FORUM8 Design Festival 2017-3Days+Eve
Date: 14 (Eve), 15-17 (3Days) November 2017 / Venue: Shinagawa Intercity Hall
(Up&Coming 2018 New Year issue)









Tue. Nov.14 Eve  Wed. Nov.15 Day1  Thu. Nov.16 Day2  Fri. Nov.17 Day3

 Day1 11/15 Wed The 18th UC-win/Road Conference
Autonomous Driving Conference
   

Approach of Relevant Ministries and Agencies to Automated Driving with Rising Expectation

Following the opening remarks by FORUM8 President Yuji Ito, "UC-win/Road Conference" <Automated Driving Conference> opened up with "Age of Virtual reality. UC-win/Road(R) Presentation" First, our FORUM8 staff gave a presentation entitled "Development example and future vision of VR driving simulator, training and exhibition system". As the main functions of UC-win/Road Ver.12, he explained increase in size and speed of space modeling by supporting 64-bit native application, linkage with HMD of HTC VIVE and MATLAB/Simulink in the subsequent Ver.12.1, and the features of the latest hardware including large sized DS system and VR motion sheet. At the same time, he introduced unique examples of their actual use. Including the elements already realized, he also mentioned the functions to be extend soon, and the direction of development to aim at after that.
In the next presentation entitled "Development of environment for automated driving total simulation", our development staff stated that developing simulation that would contribute to evolution of society and new mobility was considered as their mission. Yuji Ito, FORUM8 President
He explained the functions realized the latest UC-win/Road to fulfill the mission. They included faithful representation of traveling environment, simulation of sensor, linkage with the third party's application, and record/analysis/playback of data for simulation. After mentioning the developing points in future, such as support for automated driving, problems in creating spaces, improvement in various functions, and support for JavaScript, he also showed the concept for the next-generation products as further targets as follows: 1) Simulation of the whole mobility in the future including automobiles, and examination of desirable traffic there, and 2) Construction of platform to perform integrated simulation by extending the cloud system.

Development example and future
vision of VR driving simulator,
training and exhibition system
Development of environment for
automated driving total simulation

Based on them, the first special lecture for Automated Driving Conference was given by Mr. Gaku Nakazato, Director, New-Generation Mobile Communications Office, Land Mobile Communications Division, Radio Department, Telecommunications Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), entitled "Circumstances surrounding automated driving and Connected Car, and MIC's involvement in them". After explaining the concept of "Connected Car", he summarized the points examined in the Study Group Focusing on Realization of Connected Car Society, including the following: 1) Changes in the role of cars by connecting in two ways with various kinds of information such as networks and infrastructure, surrounding people and cars. 2) Diverse Possibilities to be brought about by them. 3) The ways new services and business should be in the Connected Car society. 4) Issues to be addressed. At the same time, he outlined the basic mechanism and element technologies of automated traveling, required frequency of updating map information and coordination with the surrounding environment, roadmap to realization of automated driving, expectation to utilization of AI in automated driving and its advanced efforts, important problems about Automated Driving System in The Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) led by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, and a Large-Scale Field Operational Test for them. Furthermore, he introduced the action for realizing 5th Generation Mobile Communications Systems (5G), which is one of the key technologies for Connected Car Society and automated driving, and its advantages. Finally, he also mentioned the trend to draw attention in and outside Japan.

Mr. Gaku Nakazato,
Director, New-Generation
Mobile Communications Office,
Land Mobile Communications
Division, Radio Department,
Telecommunications Bureau,
Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications (MIC)

From the afternoon, Mr. Keiji Furuya, member of the House of Representatives and President of "Parliamentary group for considering Automobile Culture" gave a speech on behalf of the guests. He pays attention to the fact that though the number of deaths from traffic accidents has been decreasing year by year, but that elderly people occupy a large share among them. He explains expectations for automated driving including the viewpoint of a countermeasure for aging and activation of the provinces.

