Design foundations of digital embodied network for broadening sense of self

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Foundations of digital embodied economics
• Project/Area Number: 21H05072
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Transformative Research Areas, Section (I)
• Research Institution: NTT Communication Science Laboratories
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Junji 日本電信電話株式会社NTTコミュニケーション科学基礎研究所, 人間情報研究部, 上席特別研究員 (40500898)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 南澤 孝太 慶應義塾大学, メディアデザイン研究科(日吉), 教授 (10585623) ; 伊藤 亜紗 東京工業大学, 科学技術創成研究院, 教授 (20701618)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-23 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 身体性 / 触覚 / デジタル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we examined the information network infrastructure for the creation of "Digital Embodied Economics". In the first year, we developed an environment for bi-directional transmission of vibration and pressure in one-to-one situations. In the next year, we actually verified the psychological and behavioral changes in a situation where pressure is transmitted remotely to each other. In addition, the effects of tactile presentation with motion and the possession of non-fungible tokens were examined from a somatic theory perspective. In the final year, we examined the effects of vibrotactile sensation on emotional bonding and evocation of narrative imagery, along with its evaluation methods. These research results contributed to the establishment of digital corporeality technology and were presented in original papers in Japan and at national and international conferences in the field of human-computer interaction.

Free Research Field

触覚情報学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、デジタル化された身体性情報が流通する社会を想定し、そこでの向社会行動に関する触/身体感覚の役割を検討するものであり、学術的意義は非常に高いと考えられる。また、触/身体感覚の伝送技術の分野においても、これまでの取り組みの多くは１対１での触覚伝送の高品質化を目指すに留まり、人と人の共感や信頼、行動変容を含んだ視点を持つことはなく、「デジタル身体性経済学」の概念に基づく本研究は技術開発の面でも極めて新鮮な視点を投げかけるものである。将来において、本研究が取り組むネットワーク技術は、産業的にも大きな役割を果たすと考えられる。