SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The space avatar in “Kibo”, theJapanese Experiment Module on theInternational Space Station. JAXA
official ICHIKAWA Chiaki said,“This was the first test to access Kiboand send commands from outside a
JAXA facility. The incredibly clear
video feed impressed the participants.”

GO TOGETHER, GO FAR:

Avatars are coming into more widespreaduse in cultural facilities. For example, they
provide tours at aquariums and museums.

A GRAND SPACE AVATARDREAMFULFILLED BY OPEN INNOVATIONThe space avatar project won
the top prize at the 4th Japan
Open Innovation Prize in 2022,
where the Japanese government
recognizes excellent examples ofopen innovation. Pictured at theaward ceremony from left:
HAYASHI Takanori,representing Oita Prefecture;
avatarin’s COO, KAJITANIKevin, and CEO, FUKABORI
Akira; ICHIKAWA Chiaki ofJAXA.

Open innovation is a vital part of the Japanese government’s growth strategy. It aims to create innovative technologies
and services by fostering collaboration between government, the private sector, and academia. One good example is thespace avatar project that a startup, a research institute, and a local government have teamed up to produce.
In the more than six decades since humanity first
ventured into space, only some 560 people have
traveled to this frontier. But in 2020, about 400
people experienced outer space in a four-day span.
How was that possible? Think “avatars.”
In 2020, avatarin, a startup spun out of the airline
company ANA Holdings Inc., partnered with theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA) andOita Prefecture to install a remotely operated robot
specialized for activities in space—a “space avatar”—
in the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on theInternational Space Station. That same year, theyheld an event that allowed members of the public
to control the space avatar from Earth. About 400

people, mentioned above, participated in this event.
avatarin defines mobility as being able to transmit
one’s consciousness to a remote location and movearound on one’s own initiative. The company has
been developing its robotic avatar technology topioneer a new mode of transportation accessible toall. By using an avatar, people can easily transport
their thoughts into space, a place where very few
people can travel due to physical constraints. This isa concept that avatarin has been developing since its
establishment. The company’s CEO, FUKABORI
Akira, said, “The space avatar plan was too grandiosefor us to achieve on our own, so we sought out
partners. JAXA and Oita Prefecture were the firstto jump at the opportunity.” They were a perfectmatch for avatarin’s vision: JAXA anticipates theapplication of avatar technology to space education,
exploration, and development, while Oita Prefecture
wants to use advanced technology to solve problems
in its communities and promote its local industries.
To help develop the space avatar, many
demonstrations using the terrestrial avatar “newme”
were conducted. Oita Prefecture, which provided thetest field, is located far from Japanese metropolises
like Tokyo and Osaka and has many remote islands
and mountainous regions. The prefecture sees
avatars as a way to address local challenges likepoor transportation. HAYASHI Takanori, an Oita
Prefecture official, said, “We have conducted anumber of demonstrations using avatars, including
supervising elderly people, communicating withpeople who are working away from home in Oita,
allowing a hospitalized high school student toparticipate remotely in afterschool activities, andimplementing a remote sightseeing experience ofOita at an overseas tourism exhibition. Especiallysince the COVID-19 pandemic, the avatars havebeen used as substitutes for school trips by providing
remote tours at museums, etc., and are also used
as a means of remote shopping for local shopping
districts that have suffered a loss in customer traffic.”

Top: Avatars offered by avatarin.
The monitor displays the user’s
face, and the user can tell theavatar where to go and look.
Left: Demand for online
shopping has exploded during
the pandemic. Oita Prefecture
has used avatars at farmers’
stands selling marine andagricultural products.

This success has led to the mass production of avatars
in the prefecture, creating a new local industry withgrowing promise.
In a time when society and the technology aroundus are changing dramatically, conducting research anddevelopment has become difficult for a single player
alone. Hence the increasing need for open innovation
like that carried out by avatarin and others, wherecompanies, laboratories, and local governments
collaborate outside their own organizationalframeworks. Fukabori pointed out that “even if you
want to engage in open innovation, it’s not easy
getting organizations with different financial andhuman resources to work together.” That is why theKishida administration has encouraged investment
in startups to cover their financial weaknesses, thestrengthening of collaboration between government,
the private sector, and academia, and reformationof universities to attract more talent and funds as agrowth strategy that will help create a new form ofcapitalism—a core administration policy.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together,” said Prime Minister Kishida during
his very first policy speech, expressing his ambitions
going forward. If open innovation can create teams oftalent like the one that put avatars in space, then any
dream, no matter how grand, can become a reality.