the design department with the business department and C-level executives. There, proposals that we concluded were promising would proceed to materialization with more detailed thoughts, and one such promising idea was Palm-sized Shaver, whose original prototype had been made by the technology department.

It was one of the products made with advanced technology in 2017, but it didn't attract attention at the time and was shelved until the design department found it."

"Out of the prototype, we made several ideas, manufactured samples to make a proposal.

The market for electric shavers was already mature. It was obvious that we needed to make a breakthrough, and thus the business department, executives, and other people in the company were intrigued from day one.

Another factor that attracted people was our technical advantage: no competitor could make such a compact electric shaver without compromising performance.

The body is more compact than ever, but it has blades made with the same technology used in crafting a Japanese sword, making them extremely sharp. It also features a powerful linear motor and incorporates advanced technologies inherited by Panasonic. It shaves beards closely and is much easier to use because the user holds the 'shaving part' directly, allowing a single stroke to clear the beard effectively.

A common electric shaver has a motor inside the handle, but our conventional models have a small linear motor in the head. This technology allowed us to get rid of the handle and make the iconic design unique to Panasonic."

Ken-ichi Muraki - Staff Engineer

Uncompromising, even one millimeter. How he made the design possible

"Ideas that designers come up with are often difficult to materialize. But it is no surprise because such ideas are brand new. Palm-sized Shaver especially attracted me, as the concept was unique, and the prototype was impressive and beautiful.

Palm-sized Shaver was made in an unusual flow where the design precedes the structure. One of the most challenging issues here was whether all the components could be put in the compact body. I reviewed the 3D data provided by designers and shared my feedback, such as, ‘This area looks fine, but this part does not have enough room.’ When we put the components in the body, we have to consider many things, like, ‘Never put something that generates heat close to the battery’ and ‘Durability requires a certain thickness.’ It is not just about making room.

Accordingly, I ask them to adjust the blueprint, seeking agreement. They sometimes flatly refused my alternative. As for the Palm-sized Shaver project, however, it was clear to me that the design should be kept at any cost, so I explored other possibilities.

The battery part was tricky. It is the second largest part after the motor, so I wanted to make it smaller to keep the body compact. I tried various small electric cells that are otherwise not commonly considered, like laminated batteries for smartphones. However, it turned out that the performance and safety were not sufficient, and we decided to use the usual battery.

I have to mention the circuit, too. Many electric shavers have one circuit board in them, but the Palm-sized Shaver does not have sufficient room for a single board. So, we divided the board into three parts to fit them into the body. This is an unusual approach and makes the manufacturing process challenging, so I asked the circuit design department to make it happen."

They sought a design posture inspired by
nature—reminiscent of a stone that naturally fits into any setting, from a washing basin to a work desk. Their goal was to create a product with a tactile balance that feels both soft and icy. While carving marble initially seemed the ideal approach, artificial marble proved too difficult to process and prohibitively expensive. This challenge led them to explore various resins
until they discovered NAGORI® by Mitsui Chemicals.

Crafted with a marine mineral, NAGORI® boasts high specific gravity and excellent thermal conductivity, giving it an icy texture reminiscent of fine pottery. In that moment, they exclaimed, “Eureka!” and the Palm-sized Shaver became the first home electric device to incorporate this innovative material.

Since NAGORI® is naturally white, they added colored pellets to achieve a marble-like appearance. Rather than resorting to painting or coatings, they molded the composite with these pellets, which produced organic patterns akin to natural marble. Variables such as the pellet colors, their proportions, the melting temperature, applied pressure, and other factors meant that every pattern was unique. It took over six months of trial and error—despite consulting specialists in tiling and coloring—before they realized that integrating various color pellets into the white base was the only way to achieve the desired effect.

This entirely unprecedented approach presented new challenges at every turn. Confronted by a pressing deadline, the team produced numerous prototypes and developed custom molds to perfect both the color and pattern. Each molding of the composite resulted in a uniquely varied finish, making it especially challenging to ensure consistency in quality and appearance. The marble pattern had to meet exacting standards to maintain a clean, refined look. With executives urging them, “Don’t worry about the budget. Make something satisfying,” the team relentlessly pursued perfection through continuous trial and error.