Prof. Emi Tamaki

University of the Ryukyus, Japan

Dr. Emi Tamaki is a researcher in human interface technologies focusing on body sensation sharing and augmentation. She is currently the Founder and CEO of H2L, Inc., where she leads the research and social implementation of “BodySharing®” technologies that digitize and share proprioceptive experiences such as force, movement, and bodily sensation. She graduated from the University of the Ryukyus in 2006, received her master’s degree from the University of Tsukuba in 2008, and completed her Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in 2011. She also holds concurrent research positions at the University of Tokyo and Keio University, while continuing educational and research activities at the University of the Ryukyus.

Speech Title: “BodySharing as an Experience-Sharing Interface for Humanity: Shaping a New Form of Empathy”

Abstract: What if physical experience — the weight of an object in your hand, the resistance of water against a paddle, the precise motion of a skilled craftsman's fingers — could be digitized, transmitted, and shared with anyone, anywhere? BodySharing® is a technology platform that makes this possible by digitizing proprioception — the deep bodily sense encompassing force, resistance, posture, and motion. Unlike conventional haptic interfaces that rely on surface-level vibration, BodySharing captures proprioceptive data through a compact muscle deformation sensor and reproduces it via electrical stimulation that mimics natural motor signals, inducing a genuine sense of body ownership across remote or virtual bodies. This keynote presents the full BodySharing ecosystem: from wearable devices and a whole-body Capsule Interface for teleoperation, to Maaart — an online platform for uploading and downloading proprioceptive experiences shared across people, robots, and avatars — and the Large Sensation Model (LSM), which leverages human proprioceptive data to train the next generation of Physical AI. By treating proprioception as a new form of shareable, transmittable data, BodySharing opens the door to a future where physical skill, embodied knowledge, and lived experience can flow freely between humans and machines — shaping an entirely new infrastructure for empathy.

 

Prof. Hideo Yokota

University of the Ryukyus, Japan

Dr. Hideo Yokota is the Director of the Image Processing Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics and a Specially Appointed Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, under a cross-appointment between RIKEN and the University of the Ryukyus. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1999 and has since led numerous advanced research projects at RIKEN in the fields of image processing, computational imaging, and biomedical image analysis. His research focuses on medical image diagnosis, disease detection, pathological classification, and computer-aided clinical decision support using advanced image analysis technologies. He is widely recognized for promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between medicine and engineering, particularly in the development of imaging technologies that contribute to next-generation healthcare and medical AI applications.

Speech Title: "Image Recognition and Medical Image Diagnosis"

Abstract: Research in image processing aims to extract meaningful information from images in order to obtain results that meet human needs. Our research group is engaged in addressing a variety of societal challenges through the development of fundamental image processing algorithms. One of our key application areas is medical image analysis, where we focus on developing technologies for the early detection of diseases—an issue of growing importance in Japanese society as it faces a declining birthrate and an aging population. In this talk, I will present our work on detecting diseases from medical images, classifying their pathological states, and providing information that supports treatment decisions.