Laboratory Introduction

Information Security Laboratory

Cybersecurity

While the development of information and communication technology has made people's lives more convenient, cyber attacks and cyber crimes have emerged as a negative aspect.

With the widespread use of personal computers and smartphones in all aspects of our society and daily lives, it is becoming more and more important to have security technologies that can keep them safe and secure.

In our laboratory, we are conducting practical research on security measures for information systems.

We have developed technologies for detecting cyber attacks, analyzing system flaws and risks, and verification methods for security measures using simulated attacks.

We are also working on issues that are familiar to the general public when they use the Internet, such as risk analysis of information transmitted on social networking sites, countermeasures against phishing scams, and technologies to protect online privacy.

uoanlab.wordpress.com/

NAKAMURA Akihito
Senior Associate Professor

Cognitive Science Laboratory

Cognitive Science
Signal Processing

Everyone has a family of friends named "Signal". They can be sensed everyday in our life. When you listen to the music, it is a 1D signal processed by ears. When you read a manga book, it is a 2D matrix signal processed by eyes. When you play games, the motion of the character in 3D world is connecting your feeling basically by the mixed signal system with sound, images and haptics. They are processed by our brain to build a fantastic experience that developers and artists hope to show us.

Our lab cares signal and how it is working very much. Beyond the ability of sensing, it is able to help us to make decisions for not only behaviors as operating a machine or getting profit from financial trading in physical world, but also for creating smart behaviors of NPC as interaction in virtual world.

web-ext.u-aizu.ac.jp/~xiangli/lcglab/index.html

LI Xiang
Associate Professor

Computer Organization Laboratory

Development of IoT and AI systems using Raspberry Pi and FPGA

One of the goals of our laboratory is to develop small, low energy consumption edge AI devices.
As more and more devices are connected to the network, and thanks to advances in AI, these devices are becoming smarter and smarter.
On the other hand, if it consumes too much power and is too large, it cannot be used everywhere.
Therefore, miniaturization and low energy consumption are important.

In this laboratory, we are developing systems and circuits for the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and AI using microcontroller boards called Raspberry Pi and digital circuits called Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
Our goal is also to apply the devices we have researched and developed to local issues.
Currently, we are developing a wildlife warning system as a countermeasure against damage caused by birds and animals, and are conducting demonstration tests.

In this laboratory, students can learn widely from hardware and software development to prototype construction.
For example, by designing circuits, we can go into areas that cannot be solved by software.

Please visit our website to learn more about our current research projects (especially the results of our students).
www-adl.u-aizu.ac.jp/en/

SAITO HiroshiSenior
Associate Professor

Computer Networks Laboratory

Measurement and Recognition on Human Actio

We are creating a digital internet world, which is independent from the real analog world we living in. But recently, as the development of the intelligent sensing technologies, the two worlds are merging together, so that in the near future, people could hardly to discriminate their difference. Our lab is focus on creating various new intelligent sensing technologies to facilitate such merging between the digital world and analog world.

Lab HP:u-aizu.ac.jp/~leijing/

Demos
1.WondeRing:
youtube.com/watch?v=MJhXZN6e5Ec

2.WonderSense:
youtube.com/watch?v=Q-snwKPvtok

3.Daily activity recognition:
youtube.com/watch?v=sm42yMv9z0E&t=18s

JING Lei
Senior Associate Professor

Active Knowledge Engineering Laboratory

game AI
human-like AI
machine learning
case-based reasoning
believability

AI (artificial intelligence) is the "brain" of a computer. As a general rule, we are always striving to make AI smarter. For example, in the same way that the facial recognition function of a smartphone is capable of recognizing a face even with glasses on, a robot vacuum cleaner can avoid socks that have been left on the floor. Sometimes, however, this cleverness can also cause undesirable results. For example, clever AI can easily defeat humans in games such as chess or shogi without making any silly mistakes. Therefore, simply "creating clever AI" is not always the goal. We are using games to research various AI systems. Games need to be fun, so we need to understand what type of AI will serve as a suitable teammate or an intriguing enemy character. In our research, we focus primarily on "realistic" or human-like AI. For example, in sports games such as soccer and fighting, it is desirable to have various opponents with diverse qualities and habits, and it is important to ensure that the characters in the game do not make robot-like movements at that time. Studying human behavior is essential for creating such "realistic" characters. First, we record the behavior of characters and analyze what behavior they have in common. This is a difficult task, and our approach will depend on the genre of the game. Currently, we are studying the relatively simple games of tennis, fighting, and soccer. Soccer is particularly interesting because it requires understanding the movements of the team as a whole rather than individual plays. Games provide a simple, enjoyable experimental environment using AI systems. At the same time, we believe that our research results can be applied to areas other than games. "Fun AI" and "human-like AI systems" have significant potential for education and medical care. By studying AI, we can understand why we feel something is "fun" or "real," and therefore better understand ourselves.

