Talk Show “Toward a Neurodiversity Society

B Lab, a laboratory for creating an interesting future together, has launched the “Neurodiversity Project” with the aim of building a society in which each individual can demonstrate their own “power” in their own place. As the first initiative of the project, the exhibition “Brain World for Everyone: Neurodiversity Exhibition” was held on September 17 and 18, 2023, at Tokyo Port City Takeshiba as part of the event “An Interesting Future a Little Further -CHANGE TOMORROW-” (Chomoro-). 2023~” was held at Chomoro. This article introduces the talk show held on the 18th under the theme of “Toward a Neurodiversity Society.

Talk Show Overview
“Toward a Neurodiversity Society”
■Date and Time:
Monday, September 18, 2023, 13:00-14:00
Speakers : Joichi Ito (President, Chiba Institute of Technology)
Joichi Ito (President, Chiba Institute of Technology)
Junichi Ushiba (Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University)
Kota Minamisawa (Professor, KMD, Keio University)
Ollie Yoshifuji (CVO, President, Ollie Research Institute, Inc.)
■Moderator:
Nanako Ishido (Director, B Lab)

What is Neurodiversity?
Initiatives to promote a society in which all people can live comfortably and demonstrate their abilities

Ishido: Have you ever heard of the term “neurodiversity”? Human brains and nerves are very diverse and have unique characteristics. The idea of neurodiversity is to utilize those differences as strengths. We have launched the Neurodiversity Project with the aim of realizing a society in which each individual can demonstrate his or her strengths in his or her own place. The first phase of this project is the “Brain World for Everyone: Neurodiversity Exhibition 2023”. Various leading Japanese universities, research institutes, and companies participated in the exhibition, which brought together 33 exhibits.

Now, we all have personalities and characteristics that make it difficult for some of us to live. Sometimes it is said as if personal characteristics, such as developmental disabilities, are the problem. However, the difficulties they feel in life are not caused solely by their individual characteristics. It is caused by the interaction between individual characteristics and the environment.

This means that depending on the environment, that personality or characteristic can be a very powerful force. For example, many historical inventors and entrepreneurs who have made a great impact on society have told us that they have developmental disabilities. However, they are able to use their developmental disabilities to their advantage by being in an environment that allows them to utilize their characteristics. People with the exact same characteristics can become charismatic managers or have difficulties in employment, depending on the environment. Therefore, we respect individuality, and by creating an appropriate environment, we hope to eliminate the difficulties of life and realize a society in which all people can play an active role in their own way.

We are trying two approaches. One is to extend the power of the individual through technology. Think of eyeglasses, for example. In the days without glasses, it would have been difficult to live with poor eyesight. Nowadays, I don’t think people with poor eyesight are considered disabled. Furthermore, some people wear glasses as a fashion statement. In this way, by expanding the functions of the body and brain through technology, the possibilities for people can be expanded to a much greater extent.

The other approach is to adjust the environment. Our daily lives are affected in many ways by the physical environment, social institutions, rules and customs, and human relationships. For example, a person with color blindness may have difficulty distinguishing red from green in a traffic light. However, if they can see other colors, it is conceivable that changing the color of traffic lights would reduce their difficulty in living.

There are also children who cannot attend school because their sensory sensitivity makes the uniforms feel heavy or prickly on their skin. If there were no uniform rule in the first place, such children might be able to attend school without problems. In this way, we are also promoting efforts to realize a society in which it is easy to live by adjusting the environment.

Five sections of the “Brain World for Everyone: Neurodiversity Exhibition 2023” exhibit focus on themes such as “Individual Expansion” and “Environmental Adjustment.”

We hope that visitors will view the exhibition from the perspective of “realizing a neurodiversity society with your own power,” and that they will not stop at “Oh, I see, I see,” but instead think about “How can we create a society where all people can live comfortably? What kind of actions can I take? This talk session will also be held from this perspective.

Now we will hear from the speakers. First, I would like to start with Joichi Ito, President of the Chiba Institute of Technology, on the theme of “Presentations Toward Neurodiversity.

