_Cybernetic Humanity Intern

• My name is Kiritaro Aoyama, a second-year student at Columbia University.
  • Majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Philosophy.
• Next summer, I will be interning under Mr. Kasahara at Sony CSL / OIST.
  • The theme and research methods of Cybernetic Humanity align with what I am passionate about exploring. I believe that through this research experience, I can gain insights and skills that are unique and invaluable.
  • My summer break is from mid-May 2024 to the end of August.

Below, I have summarized my interests, past development/research, and what I can do/would like to work on.

Research Interest §

• Moving from abstract to more specific descriptions:
• Abstractly, I am interested in exploring designs and experiments that deviate from traditional ones based on physical constraints.
  • Examples of designs based on physical constraints: objective reality, Euclidean spacetime, indivisible Self, etc.
  • I Want to Explore Things that Can Only Be Done in the Information World / Flexible Constraint
• Specifically, I am interested in experiences where people share partially different realities.
  • Asymmetric Reality
  • I am contemplating the design of a reality where subjective worlds are partially shared without assuming an external objectivity detached from oneself, leading to an intersubjective world.
  • A reality where people experience either entirely the same reality or completely different individually optimized realities like an Experiential Machine.
• More specifically,
• Subjective time
  • I am particularly interested in the manner of communication under a sense of relative time.
    • I believe that under relative time perception, communication takes on a form different from the conventional “everyone sharing a linear timeline.”
      • Preliminary Research on Virtual Time Axis
    • However, much of the existing research focuses on an individual’s perception of time.
    • I am interested in the interaction between entities (primarily humans) perceiving time in this environment.
      • For instance, traditional synchronous communication assumes shared time, which I believe is not viable in a context with relative sensory perceptions.
      • Therefore, I have implemented a prototype of new voice communication based on relative time perception by leveraging the mechanism of Elastic Synchronization.
        • Details: Proposal for Non-Turn-Based Communication with Voice
    • Other pages accessible from Exploration of Virtual Time contain a compilation of my thoughts and experiments.

Why §

• The research topics of Cybernetic Humanity closely align with my interests, which I have been passionate about for some time.
  • Approaches like those in The Tight Game have inspired ideas like Elastic Synchronization, and I have come to appreciate the engineering aspects of perception from works like Theory of the versatile body and Parallel Eyes.
• What I can do/would like to work on
  • Development of experimental systems
    • With experience in developing various platforms and technologies, I can contribute to a wide range of projects.
      • Specifically, I have experience in development using various technologies, including languages like Swift, Kotlin, Java, Typescript, C++, Ruby, frontend technologies like iOS, Android, Web (React), Unity, backend technologies like Firebase, MySQL, GCP (Compute Engine), MongoDB, and libraries like OpenCV, Tensorflow, PyTorch.
    • I have experience in developing and operating experimental systems for subjects, including user testing during the Miraikan project and research on VR during high school.
    • I am willing to catch up on any new technologies before the start of the internship.
  • Cycle of “researching through experience”
    • From what I have gathered from listening to lecture videos, it seems that my interest in Exploring New Models through Implementation closely aligns with the work being done in this field.- By actively participating in research, I aim to absorb the thought process and practical knowledge within this cycle.

Past Development/Research §

• 
  • Developed various experiences and software related to subjective time and Virtual Time.
• CGUI Lab
  • With Prof. Steven Feiner
  • Presented a poster at ACM SUI 2023 Poster
  • Submitted a full paper as a first author to IEEE VR 2024 (under review)
• UIST 2022 Student Innovation Contest - October 2022
  • Developed a system that creates arbitrary shadow images using objects suspended by ultrasound.
  • Presented a demo at UIST 2022.
• FY2020 Exploratory IT Human Resources Project - June 2020 to March 2021
  • Developed an online course delivery platform under the guidance of PM Inami over a year.
    • Implemented from iOS/Mac frontend to delivery system and conducted user testing at schools.
    • Deceived students’ sense of time to create a system that balances synchronous and asynchronous learning.
      • Explored the concept of Pseudo-Synchronization and developed the mechanism for Elastic Synchronization.
    • Investigated communication in an environment where the boundary between synchronous and asynchronous is blurred.
  • 📺 Presentation video of the results meeting
• National Institute of Informatics Master Program in Informatics 1st Term - May 2020 to March 2021
  • After attending lectures on a wide range of topics such as Computational Theory, Machine Learning, Image Processing, Database, Robotics, and HCI, engaged in research on video summarization using Saliency.

Thank you for taking the time to read this amidst your busy schedule. Your consideration would be greatly appreciated.