2040 Aging Society Innovation Center

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Summary

By 2040, Japan's elderly population is projected to reach approximately 40 million, coupled with a significant decline in the workforce. While this poses a challenge to critical national infrastructures like the social security system, it also presents an opportunity for Japan to lead global efforts in addressing the issues of a super-aged society and setting new international standards for living. This project collaborates with researchers and companies both within and outside the university to tackle various social challenges anticipated in 2040.

From 2021 to 2023, the "Research Project Keio 2040" emphasized the importance of promoting and maintaining behavior changes to extend healthy life expectancy. To facilitate this, the project is developing digital platforms that encourage such changes and are building an ecosystem that integrates technologies, products, services and social impact. Advancing superior sensing technology is especially crucial in digital healthcare. Our focus has shifted from developing metal-based devices to soft-material based devices in our pursuit of novel sensing technologies. Recent breakthroughs include a transparent skin device, made from a new material called 'soft matter'--a flexible, biocompatible material--, which seamlessly integrates with the human body, unnoticed by the wearer.

The project aims to advance these devices from laboratory experiments to real-world applications, incorporating them into the aforementioned platforms and ecosystems. Beyond digital healthcare, enhancing living environments is also key, targeting the management of offices, residences, and urban areas. Through these initiatives, we aim to extend healthy life expectancy and mitigate the workforce decline.
Addressing the workforce reduction also involves employing humanoid and caregiving robots that feature artificial intelligence and can perform life-like, flexible movements, moving beyond traditional semiconductor- and metal-based technologies. This project seeks to integrate these innovations into living environments and social systems, contributing to solving the social challenges of 2040. It emphasizes the integration of technology development with social system design, ensuring societal acceptance through public engagements like citizen forums and exhibitions.
Moreover, the Water Visualization Project will connect food and health sectors by collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data to aid individuals in managing their health and improving dietary habits. This effort not only promotes healthy living but also enhances water resource efficiency and quality management, offering a holistic approach to tackling the social challenges of 2040.

SDGs

Project Members

About Project Members, Researchers

Note: ◎ indicates the project leader

Name	Affiliation	Position	Field of Specialization/Research Interests
◎ Masato Yasui	School of Medicine	Professor	Pharmacology, Water channels
Tatsuhiko Yamamoto	Law School / KGRI	Professor / Deputy-Director	Constitutional law、Information law
Kenji Yasuoka	Faculty of Science and Technology	Professor	Molecular dynamics
Makoto Asai	KGRI	Project Professor	Soft Matter
Masako Toriya	KGRI	Project Professor	System design and management, Science technology and innovation policy, New business creation
Haluna Kawashima	Faculty of General Welfare, Tohoku Fukushi University	Associate Professor	Constitutional law, Medical law
Yasuhiro Kato	Faculty of Science and Technology	Project Senior Assistant Professor	Cell differentiation
Yasumichi Arai	Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care	Professor	Geriatrics and gerontology, Epidemiology of healthy aging and longevity
Tsuyoshi Hirose	Graduate School of System Design and Management	Project Associate Professor	System design and management, Marketing, New business creation
Yasue Mitsukura	Faculty of Science and Technology	Professor	Bio-signal processing, Intelligent informatics, Sensing, denoising, and feature extraction, Sleep engineering
Yoshiaki Fukami	Department of International Digital and Design Management, Tokyo University of Science/Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Medicine	Associate Professor/ Researcher	Platform strategy, Standardization, Collaborative innovation
Tetsuya Toma	Graduate School of System Design and Management	Professor	Program/project management and communication design for communities such as medical/health care, education or local resource utilization
Haruka Suzuki	SDM Research Institute	Researcher	Planning Theory, Synthesis, HMI, Generic Capabilities, Systematics, "Exellent Systems", Lateral Knowledge Design, Evaluation and Assessment, Biomimetics, Human Factors, History of Wisdoms
Maki Fukuhara	SDM Research Institute	Researcher	Medical policy, Nursing care policy, System design management, Organizational management, Diversity
Shingo Kawai	Faculty of Information Design, Tokyo Information Design Professional University	Professor	Optical communications, Technology strategy in telecommunications industries, Innovation dynamics, and Application of ICT technologies to future smart cities/societies
Akihiro Kitahara			System Design and Management, Systems Engineering, Systems thinking, Art Thinking
Atsushi Iwakura			Functional safety certification, software development process, System simulation, System Design and Management
Chizuru Nakajima			System Design and Management, Diversity & Inclusion, Developmental Disorder, Vulnerability
Kenji Fujii			Design Thinking, System Design/Management, Art Education, Creativity Education
Yasuko Imamura			System Design and Management, Customer Delight, Customer Service
Tsubasa Ito	Graduate School of System Design and Management	Project Assistant Professor	System Design and Management, Community design, Learning theory
Lee Kyunghee			Health Informatics, Health Policy, Medical Sociology, Behavioral Science, Dentistry
Toshiharu Ikaga	Institute for Built Environment and Carbon Neutral for SDGs (IBECs) / Faculty of Science and Technology	President / Professor Emeritus	Sustainable architectural environmental design engineering, Life cycle assessment (LCA), Comprehensive assessment system for built environment efficiency (CASBEE), Intellectual productivity, Mental and physical health
Shintaro Ando	Department of Architecture, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu	Associate Professor	Effect of thermal environment on health, Effect of community environment on physical activity
Eriko Aoyama	Chewing News Co., Ltd	Director	System design and management, Local community, communication
Hotaka Yonezawa	Smile Spirits	Representative	Sports analyzing coach, Performance analysis
Yoshiki Yamagata	Graduate School of System Design and Management	Professor	Sustainable future societies, Urban resilience, Zero carbon cities, Bigdata and AI
Kyoichi Iida	Law School	Researcher / Attorney-at-Law	Information law, Corporate law
Hiroaki Onoe	Faculty of Science and Technology	Professor	Nano/Microsystems
Keita Ando	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Fluids engineering, Nonlinear acoustics, Cavitation
Genya Ishigami	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Field robotics, Space exploration, Terramechanics
Hidetoshi Takahashi	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Sensor, MEMS, Biomechanics
Takeo Kato	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Affective engineering, Generative design
Mayu Muramatsu	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Solid Mechanics
Noriyoshi Arai	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Molecular Simulation, Soft Matter
Naoji Matsuhisa	Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science,　The Universuty of Tokyo	Associate Professor	Stretchable electronics
Aimi Ogawa	Faculty of Science and Technology	Assistant Professor	Architectural Information
Ayuko Hoshino	Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo	Professor	Disease biology, Exosomes
Takamasa Sakai	The University of Tokyo	Professor	Soft Matter
Takuya Katashima	The University of Tokyo	Lecturer	Rheology, Baiomaterial
Jun Ogawa	Yamagata University	Associate Professor	Soft matter Robotics
Kanako Morita	Faculty of Economics	Associate Professor	Sustainable Development
Yuta Kurashina	Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology	Associate Professor	Biomedical engineering
Yoshinori Hirano	Graduate School of Science and Technology	Project Associate Professor	Molecular Simulation
Haruka Oda	The University of Tokyo	Project Research Associate	Biomechanics
Shun Kawakubo	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Architectural Environment / Equipment, Environmental Impact Assessment / Environment Policy, Area Studies / City Planning
Eiji Yamamoto	Faculty of Science and Technology	Associate Professor	Biophysics
Mai Suzuki	School of Science and Technology for Future Life Department of Humanities, Social and Health Sciences, Tokyo Denki University	Associate Professor	Science and technology studies
Ryoko Arakawa	KGRI	Temporary staff	International Law, International Human Rights Law, TWAIL, AI governance