Many geniuses are autistic.
An environment that allows them to demonstrate their abilities is important

Mr. Ito: “When I hear the term neurodiversity, what comes to mind is autism spectrum disorder (ASD). My father is surely ASD, although he has not been diagnosed. And I was the director of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2011-2019, where many students with autism are known to be. My colleague at the time told me that ‘when properly diagnosed, 60-70% of MIT students are probably autistic.

There are 98 Nobel Prize winning scholars from MIT, but most geniuses are autistic. Most autistics are not geniuses, but it is important to remember that just ‘most geniuses’ are pretty much on the spectrum (the boundary between ASD and those who are not is not clear).

In the U.S., there is a culture of autistic people, and there is a great deal of understanding and support for autistic people, and a culture of respect for their individuality is being established. Japan has worked very hard to create a standardized workforce, so to speak, where everyone aspires to be an employee of a large corporation. When someone does not fit the standard, even if he or she has unique strengths, he or she will be ignored and removed from the workforce. Therefore, I think we must first change the society that ‘must standardize’, where standardization is considered the top priority.

This is a funny story, but when I was doing personal research on the autism spectrum at MIT’s Media Lab, a colleague said to me, ‘It is very difficult to raise an autistic child, and there is an urgent need to train autism specialists. He joked, ‘I hope your child is autistic. Then my daughter was born autistic.

When I returned to Japan with that daughter, I felt that the environment for autistic children in Japan was lagging behind. I felt that something had to be done, so in 2024 I launched a program that mixes autistic and non-autistic children and began working in Japan.”

Ishido: “Thank you very much. Next up is Professor Kota Minamisawa of KMD at Keio University.”

Expand your own possibilities
Research to get a “new body”

Mr. Minamisawa: “We are conducting research on ‘corporeal media’ to see what new things the body can do when it is connected to technology. We are developing robots, virtual reality, and technology to reproduce the sense of touch.

First is “Dementia Eyes. Wearing the head-mounted display (HMD), you can immerse yourself in “the world as seen by a person with dementia,” and experience distorted space, difficulty understanding distance, and difficulty sitting in a chair. The development of this system was supported by people who actually care for the elderly. When caregivers and doctors try on this HMD and experience it, they say it changes the way they interact and talk to patients afterward.

The other is research on ‘individual extension. For example, on the theme of designing one’s own body, we are working on a research project called “Aique” to see what new things we could do if humans could have tails.

In the “Musiarm” project, we applied the technology of attaching tails to arms and legs, and with the cooperation of a person who is missing from the right arm to the elbow, we developed a device that turns the arm itself into a musical instrument to fulfill his wish to “play a musical instrument. These are projects to realize that “everyone does not have to have the same body” and “each individual can have the body he or she wants to have.

The ultimate form of such research is the performance by Masatane Muto, a person suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), who also performed at the exhibition. The audience enjoyed the performance together with him.

Based on the results of these studies, we are also conducting research on the theme of “creation of society. This research is being conducted in collaboration with Mr. Orie Yoshifuji, who will be speaking later in this presentation, and is aimed at creating a world where people who are unable to leave their homes for various reasons can do various things and participate in society from their homes, thereby creating new ways of working and learning.

Just as glasses and contact lenses can overcome disabilities, we are conducting research to create a new society while combining new bodies with new technologies.

Ishido: “We were introduced to the possibilities of the brain and body that can be expanded through the use of technology. The last one is Mr. Orie Yoshifuji, CVO, President and Representative Director of Orie Research Institute, Inc. Pleased to meet you.”

Extending “communal power” with an alter ego robot to
and relieve people’s loneliness.

Mr. Ollie: “As a child, I did not attend school very much. I was weak, hospitalized, and mentally unstable. You call me Ollie, but my real name is Kentaro Yoshifuji. I was healthy, fat, and cheerful. But it was completely different. I was the kind of child who hated this name and would continue to ignore anyone who called me Kentaro. The fact that his name and appearance were different meant that he could no longer think of himself as himself. This state of being had been going on for a long time. The budding of self-recognition and metacognition was also much later than others.

I could not establish my identity and was flustered and could not get a place at school. When I was not going to school, feeling different from others and having difficulty living, I really felt lonely. I had nothing to do, I kept staring at the ceiling and I almost forgot how to speak Japanese. I also forgot how to laugh.

I had such experiences throughout my life, but when I was in high school, I was involved in the invention of a new mechanism for an electric wheelchair, which won the High School Science and Technology Challenge, received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award, and participated in a world competition. At that time, however, I realized that I did not really want to create a wheelchair, but rather something that would relieve the loneliness felt by people who cannot go out without a wheelchair because they are confined to their homes. That is why we developed “OriHime,” an alter-ego communication robot that can communicate with people even when they are far away.

My name is Ability, Power. You mentioned glasses earlier, but I am cyborgized by ICL surgery, which implants contact lenses in my eyes, and my vision disability is gone. A wheelchair supports leg strength. For English language skills, there is an interpretation system. But there was nothing for communication skills. So we researched communication skills support and created a laboratory using the name Cafe. We tested what we had created in our basement lab in front of our customers, and repeatedly apologized to them when things went out of control, so to speak, in the “World’s Most Failed Cafe. At this alter ego robot café, DAWN, the robots here are remotely operated by people who are shut-ins, people who cannot go to school due to illness, people who have been out of work for a long time and cannot return to the office, and people who panic when they go out in public. With this robot, they can speak in public and serve customers.

Earlier, we talked about self-identity. I got my name, “Ollie,” from my love of origami, which I did throughout my hospital stay. I have also had this black visual since I was 18 and have been wearing black for half of my life. I have established myself with this outfit and Ollie. I believe that online gaming is similar to this. People who can’t find their place in the real world can get into online games and make friends.

If it is the head-mounted display that dives into the VR space, this robot is also a device that allows residents of the VR world to dive into the real world, so to speak. This has even enabled hospitalized children to go to school and speak in public.

With the use of various devices, a person with ALS, for example, who can only move his eyes, can operate devices and draw pictures using only his eyes.

I truly believe that it is precisely because we cannot do it that we are willing to do it, and that there is value in what we cannot do. And I am creating a new system to extend the capabilities of such people. The final form that I am aiming for is to care for myself when I am no longer able to move my body. Taking care of oneself is very important for one’s personal development. It is this kind of research that I am working on through the development of the OriHime robot, a device that allows people to feel that they have done something for themselves and that they have repaid others for what they have done for them.

A society where diversity is the source of innovation.

Ishido: “Thank you very much. You mentioned the terms “truancy” and “withdrawal,” but after listening to your talk, I wondered if going to school is the only way to be a truant, or if being online doing activities that enrich one’s life is still a withdrawal, and I thought that we need to update all the definitions of the terms we have used.

Mr. Ollie: “Right now, there is a person in this hall who said, ‘It’s absolutely hard for me to go to the crowds, but I tried to blend in with the crowd with OriHime. There is a person who said, “Today is the first time in my life.”

Ishido: “Certainly, if a person with hearing sensitivity were riding OriHime, he or she would be able to block out sounds when he or she feels uncomfortable, and it would be easier to adjust to a comfortable environment for him/her.

I think the four of you have given us new hope for the future, but I would like to return to the theme of neurodiversity. The term “neurodiversity” has not spread that much in Japan yet. Compared to the rest of the world, it seems to be lagging behind.

Ito: “In the U.S., there is a long history of racial discrimination, and neurodiversity has become a new human rights issue. around the 1960s and 1970s, doctors were treating autism, but then parents started a movement from ‘let’s make them normal (by treating them)’ to ‘let them be who they are, Recently, there has been a stronger movement for the people concerned to ‘take care of whether they are happy or not. Therapy methods are also becoming more diverse. In this respect, I have the image that Japan is a little behind.

