Human Centered Space Design for Well-being

As human value sets diversify and awareness of well-being^*1 increases throughout the world, a demand has arisen for human centric product and service design. For example, we believe it is important to create comfortable mobility spaces, and living and office spaces that enable people to maintain their health and maximize their creativity. In future workspaces where humans and robots will collaborate, we aim to create opportunities for a diverse range of people of different ages and physical abilities to work with safety and job satisfaction.

We have been developed a digital human model that can estimate human motions, physical condition and emotions based on cranial nervous system, sensory organs and biomechanics model (THUMS®)^*2that reproduces different human behaviors accumulated over many years. Specifically, this model can be applied to various human-centric spatial designs and product designs. We will also work to develop technologies that improve innovative work productivity by designing “nudges" for people in a way that promotes communication.

*1: Well-Being: A state in which individuals are better off mentally, physically, and socially
*2: Jointly developed with Toyota Motor Corporation

Key Themes

Creating a moving, feeling human body in digital space

We build mathematical models of the musculoskeletal system, the cranial nervous system, the sensory organs, and the respiratory and circulatory systems, and construct digital human models that connect these together. We aim to enable estimations of physical and psychological conditions by applying these models to predict the body load associated with musculoskeletal movement, as well as changes in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure that are affected by stress. We will also improve these models based on experimental data obtained through various real field demonstration tests.

Digital human model for estimating physical and psychological conditions

Creating motivational mobility spaces by estimating passenger mental and physical condition

Integrating the digital human models and the vehicle dynamics models, we simulate the passenger physical behavior (body vibration, visual stimuli) under various driving condition. We have also estimated the level of fatigue and motion sickness felt by passengers in the moving cabin.
By recreating various driving conditions and in-cabin activity scenarios in virtual space, we aim to establish cabin space design guidelines that satisfy passenger comfort requirements, and that improve the enjoyment and safety travel.

Human mental and physical condition estimation and comfortable cabin space design based on digital human and mobility integrated models

Creating innovative spaces by unraveling the relationship people with nature and society

By elucidating how environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and lighting, as well as airborne microorganisms, chemical substances, and other forms of air quality, affect the human physical and emotions, we aim to realize spaces that enhance comfort and improve health. We will also establish a spatial design theory that improve knowledge work productivity by designing "nudges" for people in a way that facilitates social relationships among people and promotes communication. ^*3
*3: Jointly developed with Toyota Motor Corporation

Concept of an office space that enhances productivity based on environmental condition and air quality design

Elemental Technologies

Biomedical Engineering, Kansei Informatics, Cognitive Neuroscience, Perceptual Information Processing, Mechanics and Mechatronics, Human Interface and Interaction, Intelligent Information Processing, System Genome Science, Biometrics, Experimental Psychology, Applied Microbiology, Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology