Nomura Kogeisha joins Miraikan Accessibility Lab. Producing new content to support visually impaired people using mixed reality (MR) technology

1. About Miraikan Accessibility Lab
 

This is a consortium-type laboratory jointly promoted by Miraikan and specialized research institutes, and we are researching accessibility technology for visually impaired people by applying AI and robot technology. Miraikan has previously taken the unique initiative of establishing a research area for external research projects, but this is the first laboratory that Miraikan will directly operate.
In addition to an "AI suitcase" that automatically guides visually impaired people safely, we plan and produce models that use 3D printers to obtain scientific information from the sense of touch to provide museum experiences for visually impaired people. We are promoting research and development that enriches society.
With Waseda University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, we plan to work on technology development and joint demonstrations for smarter voice guidance tailored to users and situations using AI suitcases that use large-scale language models.

https://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/research/AccessibilityLab/
 

<Participating institutions>
IBM Japan Corporation, Waseda University Faculty of Science and Engineering, Nomura Kogeisha Co., Ltd.
(As of November 29, 2023)

2. About this new content

■About the Mixed Reality (MR) technology and the roaming acoustic experience service "oto rea"
The MR technology used this time is a system called "Auris" developed by GATARI, which uses a VPS (Visual Positioning System) to recognize the position and orientation of the user from the image on their smartphone and plays pre-set sounds. Audio information can be positioned with centimeter-level accuracy, making it possible to create spaces and experiences that go beyond simple audio guides. "oto rea" is an audio experience service produced and directed by NOMURA, using "Auris" as a platform.
 

https://www.nomlog.nomurakougei.co.jp/article/detail/191/
 

■ About the content created
This tour will take you through part of Zone 2, "Exploring the Changing Earth Now," of the new permanent displays "Planetary Crisis," which has a global environmental theme. You will understand the present and future of the changing Earth by touching a large line graph to measure the rise in global average temperature over time, and by comparing wooden balls of different sizes and weights to experience the differences in carbon dioxide emissions by country and region. Finally, we will introduce some of the ingenuity used in creating displays to take the global environment into consideration.
The content also includes sound effects that are tailored to the experience, such as the sounds of waves and car engines, creating an audio production that goes beyond simple displays explanations.