Research Highlight — Five-minute Research Digest

Towards Creating an Environment Where Everyone Can Find Meaningful Work: Enhancing Well-being from a Psychological Perspective

Yuka Kobayashi, Associate Professor
Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social Policy and Administration
------

In addition to my interest in psychology and behavioral science, my family ran its own business. Since I had the opportunity to witness the difficulties of managing people first hand, I became interested in working in a field that provides support to working people. During my undergraduate and graduate years, I studied experimental psychology, clinical psychology and preventive medicine....

Replicating a City in Cyberspace! Creating a Safe and Secure Life in the Future using Measurement Technologies

Ryuichi Imai, Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Design
------

The major themes of my research are the “development of measurement and management methods for national space (or geospace)” and the “analysis and visualization of urban activities.” With regard to the “development of measurement and management methods for national space (or geospace),” we are engaging in building a digital twin, which replicates a 3D city in cyberspace by three-dimensionally measuring the terrain by firing a laser from a plane...

Considering practical wisdom for the future from food that supports our daily life

Noriko Yuzawa, Professor
Department of Sustainability Studies, Faculty of Sustainability Studies
------

Professor Yuzawa’s research interests include the economic history of local communities and daily life, and the history of industrial activities and people’s lives. One of the themes that she focuses on is food. From food, which is essential for human life, we can see connections to all fields of research, including gender and urban issues, economics, history, and literature...

Insights on Global Warming: Findings from the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition

Takanobu Sawagaki, Professor
Department of Policy Science on Society, Faculty of Social Sciences
------

Professor Sawagaki is a specialist in glacial geology and has been involved in Antarctic ice sheet research for many years. On his first expedition to Antarctica (1992 to 1994), he discovered curious landforms which suggested the possibility of water drainage beneath the ice sheet. Recently, his discovery has confirmed that liquid water actually exists and flows below the ice sheet. He and his colleagues continues to investigate how much Antarctic ice is melting according to the water under the ice sheets...

Is it possible to have a natural conversation with AI? The potential of speech recognition technology

Katsunobu Itou, Professor
Department of Digital Media, Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences
------

Speech recognition is a technology used in such applications as vehicle navigation and Siri. It analyzes the speech content of humans and turns it into text. Data processing for both language and sound are necessary for speech recognition. Prof. Itou is primarily engaged in research on statistical language models. The currently popular ChatGPT makes use of this technology. Prof. Itou has been conducting research in this field since the 1990s, and at that time he created a speech recognition toolkit that anyone can use. The tool has been used in many research projects across a long time. In his research, Prof. Itou emphasizes the idea of “doing what no one else can do, and being a pioneer.” And in recent times, he has expanded his field of expertise from “language” to “sound.” Speaking on the future, he says, “If data is accumulated and research advances, humans may be able to have natural conversation with AI, just like we’d have with our family or friends.”

Fly Easily with Small Aircraft

Gaku Minorikawa, Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering
------

Professor Minorikawa of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, engages in research for the practical application of lightweight sports aircraft from the conceptual design and electrification to the development of support equipment for safe flying. He make great efforts to establish the Course of Aviation Technology and also leads the Hosei University Urban Air Mobility Laboratory. He focuses on training technicians in order to achieve the dream of “Bringing the skies closer to the hearts of the Japanese people.” In 1929, Hosei University was first in Japan to establish an aviation laboratory, and that dream of the skies has clearly been passed on.