Laboratory for New Media 12th Exhibition
“The Studio -Extend Your Real World-”

Laboratory for New Media Permanent Exhibition periodically updates contents of exhibitions to introduce the various possibilities of expression provided by information science and technology. The world of computers is almost completely limited to the inside of a computer screen. But what if the digital world was to spill out into our daily lives? At this exhibit, we invite you to a studio where you can extend reality (dominated by the laws of physics) through information technology. Please enjoy these new experiences formed through the perfect fusion of “Physics × Information × Human.”

Graphic Shadow(2003)

Try walking on this floor that has been lit white. Notice that the shadows aren't featureless and black, but are actually full of color and movement. In the same way that you can make yellow light by combining red and green light, you can make a floor appear white by carefully mixing colors. In this way, shadows have been augmented through information technology. The world of information is steadily flowing into our world.
Inventors: Yasuaki Kakehi, Takeshi Naemura
Associate developers: Yugo Minomo, Hiroshi Kato
Contributors: Hiroki Yamamoto, Takayuki Kai, Mako Hizume, Kyotaro Tanaka

MorPhys(2012)

Here is a three-dimensional object on top of a floor. What do you think it is? We can expand it to a size to enter inside, and we can move it around. This changing shape makes it seem like we are looking at 3D computer graphics, but actually it's a steel tape measure being controlled by a motor. This piece was created to express “moving construction.” When you say “construction,” most people think of the rigid and unmoving, but in the future, buildings might be able to move to where there is more sunlight. You might even be able to fit a building into your briefcase!
Inventors: Shohei Takei, Makoto Iida, Takeshi Naemura
Contributors: Masaki Chotoku, Ryota Yoshihashi, LeiJie Zhou

Photochromic Carpet(2013)

Try walking on this carpet with the shoes provided. It will leave very interesting footprints. You can't see it with the naked eye, but the soles of shoes release ultraviolet rays. This carpet is coated with a photochromic material, which changes color in response to ultraviolet rays. It is possible that special inks like this will make our future more colorful and rich in variety.
Inventors: Daniel Pieter Saakes, Takahiro Tsujii, Kohei Nishimura, Tomoko Hashida, Takeshi Naemura

Thermo-key(2000)

Here you can see yourself in the camera. Do you notice anything different? Even if you cover your mouth or eyes, turn your head, or even stand upside down, the camera will keep tracking you. This can be used to blur people's faces during live broadcasts. The secret to this camera is temperature. By using a camera that sees heat instead of light, the computer is able to quickly locate you. There are many ideas for new kinds of cameras that connect our world with the world of information. What will cameras in the future see, and what will they show us?
Inventors: Yoshiaki Nishigai, Kazutaka Yasuda, Takeshi Naemura
Associate developers: Yuki Nozue, Viet-Quoc Pham, Kohji Sawada, Kei Iwata, Yoshihiro Kawahara
Contributors: Ayuha Nakamura, Shotaro Goto, Masaki Chotoku, Tatsunori Taniai, Ryo Nakashima

MARIO: Mid-air Augmented Reality Interaction with Objects(2013)

Characters that were once confined to the screen appear before your eyes and run around on top of real blocks. What will happen if you move the blocks? By using depth sensors and special mirrors, you can have an experience that blurs the border between image and reality. The science fiction world, where information jumps out of the computer screen, has become a reality.
Inventors: Hanyuool Kim, Issei Takahashi, Hiroki Yamamoto, Takayuki Kai, Satoshi Maekawa, Takeshi Naemura
Contributor: Yasuko Mori

EchoSheet(2011)

Try drawing a picture on the paper on this easel. The sound of your drawing is much clearer than usual, just like a scene from a movie. When an animator tried using this, he was able to draw a beautiful line aided by his sense of sound. Someone who used it to practice kanji characters was able to write many more characters than usual. By using a little “augmented reality,” our hidden abilities can be brought forth in surprising ways.
Inventors: Junghyun Kim, Kaori Ito, Tomoko Hashida, Tomoko Ohtani, Takeshi Naemura
Contributors: Masaki Chotoku, Kohei Nishimura
Cooperation: SUNRISE INC.


Term July 3 (Wed.), 2013 - January 13 (Mon.), 2014
Exhibitor Takeshi Naemura

  • Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo (Concurrently served for the Department of Information & Communication Engineering at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, and for the Information & Communication Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering)
    Research Director, JST CREST Harmonized Inter-Personal Display Based on Position and Direction Control Project
    Earned his PhD. in Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 1997. After experiencing time as a Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford University (as an overseas research associate of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science), among other positions, he began his current position in April of 2013. He is presently involved in researching Real World Oriented Information Environment, Mixed Reality, Media + Content, Image-Based Rendering, Art & Entertainment.

    Creation of Human-Harmonized Information Technology for Convivial Society
    (Research Supervisor: Yoh'ichi Tohkura)

    Naemura Lab @The Univ. of Tokyo (Japanese Only)