However, in the U.S., there is a lot of technology from the perspective of supporting healthy people in order to fit in with normal people, and the idea of praising neurodiverse people is lagging behind, and there are not many initiatives like the one you mentioned. I believe that Japan has long had diverse forms of admiration within the community, such as “otaku society. I feel that if such culture is properly mixed in, Japan’s neurodiversity efforts will not be inferior to those of other countries. I thought that if the American movement and Japanese innovation were linked, something very meaningful could be created.

Ishido: “In our project, we emphasize ‘solving issues with technology’ and at the same time ‘developing technology and building an environment together with the people concerned. We would like to hear your opinions.

Mr. Orie: “When I brought OriHime to a meeting of people who are trying to support people with disabilities, I was told, ‘This is the first time a person with a disability has come to the meeting. When I expressed my opinion as a person with a disability, the room froze. Until now, most caregivers have been looking only at how technology can make caregiving easier, and there was nothing like OriHime, which acts as the alter ego of the caregiver and works together with the caregiver. After realizing this, I began to think of technology in terms of the person involved, the caregiver, and the technology itself. Recently, I have been enjoying the evolution of technology, including the people who support it. I feel that it is the right thing to do to make it permeate the community.”

Mr. Minamisawa: “Since around 2015, 3D printers, VR, and recently AI, which used to be only for specialists, have become something that anyone can use, which I think is a big change. I think it has become easier for the people involved to say, ‘I want to do this,’ or ‘I want to use this to make this.

Now they are taking it one step further and thinking about how to install it in society, such as a project to allow people to carry Orihime into stores like a guide dog, or a movement to change social rules to realize the world of anime and manga. I think it is interesting that a movement is beginning to emerge to change the rules of society in order to bring the world of anime and manga to life.

Ishido: “In last year’s Chomoro, we had a Halloween parade with robots walking on the streets, but there were various restrictions on robots walking on the streets. Chomoro is positioned as an opportunity to clarify bottlenecks in the social implementation of technology.

The technology introduced in this exhibition was developed as a means to help people with difficulties in their lives and problems, but I think it is very important to go one step further and reach the point of view that “the conventional “normal” should be changed. I would like to raise the issue of whether it would be better to change the conventional norm, and whether the conventional and the ordinary would be more updated by using technology. I believe that the society we want to realize through the Neurodiversity Project is exactly what we take for granted in the next generation. On the other hand, I believe that social acceptance is the biggest bottleneck. What do you think about the standardization and peer pressure in Japan, as you mentioned at the beginning, compared to other countries?

Mr. Ito: “Last year, the United Nations named Japan in rather harsh terms. Japan has a system in place where only standard people can go to regular schools while claiming to support people with disabilities. What this means is that normal people think that ‘there are only normal people (in the world).

The standard brain is called neurotypical in English and the term ‘neurotypical syndrome’. These are people who confidently think they are normal and are more concerned with what others think of them than with confirming the facts. There are many of them in Japan.

The ‘normal’ of Japanese society is not normal. This is important. The state in which people with disabilities are not included is ‘normal’. I am trying to build a school where normal and autistic children can attend together. When I gave a presentation on this, I was told by an “important man” that “parents of normal children do not want to mix their children with children with disabilities. I almost said, “No, they have to mix them or they will grow up to be adults like you. I think it is also a risk of Japanese society that people who say such things in such a normal manner are in a great position.

I think it is also a very poor country that people think that people with disabilities cannot play an active role in society. If places like today become the norm, I think that will improve as well.”

Ishido: “As you say, I think the situation in Japan was normal after those who were not considered “able-bodied” were excluded. I think that is why there were UN recommendations regarding inclusive education in Japan. It may be embarrassing that we even have to prepare a place to experience the differences in our senses with this exhibition. But as a transitional period, I thought it was important to share information like this and think together.

It was “Designing a New You. I think the next generation will be able to use technology to design themselves and the environment in which they live as they are. How do you think you will be able to design your own unique self and under what circumstances in 2050?

