Research summary

-Invisible information that is invisible to the human eye supports our lives in various ways, including medicine, industry (non-destructive testing), and security. In addition, xR (Augmented Reality: AR, Virtual Reality: VR, Mixed Reality: MR), which has been attracting attention in recent years, goes beyond the boundaries of entertainment and allows us to obtain new information through our visual, auditory, and tactile senses. By combining these, we aim to transform the fear of being unable to see into peace of mind and create a future, unlike anything we have seen before. Research keywords are Invisible light, Imaging, Photon counting, xR, Metaverse

Invisible light imaging and xR (cross-reality)

-Methods for imaging invisible information, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MR), and positron emission tomography (PET-CT), have undergone various changes. Furthermore, improvements in the performance of semiconductor detectors and computer processing speeds have made it possible to perform high-definition imaging of the captured data. Research on segmentation based on composition information and analysis using artificial intelligence (AI) is progressing. The more information we can obtain from invisible objects, the more we need a way to organize and express it. In our research, we aim to create a spatially accessible, understandable format by organizing the information obtained through invisible light imaging using xR and describing it using visual, auditory, and tactile information.

Digital Museum and Metaverse

-If you go back to the roots of the smartphone or PC display on which you are reading this article, you can trace it back to the research of Kenjiro Takayanagi, the inventor of electronic television. There is a facility called the Takayanagi Memorial Hall in Shizuoka University’s Hamamatsu Campus, which exhibits from Professor Takayanagi’s accomplishments to a collection of old televisions and 8K television. Valuable materials such as vacuum tubes and cathode ray tubes are kept in physical condition. In recent years, the exhibition methods of art galleries and museums have changed, including methods of displaying 3DCG models using photogrammetry, LiDAR, NeRF, etc. Suppose we combine 3DCG data from visible light with data from invisible light beyond the visible light range (X-ray CT, terahertz, etc.). In that case, new exhibitions will become possible, and xR will allow us to create a metaverse-like space. We will be able to experience the exhibition from anywhere, regardless of the location of the exhibit. Our laboratory works with the Campus Museum on the Shizuoka Campus to explore new exhibits, allowing visitors to travel between each other’s facilities and experiences, like freely entering the bodies of animals and plants and mechanical devices.

Utilizing research in medical-engineering collaboration, Industry-University-Government-Finance Collaboration, programs for high school students, and public relations

-We believe that research in science and technology (seeds) can serve as a bridge between the future of medicine and engineering and can also connect industry (private companies), schools (educational and research institutions), government agencies (national and local governments), and finance (banks and investment institutions). The research we are currently conducting is not only among informatics researchers but also with medical research institutes and venture companies. Research ideas are not only born on the desk but also come from unexpected places. At the Future Scientists School (FSS), we have worked with high school students on projects such as “Photon counting energy discriminative imaging for diagnostic imaging of dental caries” and “Integration of realistic robot movements and visual characters through augmented reality (AR). The students conducted research based on flexible ideas unique to high school students. Other equipment used for research is also used in unique ways within the university. For example, the lighting in the Research Institute of Electronics reuses equipment used for light research and is programmed to change color according to the time of day.