R&D Project

Goal 1 R&D Projects (Selected in 2020)Cybernetic Avatar Technology and Social System Design for Harmonious Co-experience and Collective Ability
Project manager (PM)MINAMIZAWA KoutaProfessor, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University
Summary of the project
Cybernetic beings are cybernetic avatar technologies that we develop, which enable people to realize their abilities to the fullest, and share their diverse skills and experiences with others throughout the world. Factoring the social and ethical issues with the shared use of such physical skills and experiences, we are building the foundation for embodied skills and experiences to only become the norm, but be harmoniously integrated into society.
By 2050, we aim to realize a society where people can freely connect with one another and co-create embodied experiences via cybernetic avatars.

Human Augmentation by CAs / Use-case Scenario of CAs in 2050
Milestone by year 2030
【Transformation into a large scale remote mutual aid society with diverse human resources to quickly solve problems in emergency situations and social services】
In emergency situations such as disasters or infectious diseases, as well as in fields like education and social welfare, specialists from various fields can operate a large number of CAs in parallel and in co-ordination, enabling efficient mutual and co-operative support at sites where direct support is difficult.
【Creating a remote mutual aid society in which people with physical and cognitive disabilities can participate in social activities】
People with physical and brain limitations can independently extend their own physical, cognitive and perceptual abilities. They can also participate in new cultural, artistic, sporting and educational activities by cooperating and collaborating with others' skill-integrated CAs that agree with each other.
Milestone by year 2025
【Skill & Experience transfer】
By coordinating and collaborating different skills and experiences through CA, which enables multiple agreed-upon people to integrate their physical, cognitive, and perceptual abilities through a network, people can expand and/or re-skill their physical and social abilities according to their needs, and then they will be able to participate in specific activities such as new jobs, education, culture, and sports with respecting each other's individuality and leveraging their differences, regardless of whether they have physical disabilities.
R&D theme progress reports
- 1. Social and embodied augmentation technology (Cognitive Augmentation Research Group)
- 2. Parallelization of experience and integrated cognitive behavioral technology (Parallel Agency Research Group)
- 3. Technology that combines the abilities of multiple bodies into one (Collective Ability Research Group)
- 4. Building a foundational CA platform for co-creation (CA-Cloud Platform Research Group)
- 5. Designing a co-created CA society that expands diversity and inclusivity (Social Co-Creation Research Group)
- 6. Designing the ethics and institutions for a CA society (Social System Research Group)
Performers
Theme [1] | NARUMI Takuji | The University of Tokyo |
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Theme [1] | SHIMADA Sotaro | Meiji University |
Theme [1] | NIIYAMA Ryuma | Meiji University |
Theme [1] | HIRAKI Takefumi | Cluster, Inc. |
Theme [2] | KASAHARA Shunichi | Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. |
Theme [2] | SHIBATA Kazuhisa | RIKEN |
Theme [2] | Wen Wen | Rikkyo University |
Theme [3] | TANAKA Yoshihiro | Nagoya Institute of Technology |
Theme [3] | NISHIDA Jun | The University of Maryland |
Theme [3] | HIRATA Hitoshi | Nagoya University |
Theme [4] | MINAMIZAWA Kouta | Keio University |
Theme [4] | FUKABORI Akira | avatarin Inc. |
Theme [4] | SATO Masaaki | Tokai University |
Theme [5] | YOSHIFUJI Kentaro | OryLab Inc. |
Theme [6] | AKASAKA Ryota | The University of Osaka |
Theme [6] | EMA Arisa | The University of Tokyo |
Theme [6] | OSAWA Hirotaka | Keio University |
Theme [6] | SHINEHA Ryuma | Keio University |
PDF Download
- Summary of the project (158KB)
- Progress Report (Download all) (1.32MB)