Mr. Minamisawa: “In 2050, I will be around 70 years old. I think that now we tend to live our lives by “creating” various versions of ourselves through social networking services and other means. In the future, I hope that we can create a society and use technology in such a way that we can expand our understanding of what our true selves are capable of doing, and how we became who we are today because of these experiences in our lives. I envision a society in which each individual’s world itself expands through the accumulation of diverse experiences, and in which our various experiences are actually supported by technology in various ways.

Mr. Ory: “In 2050, I would be about 60 years old. It may be too early to call it old age. I was really frail, and when I was 17 years old, I really thought I would die when I turned 30, so I made a 30-year life plan to see what I could do in the next 17 years. But I think it was very effective to be aware of the end. That way, you can live one day at a time. I think it is important to be able to choose a life with no regrets. I think it is important to have something you want to do and have choices at that time. The person I am at night is completely different from the person I am in the morning, and the person I am when I am hungry is completely different from the person I am when I am full. I want to make choices through technology.

In my work, I have met many bedridden people. I have been thinking lately about what is available to me when I am bedridden in my old age. Money and hobbies are important, but in a roundabout way, I believe that relationships are the most important. On the other hand, there are people who are bedridden with ALS but seem to be enjoying themselves with their helpers. I believe that the point of divergence is the relationship between the two. What is needed to create a state where people gather around you even if you are bedridden may be the “communicative ability of a snack mom. Recently, we have put up a sign at our alter ego robot café that says “Snack OriHime. I think it’s ‘snack tech,’ so to speak, and my recent theme is to do research on that.”

Ishido: “Actually, I have always wanted to be a snack mom.”

Mr. Ollie: “You can even be a snack mom remotely.”

Ishido: “That’s what I want to do. For quite some time now, I’ve had on my list of things I want to do, snack mom.”

Mr. Ollie: “I would love to be in a career beyond bedridden.”

Ishido: “I will seriously consider this. I digress. In this exhibition, we had a great deal of discussion about how to use the word “disability. What constitutes a disability? For example, a bicycle with square tires is placed in the environmental exhibit. If the floor is flat, it is easy for a bicycle with round tires to go forward, but it is difficult for a bicycle with square tires to go forward. On the other hand, if the floor is bumpy, the square tire may go forward more easily, but the round tire may not. It depends on the environment. How about you, Joi?

Mr. Ito said, “In 2050, I will be 84 years old. Some years ago I invited a doctor to Japan for a two-day conference on his research. He was 70 something years old, and he said, ‘There is nothing in my knowledge that you don’t have, and I can die in peace now. My ideal would also be a society in the future where everyone has a network of all my current knowledge, where I have many juniors and students who can do what I have always wanted to do better and harder than me, and where my dreams will continue even after I am gone. With the evolution of technology, I believe that by around 2050 there will be a system in place that will be able to do what I think I want to do better than I can, so I will retire rather than live forever.”

Ishido: “We need you to continue to be active for the rest of your life and always to be alive. It is almost time to go, but I would like to conclude with a message from “Toward the Realization of a Neurodiversified Society.”

Mr. Ollie: “When you think about diversity, don’t try to understand it, but make friends with the people involved. There will come a time when bedridden people will be closer to you.”

Mr. Minamisawa: “Times and technology are changing rapidly. I think it would be good if we could create a new life for ourselves based on the premise that we will be able to do more and more of what we cannot do. I hope we can think together about how we want to create our own lives.

Mr. Ito: “I think it is very important to focus on strengthening children’s weak areas and to expand their strong areas rather than leaving their strong areas alone. Many of them draw pictures as children, as if to say they are artists, but when they grow up, no one does it anymore because they have lost confidence. In English, this is called creative confidence, and I think it is very important to keep it alive and not let children lose it.

Ishido: “When creating this exhibit, I wanted to build on the idea that diversity is the source of innovation. Acceptance of diversity is now also known as “diversity inclusion,” but Japan has not even achieved gender diversity. In order to realize a society that is truly tolerant of diversity, I believe it is necessary for each individual to actively participate in society. I hope that all of us can work together to create a new future. Thank you all very much for your time today.