ACM Ubicomp 2012 / Disney Research Pittsburgh
Pre-Conference Invited Guest Lecture
Augmented Human: Technologies for Augmenting Human Beings
JUN REKIMOTO, Dr.
(Professor University of Tokyo /
Deputy Director, SONY Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.)
Date: Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Time: 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Location: Room 3305, Newell-Simon Hall (NSH), Rashid Auditorium, Room 4401, Gates-Hillman Center (GHC), Carnegie Mellon University Campus

Traditionally, the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) was primarily concerned with designing and investigating interfaces between humans and machines. However, with recent technological advances the concept of “enhancing”, “augmenting” or even “re-designing” humans themselves is becoming not only interesting and intriguing but also very feasible and serious topic of scientific research and development. “Augmented Human” is term that I use today to refer to this overall research direction.
Augmented Human introduces a fundamental paradigm shift in HCI: from human-computer-interaction to human-computer-integration. In this lecture, I will discuss rich possibilities and distinct challenges in enhancing human abilities with technology. I will introduce recent projects conducted by our research group at University of Tokyo including design and applications if wearable eye sensing for augmenting our perception and memory abilities, design of flying cameras as our external eyes, a home appliance that can increase your happiness, an organic physical wall/window that dynamically mediates the environment, and a human hand control system based on functional electrical stimulation.
Dr. Jun Rekimoto is an interaction researcher and designer. His work in the field of Human Computer Interaction has created lasting and highly significant impact that is present in a multitude of interfaces and devices used by millions of people worldwide everyday. Dr. Rekimoto received his Ph.D. in Information Science from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1996. Since 1994 he has conducting advanced research at Sony Computer Science Laboratories (CSL) in Tokyo. In 1999 he formed and directed the Sony CSL Interaction Laboratory that was tasked with invention of novel interaction paradigms. He has been serving as a Deputy Director of Sony CSL since 2011. From 2007 he has been also directing his own research laboratory at The University of Tokyo. Over the length of his research career Jun Rekimoto invented a range of highly innovative interactive systems and sensing technologies, including marker-based video see-through augmented reality (NaviCam), marker-based 3D tracking and registration for augmented reality applications(i.e., CyberCode), direct-manipulation techniques for multiple displays and devices (Pick-and-Drop), diffused IR hands and object tracking for augmented surfaces (HoloWall), and some of the earliest projective capacitive multi-touch sensing techniques and interfaces (i.e., SmartSkin) to name a few.
He has published hundreds of articles in some of the most prestigious international research conferences, released his research on the market in Sony products and span-off entire companies. He received the Multi-Media Grand Prix Technology Award from the Multi-Media Contents Association Japan in 1998, iF Interaction Design Award in 2000, the Japan Inter-Design Award in 2003, and iF Communication Design Award in 2005. In 2007, he was elected to ACM SIGCHI Academy.
Jun Rekimoto’s current research interests include human-computer interaction, computer augmented environments and computer augmented human (human-computer integration). He can be contacted through his laboratory website http://lab.rekimoto.org/ or twitter at @rkmt