Brain World for Everyone – Neurodiversity Exhibition 2023″!

The first “Brain World for Everyone – Neurodiversity Exhibition 2023” was held on September 17 (Sun.) and 18 (Mon.), 2023. The first exhibition of the Neurodiversity Project, “Brain World for Everyone,” brought together 33 exhibits from industry, government, and academia, as well as talk sessions and workshops. The exhibition was held concurrently with the “Interesting Future Ahead (Chomoro),” and a total of 10,497 visitors came to the venue over the two days!

33 contents from various leading Japanese universities, research institutes and companies will be exhibited.

A total of 33 contents by members of the Neurodiversity Project were exhibited and experienced by many visitors. The venue was divided into five areas, and visitors were encouraged to understand neurodiversity by touring each area in turn.

A Diverse World

First, as you enter, you will find the “Diverse Worlds” area. This area unravels how we perceive the world. There was an exhibit of artwork that considered the annular world with moss as its theme, and people with mobility difficulties performed guidance duties as members of the venue staff by remote control of alter-ego robots.

Global Interface Project MTRL by Loftwork / Aug Lab by Panasonic Holdings Corporation / GADARA
Creation of a community that transcends constraints using an alter ego robot Oly Research Institute, Inc.
Experience of Emotion-Sharing Appreciation by Aero-Haptic Transmission Junji Watanabe (NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Inc.)
Superhuman Sports Exhibition Experience Corner Superhuman Sports Project
My Brain World Team JSB-G Kiri★Akahori Konomi★Naotsugu Taniguchi

A variety of senses

Next, visitors enter the main hall to find the “Diverse Senses” area. The concept of this area is to deepen awareness of the diversity of each person’s senses by simulating the five senses of other people, to respect each other’s differences, and to deepen connections. A total of eight contents were exhibited, including a hands-on exhibit to learn about the diversity of the sense of touch by measuring the sensitivity of finger skin, an exhibit to find differences and similarities in responses to stimuli by measuring brain waves, and a Calm Down Box corner that softens stimuli such as sound and light to relieve stress for those with sensory sensitivity.

Avatar Therapy Using VR Technology: Co-Creation Workshop with Persons with Auditory Hallucinations Kuzuoka-Narumi Laboratory, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
Embodied Media Project, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University / MEDIVA Co.
Haptics Laboratory, Nagoya Institute of Technology / Inamori Science Research Organization
Sensory Sensitivity-Friendly World Crystal Road Sensory Sensitivity Laboratory, Inc.
Brainwave of You and Me: Feeling Distance between Near and Far NTT Human Information Research Laboratories
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Brain Information and Communication Fusion Research Center, Future ICT Research Institute
Manju wa…kowaii? 　National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Brain Information and Communication Research Center, Future ICT Research Institute
Sweet and Bitter Shapes – Visualization of Flavor – Cognitive Design Laboratory, Ritsumeikan University

Expanding People Power

After learning about the diversity of individual senses, visitors experienced how technology can expand the power of the individual in the “Expanding the Power of People” area, which included a BMI-based brain function rehabilitation experience, an exhibit that considered whether our movements would be more free if we wore a human-shaped artificial tail, and a user interface that uses vibration and light to feel the characteristics of sound in our bodies. and a user interface that allows visitors to physically feel the characteristics of sound through vibration and light.

What do you mean by personal expansion? 　B Lab
Ontena Fujitsu Limited Converging Technology Laboratories Social Technology Social Implementation Office DE&I Project
Howdy Corporation/ViXion Corporation
Cognitive Behavior Support Technology Team, RIKEN National Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
The effects of heat and electricity change the way we perceive things! 　NTT Human Information Laboratories
Ushiba Junichi Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University
Overcoming disabilities with robot technology and BMI WITH ALS, Dentsu Science Jam, NOUPATHY, Embodied Media Project, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University, Moon Shot Type R&D Project Goal 1: “Generating physical co-creation”. Development of cybernetic avatar technology and social infrastructure” Technical cooperation: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation / NTT Sonority Corporation / Oly Laboratory Inc.
Arque” Embodied Media Project, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University
Open, but only you can hear the sound (PSZ) nwm by NTT Sonority

change one’s environment

As a different approach to extending personal characteristics, we developed an area where visitors could learn about the option of “changing the environment”. Here, a total of eight contents were lined up, including an experience of interacting with each other in a VR space with the face and attributes face-down, an experience of technology that delivers sound to the ear without blocking the ear, and an exhibit that considers how the current social environment looks to people with various color vision characteristics.

What do you mean that it changes depending on the environment? 　B Lab
Ekimatopee Fujitsu Limited Converging Technology Laboratories Social Technology Social Implementation Office DE&I Project
What if traffic lights were not red or blue? 　B Lab
Let’s Talk with Buddha Bot and Monk Kyoto University Research Institute for the Future of Society and Humanity / Terraverse, Inc.
How to protect the commons? 　Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (B) “The Creation of Digital Embodied Economics” / Laboratory of Experimental Economics, Meiji Gakuin University
(COI-NEXT “Meta-care city co-creation center for the resolution and high wellbeing of young people”)
Project Alien NHK “Project Alien” production team
How will cybernetic avatars change the way we work? 　Moonshot-type R&D Project Objective 1 “Development of cybernetic avatar technology and social infrastructure to create physical co-creation

Create a society

The last area was the “Create a Society” area, which provided an opportunity to think about what kind of society is a society where everyone can demonstrate their individual strengths, based on what they have learned so far. Visitors were asked to share what feelings various places in the venue brought to them by putting stickers on them, and to visualize their feelings by putting up large sheets of paper with silhouettes of their bodies on them, showing how they feel when they receive stimuli through their nose, ears, mouth, eyes, and skin.

Body Map: Let’s write your feelings as you feel them! 　Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas for Academic Research (B) Creation of Digital Embodiment Economics / B Lab
Environment Map: Let’s share your findings! 　Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas of Science (B) Creation of Digital Embodied Economics / Lab B
Tactile Emotion Map: Cognitive infrastructure for “ Creation of Digital Embodied Economics” Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (B) “Creation of Digital Embodied Economics”.

A talk session was held!

On September 18, a talk session was held on the theme of “Toward a Neurodiversity Society. The four speakers, Joichi Ito (President, Chiba Institute of Technology), Junichi Ushiba (Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University), Kota Minamisawa (Professor, Keio University KMD), and Orii Yoshifuji (CVO, President, Orii Research Institute, Inc.), moderated by Nanako Ishido, discussed how to realize a society in which all people can exercise their abilities through environmental adjustments and expansion of physical and brain functions. The discussion included how to achieve a society in which all people can exercise their abilities by adjusting their environment and expanding their physical and brain functions, as well as actual conditions overseas.

A workshop “Heart Picnic” was held to get in touch with the heartbeat!

Junji Watanabe (NTT Communication Science Laboratories) was the instructor for this hands-on workshop held outdoors. The “Heart Picnic” is a workshop to take the heart out of the body and feel it as a tactile sensation in the palm of one’s hand. Participants were able to experience how their own hearts are beating in the palm of their hands, and to see how they change while exercising or lying down.

Many visitors came to experience and enjoy the various contents. Visitors commented, “Although I had never heard of the term ‘neurodiversity,’ I had somehow had this idea or thought in my mind! All the contents were worth seeing! I hope you will hold this event in other areas as well,” were some of the many comments received, and there were high expectations for future developments. The Neurodiversity Project will continue to promote understanding of neurodiversity and work to build a society in which each individual can demonstrate their individuality and “power” in their own place.