Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences Project
The Institute’s group projects are a series of cross-studio collaborative research initiatives that cooperate with outside research institutions, organizations and companies. Students must participate in at least one project, where they are able to experience the entire creative process, from initial planning and conception to implementation. This also deepens students’ awareness of the connection research and creation have with society.
Project Fields
-Ubiquitous Interaction
-Environment and Interface
-Regional Information Science
2010 Institute Project
Advanced Design Project
Ubiquitous Interaction
Research Lead: Kyo Akabane
Research Team: Nobuya Suzuki, Shigeru Kobayashi (Academy), Takanori Endo
This project takes results from previous ubiquitous interaction projects and attempts to design and develop actual products out of them.
Through conducting joint research with outside companies, we aim to develop a proprietary design process that merges with current manufacturing techniques and is also a good fit for product development.
The goal is not to develop individual design skills or prototyping techniques, but rather to educate students in a hands-on fashion about the actual product development process. Thus, students already possessing competent prototype production skills are preferred.
Ubiquitous Ware Project
Ubiquitous Interaction
Research Lead: Nobuya Suzuki
Research Team: Kyo Akabane, Shigeru Kobayashi (Academy)
The Ubiquitous Ware Project aims to digitalize existing objects or incorporate networks into them in order to build a new relationship between the user and their surroundings.
A piece of hardware should not just be thought of as a physical object, but rather as something that includes the more abstract idea of interaction design. In this sense, the software employed to achieve a given interaction design also becomes of vital importance. We think of hardware and software as one entity, and hope to utilize smaller connections formed by networking to create a significant end result.
Real World Interface Project
Environment and Interface
Research Lead: Takahiro Kobayashi
Research Team: Masami Hirabayashi (Academy Faculty)
Due to advances in technology, it is now possible to easily access information at anytime. It has gotten to the point where the amount of information at our fingertips is unmanageable.
This project explores information access through mobile computers, focusing primarily on smart phones. One particular strategy looks at accessing locative information and delivering stored and analyzed information through joint filtering. We conduct interface trails, placing an importance on sense of meaning and behavior analysis. Ultimately, we aim to improve the accessibility to relevant, valuable information. If necessary, we will also develop hardware to realize our ideas. Furthermore, we shall develop detailed content and pursue projects that may be used in society.
Surface Interface Design Project
Environment and Interface
Research Lead: Atsuhito Sekiguchi
Research Team: James Gibson, Takanori Endo, Akira Segawa, Masahiko Furukata
This project seeks to expand the concept of a GUI, examining design issues dealing with craftsmanship, materials, and thin films. We treat artistic impact and advanced usability as aesthetic issues in surface interface design.
Using poster advertisements as an example medium, we explore the aforementioned ideas by incorporating circuit printing into the text, or otherwise attempting to employ computer functionality. Another goal of this project is to create devices whose electronic inner workings, previously hidden by the “black box”, are brought to the surface, in order to imbue them with artistry and function.
While delving into research topics including materials engineering, deposition, and injection printing, our project also tries to match up more familiar, handmade materials with manufacturing applications. The overall goal is to introduce new interfaces through design. Materials being looked at include Japanese paper, lacquer, mother-of-pearl, ABS resin, and ceramics.
City Design Project
Regional Information Science Research
Research Lead: Keiichi Irie
Research Team: Masahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhiko Ando
This project’s goal is to utilize hardware, software, and information to redesign Ogaki and implement change.
-1st Phase: Creating a foundation
We will develop the “City Design Office” and the “Ogaki School”, which will function as two bases to carry out urban redesign. The former will carry out the plans and activities of the Ogaki Beautification Committee and the latter will plan events for the Ogaki Performance Group and Ogaki Educational Group.
2nd Phase: Plan Implementation
Here we will execute the plans suggested by the committees and groups in the first phase.
3rd Phase: City Archive
Information about the activities conducted in phase 2 will be collected and loaded online into the “Ogaki Archive”. The goal is to create a multi-layered archive that systematically organizes information about past projects at IAMAS and other resources.
Geospatial Information Science Project
Regional Information Science Research
Research Lead: Atsuhito Sekiguchi
Research Team: Akitsugu Maebayashi, Shinjiro Maeda, Koji Yamada, Masakazu Saito
Collaborative Support: Mie University Archaeology Lab, Ogaki City
The field of spatial informatics looks at three-dimensional versions of two-dimensional geographic information while also incorporating the passage of time.
One of our approaches to this research involves taking invisible information embedded in spatial environments and making it visible to the user by looking at the space from a different perspective.
Using these elements as a base, our research is currently advancing on three different fronts.
First, we are defining “out of the ordinary” spatial environments in artwork as proprietary spatial environments, and then analyzing the artistic space.
Second, our group is conducting research into mechanisms for constructing content and behavior models, utilizing geographic information and image analysis techniques in the area of global locative information.
Finally, we are aiming to create spatial information-based content from our basic research.
2009 Institute Project
Visualization Project
This project takes information that is difficult to grasp and explores what relationship that information has with other parameters that are measurable by sensors. Through employing sensor and network technology, as well as creative engineering solutions, we visualize information in an easy to understand form.
Regional Culture Project
This project takes a regional informatics approach and attempts to increase the amount of detailed information available about the local area. We also perform research into archival displays and content presentation.
Locative Media Project
We are investigating new approaches to understanding the relationship between location, media, and the body.
Gangu Project 2
In this project, emphasis is put on the conception and development of new electronic toys that implement information technology. Through the design process, members are able to hone their own prototyping method.
Ubiquitous Technology Project
We believe the meaning of the word ubiquitous doesn’t just refer to an object’s pervasive nature, but also includes the idea of connecting objects together synergistically. Our research focuses on creating some larger entity through the combined operation of multiple connected devices.
Info School Project
This is an ongoing project, started in 2006, that has been involved in activities at the IAMAS Tokyo and Yokohama exhibitions, IAMAS Media Lab (in Softopia Japan) and Ogaki Biennale. We conduct research into what types of spatial and information environments are conducive to the type of information media education and research that occurs at IAMAS. Prototypes of these environments are then constructed.
Eco Project 2
n a day-to-day basis, we generally aren’t conscious of the amount of electricity, gas, and water resources we consume, and this project’s goal is to address that tendency. We think one reason for this lack of awareness is that the consumption meter for these utilities is not easily visible during actual use, and thus most people first find out about their usage after the fact.
Real-world Oriented Interface Project
While placing emphasis on real world interaction, we strive to create new interfaces that have an impact on the status quo. Our basic strategy is to give form to information itself. We design interfaces that fully utilize both an object’s existence and an operator’s corporeal nature. Potential new applications are explored while also refining the form of the interface based on survey and debate. This project aspires to produce results that surpass current technologies.
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