Mr. Keiji Furuya,
member of the House of Representatives
and President of "Parliamentary group
for considering Automobile Culture"

The following Automated Driving Conference started with a special lecture entitled "The METI's involvement in automated driving" given by Mr. Naohiko Kakimi, Director, Electric Vehicle, Advanced Technology and ITS Promotion Office, Automobile Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). After reviewing significance of automated driving and main technologies to realize it, and the definition of the level of automated driving, he outlined the evolution process of automated driving for private and business use, actions of the government and METI about automated driving, present situation of automated driving technology and strategic division of its competitive and collaborative areas, and the future vision of automated driving. He expounded the following approaches to becoming the most advanced in the world for both in technological and business terms for realizing social implementation of automated driving first in the world: 1) As to automated driving, to precede business use, allowing to limit driving areas and methods, then widen to private use. 2) To set up important fields and accelerate actions for collaborative areas. Then he mentioned various public road demonstration projects of the nation based on them. In particular, he made a detailed explanation of the demonstration projects of last-mile autonomous driving and truck platooning. METI addresses these projects by itself since they have an aim of solving social issues and that their needs are high and feasibility is expected. He showed their respective present situation and schedule of implementation in the future.

Mr. Naohiko Kakimi,
Director, Electric Vehicle,
Advanced Technology and
ITS Promotion Office,
Automobile Division,
Manufacturing Industries
Bureau, Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI)

Next, Mr. Masato Sahashi, Director, International Affairs Office and Autonomous Driving Strategy Office, Engineering Policy Division, Road Transport Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) gave a special lecture entitled "The MLIT's involvement in automated driving". First, he introduced their main actions from the viewpoints of the MLIT Autonomous Driving Strategy Headquarters as follows: 1) Improvement in environment for realizing automated driving, 2) Promotion of development and spread of automated driving technology, and 3) Demonstration experiments and social implementation towards realization of automated driving. In particular, he made a detailed explanation about automated driving service based in Michinoeki (roadside stations) in hilly and mountainous areas, and diverse automated driving services in new towns. Along with this, he said that Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) including Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) and Driver abnormality response system, New car assessment program, and provision of standards and technological guidelines were considered as their own major actions regarding safety of automated driving. In addition, as international activities, he mentioned the system for examining technical standards on automated driving vehicles with the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP29) as its core, various discussions, and current situation of examination of countermeasures against automobile hacking. Finally, after referring to the way compensation rules of automated cars should be, he also focused on the importance of actions to allow users to have correct knowledge about the functional limit of automated driving and response at failure.

Mr. Masato Sahashi,
Director, International Affairs
Office and Autonomous
Driving Strategy Office,
Engineering Policy Division,
Road Transport Bureau,
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism (MLIT)

The last special lecture for the Conference was "Trends of automated driving and NPA's involvement" by Mr. Toshihiro Sugi, Director, Autonomous Driving Planning Office, Traffic Planning Division, Traffic Bureau, National Police Agency (NPA). He explained the situations of traffic accidents in recent years, changes in Fundamental Traffic Safety Program by now, and significance of automated driving and Driving Safety Support Systems (DSSS). Based on this, he showed the intention of the Agency's actions about automated driving that to contribute to securing and improving mobility vulnerable road users. Then he pointed out that Article 70 of Road Traffic Act could be interpreted that it would not prevent use of automated driving system or field operational tests of automated driving on public roads if only necessary response could be made in an emergency. On the contrary, as he stated, in putting it to practical use, it would be required to not only review the driver's obligation under the Act, but ensure that the driver should take responsibility in safe driving in spite of automated driving. He also outlined the research and examination about institutional subjects of automated driving that the Agency had been conducting since fiscal 2015 with experts, development of Guidelines for public road testing of automated driving systems, and research and examination towards step-by-step realization of automated driving etc. On the other hand, through the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), they took part in international discussion on automated driving while harmonizing it with Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. He further mentioned research and development started from fiscal 2014 by the Agency for establishing technologies for providing traffic signal information and detective information of vehicles and pedestrians etc.
(Written by Takashi Ikeno)

Mr. Toshihiro Sugi,
Director, Autonomous Driving
Planning Office,
Traffic Planning Division,
Traffic Bureau,
National Police Agency (NPA)
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  Award Ceremony of
The 16th 3D VR Simulation Contest on Cloud
Day1  

Base of VR technology utilization is expanding. New approaches are ongoing with the 30th anniversary of company's foundation.

