In September 2018, Osaka University submitted a proposal for the Initiative for Life Design Innovation (iLDi). It was the only project selected for the 2018 Fiscal Year Society 5.0 Realization Research Support Project by MEXT.
Society 5.0 is a future super smart society where data shared with consent can be utilized safely. iLDi strives to pioneer a new research style that utilizes large amounts of data. Osaka University set up the iLDi Headquarters within the Institute for Datability Science (established in April, 2016), whose initiatives include empirical field research within the University. iLDi strides forward in collaboration with various institutions, organizations, and private corporations to establish a hub for the information science technology essentials of Society 5.0.
Our efforts include the following activities: (i) training data experts capable of utilizing and integrating data, which are highly sought-after skills, (ii) calling for new research proposals from young researchers from around the world, and (iii) contributing to life-design innovation through research and development. In addition, as today’s society demands that universities combine multiple technologies in order to enable the adoption of their innovations in society, we work to strengthen the University’s research capacity and maximize the University’s understanding and solutions to diverse social issues.
Message from the iLDi Headquarters
For this initiative, Osaka University is collaborating with RIKEN, local governments (e.g., Osaka Prefectural Government, and Osaka City) and private corporations to form a premier hub for empirical research of technology essential to realize Society 5.0. At its core is information science technology. Specifically, the Initiative for Life Design Innovation (iLDi) promotes (1) research on lifestyles to improve quality of life (QOL), (2) wellness research to promote mental and physical health, and (3) edutainment research to enable enjoyable learning. We strive to help people lead a “brilliant life” – a high-quality life with an emphasis on physical, mental, social, and environmental health. We strive to realize technological innovations and social, economic, and environmental changes from the University.
The initial duration of this project is five years from fiscal year 2018 to 2022. Depending on the result of the fifth-year review, the project may be extended for a maximum of another five years. We greatly appreciate your guidance and encouragement on this project.
At the frontline of research
Our Initiative for Life Design Innovation (iLDi) project proposes a new concept called Personal Life Record (PLR) to enhance Personal Health Record (PHR), the database of human medical and health information. PLR incorporates data about various daily activities such as daily habits, diet, exercise, and workplace and school activities. Using PLR data, this initiative undertakes research on the prediction, prevention, and early diagnosis of illnesses.
In parallel, we also conduct research in the following areas: (1) proliferation of participatory medicine utilizing IoT and medical treatments to respond to individual needs, (2) early detection and improvement of pre-illness conditions using the relationship between health and illness, (3) advanced AI systems utilizing the secure PLR collection database, and (4) AI-based interactive intervention to improve QOL. We intend to build a new society where people of all ages can live peaceful and comfortable lives.
One of our endeavors towards this goal is our Grand Challenge Open Research Project, which is a call for research proposals from young researchers on the collection and utilization of PLR. We hope to receive many applications.
Towards the adoption of PLR in real-world society
The government aims to realize a super smart society (Society 5.0) where everyone can lead comfortable and active lives. This will be made possible by new values generated from innovations in Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.
Focusing on the goal of building a society where people of all ages can live peaceful and rich lives, we promote innovation that aims to create a high-quality, “brilliant” life. iLDi utilizes Osaka University’s campus and the surrounding area as a real-world testbed for evaluating Society 5.0 technologies. In partnership with RIKEN and NEC as core institutions and in collaboration with various institutions and companies, researchers at Osaka University endeavor to build an information system infrastructure where PLR data can be utilized while maintaining the privacy and security of personal data, and also to gain an understanding of the diversity in human behavioral data, which is required for building the behavior sensing infrastructure.
We appreciate your continued support of our initiative.