教員一覧 List of faculty members

竹川 佳成 教授

TAKEGAWA, Yoshinari Professor

Attractive Factors of My Research

Harnessing my expertise in UI/UX, AI, design, interaction, and psychology of perception & cognition, I’ve created many products, experiences and works of research. Every day, advancements in UI and AI captivate the world—by keeping pace and creatively merging these fields, I uncover new technologies, deliver novel experiences, and explore human potential. It’s a dynamic, thrilling field filled with endless excitement and discovery.

Research Contents

• Human Computer Interaction
• Animal Computer Interaction
• Entertainment Computing
• Sports Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Music and Computer
• Human Augmentation
• Human-Agent Interaction
• Wearable Computing
• Intelligent User Interface
• Learning Support System / Gamification
• UI/UX Design
• XR(VR, MR, and AR) Design
• Cognitive Science

School of the Future – Supporting That “I Did It!” Moment

School of the Future is all about empowering people to experience that joyful “I did it!” feeling. Our research supports learning in a wide range of areas — not only academic fields like math, but also skills that connect the body, mind, and heart, such as playing instruments, singing, dancing, drawing, calligraphy, cooking, handicraft, sports, programming, English conversation, and gaming.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. We’ve all felt frustrated when things don’t go as planned. That’s why School of the Future explores questions like: “What’s the secret to mastering something?” “How can we improve faster?” “How do we make learning fun?” “What makes online lessons effective?”

From strategies for achieving goals to supporting the learning journey itself, we take on these challenges from multiple perspectives — all to bring more of those magical “I did it!” moments to learners everywhere.

Web page of School of the Future

Lifestyle of the Future – Realizing your unique desires

We live in a world overflowing with things and services. But many universal, problem-solving products have already been created. The next wave of innovation comes from a different place — your personal wants.

Lifestyle of the Future focuses on personalized creations that start with “I wish I had this” and end with tailored products or experiences that fit just right. Past projects include: a digital mask that allows you to change your face like you would change your clothes, a wearable speaker hoodie that brings live concert vibes to online events, and a stress-free diet assistant that supports you with ease.

By starting with your unique wants, we bring color, joy, and surprise to everyday life!

Web page of Lifestyle of the Future

Safari of the Future – Co-Creating with Animals

Safari of the Future is a unique collaboration with Fuji Safari Park, Japan’s largest safari park.

Here, we blend the seemingly opposite worlds of technology and nature to ask: What new experiences can IT bring to the world of animals and their habitats? How can we enrich the environment for animals?

It’s not just about the human visitors, caretakers, or veterinarians — the animals themselves are also at the heart of this project.

For example: “PokeRepo Safari” is a live-streaming system co-created with zookeepers that lets you watch lively animals from home. By combining that with the “Living Stuffed Toy,” you can even feel the animal’s breathing — a truly immersive experience. The “ELEG” project explores communication with elephants. These are just a few examples. The safari park is filled with exciting opportunities for IT to enhance both human and animal experiences. That’s what Safari of the Future is all about!

These are just a few examples. The safari park is filled with exciting opportunities for IT to enhance both human and animal experiences. That’s what Safari of the Future is all about!

Web page of Safari of the Future

Questions of the Future – Dig Deeper into Your Everyday Curiosities

Questions of the Future dives deep into how we think, feel, and behave using cognitive psychology and UX research methods.

Smartphones, apps, and social media greatly influence our behavior and mindset — and with them come social issues like looking at a phone instead of one’s surroundings while walking, online conflicts, fake news, and digital exclusion. That’s why we ask: “How can we overcome communication anxiety?” “Why do people get nervous?” “What’s needed to change behavior?” “How do we collaborate effectively online?”

As subscription-based models become more common, it’s not enough to just sell products — people need to want to keep using them. And in a world full of options, standing out is harder than ever. In Questions of the Future, we use the UX (User eXperience) research method to tackle questions like: “How do we discover new user segments?” and “What do they really want?”

Your everyday questions — what we call ‘research questions’ — might just lead to surprising insights!

Web page of Question of the Future

Sports Tech of the Future – Partnering with Pro Athletes

Let’s imagine:
When sport meets the most advanced technology, how will individual sports evolve, and how will it affect athletes and our future lifestyle?
Sports of the Future contributes to improving athletes’ competitive abilities.
But sport is not just about competition.
The way we move our bodies throughout our lifetimes is linked to the richness of our lives.
Through AI and digital interaction, we invite you to rediscover ‘the joy of sport and the joy of living’

Sport makes people happy and creates new connections.
Many people moving together, cheering for athletes together: this is where people find ‘the joy of being connected by sport’
The joy of moving, of connecting, and of supporting
Elicited by the combination of sports and technology
That is the world envisaged by Sports of the Future

This work is partly proceeding as collaborative research with the High Performance Sport Center, which is affiliated with the Japan Sports Agency.

Entertainment of the Future – Redefining Entertainment Through Tech & Media

Currently entertainment is undergoing a dramatic transformation.
Generative AI enables us to single-handedly both produce and enjoy artwork, stories, music, and more. This in an age in which anyone can produce a highly polished creative work, and in professional spheres works are being produced that are on another level altogether.

Not only that, technology such as AI and XR is facilitating the proposal of new entertainment experiences every day.
You could say this is entertainment’s ‘Cambrian explosion.’
However, the popularity of entertainment is not decided by quality and novelty alone.

The most impactful musical experience may take the form of an old man’s inexpert playing, the whole-hearted performance of child, or a song produced by someone who has overcome great adversity, because it is hearing not only the sound, but also the story (process) of the person producing it that moves our hearts. High quality, new experiences, personal stories… this is the evolution of the state of entertainment.

Entertainment of the Future, while proposing new forms of entertainment, also seeks and shares the true forms of amusement and passion, through questions, technologies and forms of expression.
Why not join us in searching for the essence of entertainment?

This work is partly proceeding as collaborative research with the creative collective MPLUSPLUS.