Nipple perfection: A Japanese company's 60-year quest for the perfect teat

Is it perfect? Three-month-old Kosuke Mori is fed by his mother at Pigeon Corp's R&D centre while researchers place a scanner under his chin. The research lies at the heart of the Japanese company's quest to design the perfect baby bottle teat.

From literally 'drinking' the breasts of 1,000 women to using ulstrasound scanning technology, the story of Pigeon Corp's 60-year quest to design the perfect teat is truly fascinating.

Pigeon, founded almost 60 years ago, sells about 100 million bottle teats a year and has a more than 80% share of the Japanese market. As the country’s birth rate declines, the company has moved overseas and ex-Japan sales will this year for the first time account for more than half its total revenue.