D3 Center Life Design Innovation Research Base Public Symposium Held

On March 5, 2025, the D3 Center Life Design Innovation Research Base Public Symposium titled “Creating a Well-Being Society through -Connections Between People-” was held at Grand Front Osaka (Knowledge Capital Congrès Convention Center), with 117 people in attendance.

The symposium began with an interactive session consisting of poster presentations and demonstration exhibits of each project. Each project theme was introduced, providing an opportunity for a lively exchange of ideas among the many people who came to the venue.

This was followed by an opening address by Executive Vice President Takao Onoye (Vice Director) and greetings from the guest of honor, Mizue Shiomi, Director-General of the Research Promotion Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

In the first half, Director Yagi Yasushi introduced the center's activities, followed by presentations from the four projects comprising the research center, titled "Science and Technology of Socially Acceptable Data Transactions," "Monitoring Service for the Elderly - ACWEL Well-Being Program," "Creation of a Childcare Support System Toward the Realization of Society 5.0," and "Monitoring Students Using Smartphones and Avatar Technology."

In the second half, Professor Ishiguro Hiroshi of the Graduate School of Engineering Science gave a special lecture titled "Connecting People Through Avatars," in which he discussed the usefulness of avatars in human society and their potential for the future, which he has been researching for many years. He also touched on the Osaka-Kansai Expo, for which Professor Ishiguro serves as the thematic project producer.

The program concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Yasushi Yagi (Director of D3 Center), with Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro, Mr. Ko Ishiyama (Chief AI Innovator at ExaWizards Inc.), Mr. Yoshihisa Ijiri (Director of SB Intuitions Corp.), and Ms. Shigeko Kanazawa (Director of Osaka-Kansai Expo Project Office, Public Relations Department at Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.) on the stage. Various opinions were exchanged on the theme of human connections from the viewpoints of the panelists active in various industries.

The panelists introduced the activities of the center, which is now in its second year of its second stage, and the presence of speakers from outside the center provided a valuable opportunity to consider the goals of the center's future activities.