The Naemura Laboratory held its annual Open House online on March 3, 2022. A total of 25 research presentations by faculty and students were given, using a virtual meeting app called oVice.

At the Open House, each presenter’s booth is located on the oVice space, similar to the poster session held on site, and participants can move freely between the booths to listen to the presentations. oVice allows participants to have a conversation by simply bringing their avatars close to each other, so there were lively questions and interactions among participants. In addition, participants can always observe the presentations around them and know when to start or interrupt other presentations. As a whole, the event promoted two-way interactive communication even though it was online.

The presentations covered a wide range of research topics, including swarm robots that can move from wall to ceiling, a mid-AIR image system with continuous luminance on and above tabletop, and a remote collaboration tool for making electronic circuits. There were also booths showcasing the activities of the University of Tokyo’s Hongo Tech Garage, Value Exchange Engineering in the Research Institute for an Inclusive Society through Engineering (RIISE), and the Nakayama Future Factory.

The Naemura Laboratory utilizes both hardware and software, and is implementing fundamental technologies for real-world oriented media and even interaction design. In the Open House, it was demonstrated that the lab has an environment where students and faculty actively collaborate on a wide range of research topics.

Text:Ayako Yogo (Chiba University), Yuuri Nakahashi (Hosei University)
(Incoming GSII students)