Prof. Susumu Tachi Position: The University of Tokyo, Professor Emeritus
Presentation
Telexistence—Virtural Human Teleportation and Empowered Existence
Telexistence is a human-empowerment concept that enables a human in one location to virtually exist in another location and to act freely there. The term also refers to the system of science and technology that enables the realization of the concept. Telexistence was conceptualized in 1980 and has been developed through several research and development projects. Recently, as start-ups specializing in telexistence have been established, momentum has built toward the industrialization of telexistence and the application of telexistence to a variety of industrial fields. Adding to this trend, the XPRIZE Foundation has launched the ANA Avatar XPRIZE as its next challenge. Intense worldwide competition within the emerging telexistence industry, which integrates AI, robotics, VR, and networking, has just begun. In this keynote, almost 40 years of research on telexistence is overviewed and cutting-edge technologies of telexistence are explained. We will also discuss several problems to be solved to attain the telexistence society and foresee the future that telexistence will develop and create.
SPEAKER BIO
Susumu Tachi is Professor Emeritus of The University of Tokyo, where he currently leads several research projects on telexistence, virtual reality and haptics, including the ACCEL Embodied Media Project at Tachi Laboratory, Institute of Gerontology. He is the Founding President of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan.
One of his earliest scientific achievements, shortly after his obtaining a Ph.D. from The University of Tokyo in 1973, was the invention of Guide Dog Robot (1976), an intelligent mobile robot system for the blind. This system was the first of its kind and came to be known as MELDOG.
In 1980, Dr. Tachi invented the concept of Telexistence, which enables a highly realistic sensation of existence in a remote place without any actual travel. Since then, he has been working on the realization of telexistence, and has completed TELESAR V (2012), an avatar robot system that enables the user to bind with an anthropomorphic robot and have a real-time sensation of being where the robot exists, and to feel the robot’s body as his or her alter ego through visual, auditory and haptic sensation.
Other achievements include Haptic Primary Colors (2007), Optical Camouflage (2003), and autostereoscopic VR displays such as TWISTER (2002), Repro3D (2010) and HaptoMIRAGE (2014).
From 1988 to 2018, he served as Chairman of the IMEKO Technical Committee on Measurement in Robotics and directed the organization of ISMCR symposia and received IMEKO Distinguished Service Award in 1997. He initiated and founded International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence (ICAT) in 1991 and International-collegiate Virtual Reality Contest (IVRC) in 1993. He received the 2007 IEEE VR Career Award, and served as General Chair of IEEE Virtual Reality Conferences.
Prof. Yvan Baudoin, EM Royal Military Academy, Belgium
Presentation
Robotics Assistance to Prevent, Detect, Measure, Protect, Manage CBRNE
Advanced Multi-sensor systems represent a possible solution to preventing terrorist attacks by improving the monitoring and control capabilities of remote human operators in large environments. Such systems can perform real-time intrusion detection and/or suspicious-event detection in public environments. Advanced autonomous or semi-autonomous surveillance systems can automatically detect interesting events (anomalies), e.g., intruders, suspicious movements or behaviours on the part of individuals or groups or moving targets (vehicles) in the neighbourhood of important infrastructures or building, etc., by analysing and processing in real-time data acquired by several sensors, including the stand-off detection of CBRNE risky products or weapons. Denying access to potential targets is a critical aspect of preventing terrorist attacks. Effective means for limiting access to facilities, combined with advanced threat detection and screening capabilities, will inhibit many actions by terrorists by preventing them from reaching their intended targets
The most dangerous and probable terrorist action could happen in and around major Cities: Street, railroads, subway protection, protection of compounded areas: inspection of (flow of) vehicles and people (around critical infrastructures (parliament, rail-stations, shopping centres, airports, official infrastructures, international hotels, etc..)
In these Cities Surveillance infrastructures (at several levels) exist, depending on the Ministry of Justice (in relation with other Ministries, among other. the Ministries of Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs) but it remains important to reinforce the prediction, prevention, surveillance and intervention capacities, based on the development, improvement and implementation of a Dissuasive Management Action Plan and a Federated Sensor Network (at fixed places or moved by specific C-CBRNE UGV/UAV/USV when where and if necessary) and including all successful experienced detection technologies initiated in previous FP7 or European HORIZON projects.
SPEAKER BIO
Professor Emeritus Yvan Baudoin is the former Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and former Executive Director of the Unmanned Vehicle Centre (http://mecatron.rma.ac.be) at the Belgian Royal Military Academy (RMA). He has an extensive experience in coordinating large consortia at the international level such as the IARP working groups HU(manitarian)DEM(ining) (22 partners), RI(sky)S(urveillance)E(nvironment) (18 partners), the NATO/STO/ TG 175 focusing on intelligent assistance for autonomous vehicles (23 partners). He coordinated a EUREKA project (E!3517 – Towards a European Network of Environmental Engineering Sciences and Techniques) in which 164 SMEs and Academic Institutions from across Europe participated). He was also Co-Coordinator of the FP7-TIRAMISU (www.fp7-tiramisu.eu) project and Liaison Officer in the FP6 View-Finder project (more than 32 Fire-Fighting/Civil Protection Services in Europe).
He now coordinates the Explosive knowledge Centre of the International CBRNE Institute located in Belgium
Dr. Kam Lulla, Director, University Research and Partnership Office, NASA/JSC
Presentation
Global Space Exploration: Our Adventure into the Unknown
Dr Lulla will explore humanity’s adventure into space- from early space flights to the most recent journeys of unmanned rovers on Mars; the quest for new cosmic knowledge continues.
From the adventures of Neil Armstrong on Lunar surface to the development of international collaborations leading to the International Space Station, this talk will cover human desire to reach for the stars and attempt to find to our age-old question “are we alone?”
SPEAKER BIO
Dr Kam Lulla is a senior leader who has dedicated his professional life towards space exploration, science and technology research and innovations.. His distinguished career at NASA pans 28 years where he has served as Chief Scientist for Earth Observation for Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs and directed the training of NASA Astronauts in Earth Observation Sciences and Earth Science payloads. His scientific research involved optical and radar remote sensing, advanced sensor development and image and data processing technologies. His senior management positions include Director for Research and Technology collaborations division and as Branch Chief for Flight Science branch and Earth Science division at NASA Johnson Space Center.
De Lulla holds Ph.D. degrees with expertise in Space sciences and technologies in operational and research activities at NASA. He is a recipient of two of the highest NASA honors, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for the scientific research accomplishments and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.