Program

HAGITA Norihiro PD Photo

Moonshot Goal1Realization of a society in which human beings can be free from limitations of body, brain, space, and time by 2050.

Program Director (PD)HAGITA NorihiroChair and Professor, Art Science Department, Osaka University of Arts

Outline

To overcome the challenges of a declining birthrate, aging population and associated labor shortage, the key is to realize a society free from the limitations of body, brain, space, and time and allow people with various backgrounds and values – such as the elderly and those with responsibilities for nursing and childcare – to actively participate in society.

Our R&D will develop core technologies related to cyborgs and avatars, called ‘Cybernetic Avatars’, allowing expansion of human physical, cognitive and perceptual abilities. We will build ‘Cybernetic Avatar Infrastructure’ in the cloud while easing the acceptance of Cybernetic Avatars into future society.

Illustrations

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Explanation 1 Explanation 2

Message from PD

Our human-centered R&D projects on Cybernetic Avatars will support the creation of cloud infrastructure and core technologies that enable a diverse range of social activities via remote operation. We also intend Cybernetic Avatars to augment the physical, cognitive and perceptual capabilities of people from various social and value backgrounds.
Cybernetic Avatars will be developed from the viewpoint of both providers and users in future society. Therefore our R&D projects should also do basic research on human stress caused by them, and methods to relieve this stress, while taking into account ethical, legal, social, and economic (ELSE) issues and information security. I hope these projects will help us adapt and adjust to a new human-centered ‘Cybernetic Avatar Life’.

R&D Projects

Selected in FY2020

*Cybernetic Avatar(CA)

Project Manager ISHIGURO Hiroshi
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
Outline

This project aims to realize an avatar-symbiotic society in which CAs allow everyone to perform active social roles without constraint. Through the teleoperation of multiple CAs that can fully transmit the user's actions, intentions, and reactions in scenarios which feature hospitality-rich dialogue, the user will be able to take part in various social activities (work, education, medical care, daily life, etc.). By 2050, our lifestyles will have dramatically changed. We will have greater freedom in our choice of location and how we spend our time, and technological advances will have enhanced our abilities. Our goal is to develop and implement avatar-symbiosis within a balanced society.

Project Manager KANAI Ryota
Director, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
Outline

This project aims to develop cybernetic avatars that can be controlled via intention. This intention will be estimated from brain activities and information observed on the surface of the human body and through interactions. We will integrate intention estimation methods using AI technologies, and enhance the functionality of cybernetic avatars controlled by brain machine interfaces (BMI) while considering ethical implications. By 2050, we will create the ultimate BMI-cybernetic avatars that can be freely operated by human intention.

Project Manager MINAMIZAWA Kouta
Professor, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University
Outline

This project aims to develop cybernetic avatar technologies that allow people to take full advantage of their abilities and share their variety of skills and experiences with many other people. Taking into account the social and ethical issues involved in the mutual utilization of physical skills and experiences, we will design a system that fits well with humans and society. By 2050 the inter-distribution of skills and experiences will allow people to link together and produce co-creations, and help realize a society in which everyone can freely engage in physical activities and challenges through cybernetic avatars.

Selected in FY2022

Project Manager ARAI Fumihito
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Outline

This project aims to develop an in-body Cybernetic Avatar (in-body CA) that can visualize the state of health in the body. We will structure spatio-temporal environmental information in the body by distributing and coordinating multiple types of millimeter-, micro-, and nanoscale in-body CAs to realize health monitoring and ultraminimally invasive diagnostics. By 2050, it will be useful for health maintenance, diagnosis, and disease prevention, and will be used by people in their daily lives, thereby contributing to a society of health and longevity.

Project Manager SHIMPO Fumio
Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University
Outline

This project aims to create core technologies on CA Teleoperator authentication, CA authentication and CA notarization that proves and certifies that the teleoperator can publicly use the CA under the law to build a CA infrastructure ensuring safe and security. It does research E3LSI(Ethical, Economic, Environmental, Legal, and Social Issues) to be tackled for realization of CA lifestyle, and create opportunities for proposals and discussions both domestically and internationally.
We aim to develop a new dimension of jurisprudence such as AI, robotics, and avatar law, by 2050.

Project Manager MATSUMURA Takeshi
Director, Wireless Systems Laboratory, Wireless Networks Research Center, Network Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
Outline

This project aims to develop a reliability-ensuring infrastructure that enables remote control of various CAs even when unstable communication conditions such as jitter (time lag and fluctuation of signals), latency, and communication failures occur. To this end, it develops area optimization technology for wireless sections and network optimization technology including wired sections to maintain interactive connections between operators and multiple CAs to the maximum extent. We will build a reliability-assuring infrastructure that will enable CA remote control underwater, undersea, and in space by 2050.

Project Manager YAMANISHI Yoko
Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University
Outline

This project aims to develop intracellular Cybernetic Avatars that extend the body's own immune capabilities. By remotely controlling multiple intracellular Cybernetic Avatars, doctors, and specialists will be able to patrol the body, inspect the malignant state of disease-causing cells, remove them if necessary, and keep the body in good condition at all times. By 2050 we aim to realize a safe and secure daily life and an increase in healthy life expectancy watched over by intracellular Cybernetic Avatars.

Advisors

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KITANO Hiroaki* President & CEO, Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
DOI Miwako* Auditor, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
INAMI Masahiko Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
OCHIAI Hiroyuki Professor, Institute of Mathematics for Industry, Kyushu University
KANOH Toshiyuki Senior Chief Engineer, Data Science Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation
KOBAYASHI Masahiro President, HANAMIZUKI LAW OFFICE
TSUBOI Takashi Professor, Department of Mathematical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Musashino University
TOKUDA Hideyuki President, National Institution of Information and Communications Technology
NOHARA Sawako President & CEO, IPSe Marketing, Inc.
HIGASHINO Teruo Vice President, Kyoto Tachibana University
FUJISAWA Kumi Chairperson, Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies

*Sub Program Director

News & Events

Contact

Goal 1 Secretariat
Department of Moonshot Research and Development Program, Japan Science and Technology Agency

e-mail moonshot-goal1adjst.go.jp