We received a lot of applications to this 16th "3D VR Simulation Contest on Cloud".
To 10 works nominated in the selection screening the public voting was conducted, and the competition committee consisted of the chairman Prof. Fumio Seki (Professor of Engineering department, Nihon University) and the commissioners Mr. Hiroo Kasagi (Representative of NPO Chiikizukuri Kobo) and Mr. Tatsuoki Inagaki (Director of Pave & Road How-To Way Technology Association) conducted the strict final judgment. After that, "Education training of Haneda Airport by VR simulator" created by Meiwa Sky Support Co., Ltd. was selected as the Grand Prix.
This is the data of the VR driving simulator for the purpose of training safe driving of the pushback tractors that pull containers throughout Haneda Airport where is the special environment and has the different traffic rules from that of ordinary roads.
Trainees can learn hazardous places and points that they need the special attention through markings and signs reproduced as they are in the real airport. The trainees feel as if they were driving in the airport.
This time, two works were selected as the "Semi Grand Prix - Excellence Award". In the "Reproduction of the tramway line and its surroundings in Omuta city", the realistic old 500 series train and hoppers at the Mitsui Miike coal mine were reproduced. The "Mobile type safety education experience 4D VR simulation" by Korea Transportation Safety Authority enables experience of driving of three different courses scenario of city, highway and test course on 6DOF motion simulator.
Juries (from left) Mr. Tatsuoki Inagaki, Prof. Fumio Seki, (chairman of the committee) Mr. Hiroo Kasagi
Winners

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  Book Launch Lecture Day1  

Thoughts of Authors and Editors Expressed in New Books

FORUM8 Publishing has published two books to coincide with Design Festival of this time. To close Day1, their authors and editors gave book launch lectures.
First, Mr. Tatsuoki Inagaki, editorial supervisor of "Learning Bridge Engineering through VR" (FORUM8 Publishing) and President of Pave & Road How-to Way Technology Association (Paroway Tec) gave a lecture. According to him, the number of road bridges (longer than 2m in length) in the whole country is about 720 thousand, and that of railway bridges is about 90 thousand. Since many of them were constructed during the period of high economic growth, bridges that need some treatment for maintenance would increase at an accelerated pace. On the other hand, in local municipalities, especially in towns and villages, there is considerable shortage of civil engineers in charge of bridge management. He is concerned that since preventive maintenance measures are not taken, serious damages or accidents may be caused. Then he hit upon publication of this book to have bridges to be felt familiar, thinking "we want to show how interesting bridges are", and "we want to create fans of bridges". At the same time, the book aims at developing personnel who can watch over bridges. For this reason, while the book contains technical contents, it also links with VR. For example, regarding a movable bridge, originally part of it or the entire bridge moves in various ways. However, since there are few chances to see such scenes actually, and some of them have never been in motion for decades, this book has been planned to represent different types of bridges using VR to allow the readers to have bodily feeling. Moreover, by adding and updating the data in the server successively, it is aimed to evolve the contents continuously, according to him.

Next speaker is Mr. Yukio Ota, author and editor of "Refuge Guidance Sign Total System RGSS Guidebook" (FORUM8 Publishing) and Director of NPO Sign Center. First, he remarks that while "Safe and secure pictograms" (FORUM8 Publishing) published in the previous year is the concept part of the pictogram design that contributes to security and safety during disasters, this book is considered as its practice part. It was 1970's that he got involved in pictogram design for the first time, when building fires occurred in succession with a large number of victims. With that a discussion started that the existing emergency exit signs might have been hard to see due to smoke. So, he adopted an approach of creating pictograms by taking into consideration not only visibility but also quality of design and comfort. After many twists and turns such as very minor revisions, his design created at that time has been internationally standardized. Based on his own knowledge with his experience of working on pictogram design for over 40 years, the new publication brings together the results of joint work through 120 members from 100 companies in the associated industries. In particular, with general contractors' cooperation, this book explains practical know-how to guide refugees from indoor to the place of refuge effectively both in the daytime and nighttime, according to him. It sticks to his vision of helping to protect many lives in the world using Refuge Guidance Sign originated in Japan, just as similar to the internationally standardized emergency exit signs originated in Japan.
(Written by Takashi Ikeno)

Mr. Yukio Ota
Director of NPO Sign Center

Mr. Tatsuoki Inagaki
President of Pave & Road How-To Way
Technology Association
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