Takenobu INOUE
Director, Department of Assistive Technology,
Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities

Expertise/fields of interest

Mr. Inoue carries out research related to assistive technology. His aim is research on assistive technology that helps people, based on a broad view encompassing people who use assistive technology and the environments and situations in which it is used.

Profile

Mr. Inoue has been researching assistive technology at the Research Institute, National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, since 1989. His major research themes have included development of a head-controlled electric powered wheelchair, development of a simulator of powered wheelchair, the psychological effects of assistive technology, the economy of assistive equipment, evaluation of caregiver loads, development of technology to assist patients with dementia, and development of brain-computer interfaces. From 1996 to 1997, he received a Science and Technology Agency long-term fellowship abroad to the University of Toronto.

Message

Japan is on the leading edge of the aging of the world. It is therefore a focus of research areas related to an aged society. In particular, if Japan is able to skillfully harmonize a relationship between its strength in technology and its aged society in order to solve these problems, this will be important to the entire world. This focus area does not address full-fledged technical development, but it plays an important role in the question of how to direct technology based in the community. I hope that by proceeding with the management of this R&D focus area, we can utilize knowledge gained from assistive technology research that connects people, society, and technology, to help find solutions to the problems mentioned above and obtain results that will have a worldwide impact.

Links

Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities