On March 5, 2024, an open house showcasing the latest research achievements of Naemura Laboratory was held on the 9th and 11th floors of Engineering Building No. 2 at the University of Tokyo’s Hongo Campus. At this event, 23 posters and demonstrations crafted by students and faculty were displayed across three rooms, continuing the tradition of holding the event offline and open to the public as was done the previous year.

Naemura Laboratory is engaged in real-world-oriented research related to media and content. This includes foundational technology research in physical control (optical design and circuit implementation), information processing (machine learning and signal processing), and interaction design (behavior induction and emotional arousal), as well as applied research extending to mixed reality, image recognition, entertainment computing, and multi-person harmonious information environments based on these technologies.

Long-standing research on aerial images at Naemura Laboratory includes AIR-range Plus, which displays multiple aerial images moving around on a desk, PraxinoAIRscope, a flip-book of aerial images moving adjacent to real objects, and exploratory studies on the challenges participants face in workshops for creating aerial images. Featuring Naemura Laboratory’s unique interactive experiences with aerial images, this research was exhibited and presented in a very attractive manner.

In the realm of real-world-oriented research, unique studies such as the ℃0Button, a game controller utilizing the properties of ice, and corobos plus, a group of robots moving between tables, walls, and ceilings, are being pursued, presenting intriguing works not seen elsewhere. Particularly impressive was the ℃0Button, which functions as a game controller by sensing the coldness of ice, incorporating the material’s characteristics into the user experience with innovative features such as the inability to touch the ice for extended periods due to its coldness and the game ending when the ice melts.

In research aimed at enhancing and supporting online communication, studies were exhibited and presented on the impact of fonts in text chats on interpersonal impression formation and persuasiveness, the effect of fonts on emotional conveyance in English text chats, and the proposal and application to online meetings of the EmoScribe Camera, a virtual camera that outputs captioned videos according to facial expressions. These results are applicable to text chat tools and online meeting tools we use daily, and the author felt a desire to use them immediately.

In addition to these studies, there were booths introducing activities from the University of Tokyo Hongo Tech Garage, the Research Institute for Inclusive Engineering, Society, and Environment (RIISE), and the Nakayama Future Factory.

Following last year, an on-site open house was held, and it was impressive to see all presenters enthusiastically discussing their poster presentations and demo exhibits. Discussions with the presenters were incredibly enjoyable, making time fly by in what felt like a wonderful space worth savoring for hours. The event was not only attended by members of Naemura Laboratory but also attracted researchers from other labs and companies, leading to a variety of discussions sparked by the research of Naemura Laboratory, creating a lively atmosphere throughout the venue. The author is looking forward to the 2024 open house and plans to visit again next year.

Text: Takafumi Morita (Doctoral Student)
English proofreading: David Buist (Project Senior Specialist)