Masahiko Inami
Master of Robotics and Augmented Reality
When Masahiko Inami decides to get reflective, he just disappears. That’s because the Keio Media Design professor is the inventor of the Optical Camouflage system, which Time magazine named 2003’s “Coolest Invention of the Year.” A more current project, Ecocar, uses the same tech̶making opaque objects see-through̶to give cars a transparent cockpit and a seamless 360-degree view of the outside. Masahiko and his crew are also totally into robots and remote control convenience. CRISTAL, the augmented reality (AR) interface they designed, lets you control room lights, Roomba cleaning robots, home theater systems and other appliances through simple touch- and-drag gestures on a coffee table. CRISTAL is part of the JST ERATO Igarashi Design Interface Project, as is Cooky, a cooperative cooking system with a robot as your sous chef. You probably won’t be surprised to know that Masahiko won the Keio Award and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Young Scientists’ Prize for Science and Technology in 2011.
How Digital Transparency Can Expand Your Experience
Masahiko Inami
Master of Robotics and Augmented Reality
When Masahiko Inami decides to get reflective, he just disappears. That’s because the Keio Media Design professor is the inventor of the Optical Camouflage system, which Time magazine named 2003’s “Coolest Invention of the Year.” A more current project, Ecocar, uses the same tech̶making opaque objects see-through̶to give cars a transparent cockpit and a seamless 360-degree view of the outside. Masahiko and his crew are also totally into robots and remote control convenience. CRISTAL, the augmented reality (AR) interface they designed, lets you control room lights, Roomba cleaning robots, home theater systems and other appliances through simple touch- and-drag gestures on a coffee table. CRISTAL is part of the JST ERATO Igarashi Design Interface Project, as is Cooky, a cooperative cooking system with a robot as your sous chef. You probably won’t be surprised to know that Masahiko won the Keio Award and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Young Scientists’ Prize for Science and Technology in 2011.