Research Center of Informatics for Human-Animal Interaction

• Overview

  From livestock to pets and even wild animals, humans have historically coexisted with animals. As we enter an aging society with an increasing number of elderly individuals living alone, the coexistence of humans and animals becomes increasingly important. This relationship between humans and animals has entered a new phase amidst the ongoing transformation of society through information technology, such as AI and XR. Advanced technologies like AI and XR have greatly impacted human society and our lifestyles. AI has bridged the gaps between different languages, and image and voice recognition technologies are becoming capable of enhancing or even replacing human perception. 

  On the other hand, the integration of information technology in the context of human-animal coexistence is not fully developed yet. Humans cannot understand the intentions or desires of animals completely, and it remains uncertain to completely understand animals’ intentions or desires whether animals can comprehend human intentions. Additionally, quantifying aspects like the emotions of animals or the therapeutic effects they have on humans in a context remains challenging in the information science arena. 

  Given this background, our institution has gathered relevant faculty members from various disciplines to develop an information science-based theoretical framework for the coexistence of humans and animals or human-animal interaction. We also aim to create new industries and medical applications based on this framework. Specifically, we have set the following goals for our research:oour research: 

  • To elucidate the mechanisms of interspecies communication between animals and humans, as well as its origins. 
  • To quantify the comfort and therapeutic benefits that pets provide to humans and establish a foundation for transitioning these benefits to pet robots and XR avatars through AI. Furthermore, we strive to create a future of coexistence between humans and animals in society. 

  

Members

Toshiyuki Kondo (Institute of Engineering / Professor)
Kaori Fujinami (Institute of Engineering / Professor)
Shinji Fukuda (Institute of Global Innovation (Institute of Agriculture) / Professor)
Katsuhide Fujita (Institute of Global Innovation (Institute of Engineering) / Professor)
Mami Irimajiri (Deep Tech / Associate Professor/)
Kohei Yatabe (Institute of Engineering / Associate Professor)
Ken Takiyama (Institute of Engineering / Associate Professor)