mmozgovoy.dev/

MOZGOVOY Maxim
Associate Professor

Pattern Processing Laboratory

Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
Human-computer Interaction

Our laboratory focuses primarily on human-computer interaction, pattern processing, and recognition based on signal and image analysis. As part of our pattern processing research, we have done lots of research in hand written character recognition, signature verification, font generation, human identification, human activity recognition and so on.
We are conducting research on handwriting and sensor-based hand movements to automatically detect various types of disease, such as Parkinson's disease, ADHD, and ASD disorders. We are also doing research for making a non-contact interface with computer and computer-like devices by using 2D camera and hand gestures.

u-aizu.ac.jp/labs/is-pp/pplab/

SHIN Jungpil
Professor

Computer Arts Laboratory

game design
human-computer interaction interactive networked multimedia
LBE (location-based entertainment)
mobile-ambient systems featuring personal control of public display
stereography (3D graphics)
spatial sound
LBE (location-based entertainment)

Multimodal interaction refers to the integration of control (input) and display (output) of media, including visual, auditory, and haptic modalities: graphics, sound, and touch. The Spatial Media Group in the Computer Arts Lab conducts research on practical and creative interfaces to enhance communication and expression: 3D graphics and panoramic ("360°") imagery; spatial sound, audio, and computer music; digital typography, hypermedia and electronic publishing; smartphone & mobile computing; XR (extended reality): VR (virtual reality), MR (mixed reality) & AR (augmented reality) for immersive sensation. We investigate various kinds of stereoscopic displays ("3D" imagery) that express not only width and height but also depth,and multichannel (polyphonic) spatial audio ("3D sound") systems with rich, dynamic soundscapes, realtime applications that close the feedback loop between input and output for immediate reaction and live, online experience. We explore user interfaces that incorporate vision, hearing, and proprioception, including 3D printing, physical rigging (connection of physical controllers to virtual objects), IoT (internet of things) and "ubicomp" (ubiquitous computing) for cyberphysical systems. Groupware is software for groups, allowing teamwork and collaboration, including conferencing, team design, and musical ensemble performance. Our focus is exploration of networked multiuser interfaces with realtime multimodal interactivity, including visual musical systems, games & toys, simulations, and story-telling.

u-aizu.ac.jp/~mcohen/

COHEN Michael
Professor

Biomedical Information Engineering Laboratory

Seamless monitoring and comprehensive interpretation of physiological information for daily healthcare

(1) Introduction to the R&D outcomes in seamless monitoring of physiological information applicable for daily life environment.

(2) Introduction to the examples of comprehensive interpretation of physiological information accumulated over a long term period using various advanced machine learning algorithms, and its application in daily healthcare.

For more details, please visit bitlab.u-aizu.ac.jp/

CHEN Wenxi
Professor

Computer Graphics Laboratory

Visually appealing computer visualization
Computer Visualization

We are researching computer visualization, a technology that helps people understand information by converting various types of data into visual information that can be seen by the human eye.
The data that surrounds us these days is getting larger and more complex, and understanding it properly and fully to make decisions is an important skill to survive in the modern world.
And since such decisions are ultimately made by people, we need effective ways to help people understand the information.
In our laboratory, we are working on computer algorithms to visualize such data through conversion into visual information such as images, and to assist people to see and understand the data.
In particular, our research focuses on the construction of universal mathematical models that are not affected by the scale or complexity of the data, and we make maximum use of computer graphics (CG) technology as a tool for generating visual information.
In addition to an understanding of the scientific knowledge inherent in the data itself, statistics for feature extraction, and learning theory, this field also requires an understanding of a variety of related fields, such as psychology and cognitive science, in order to provide people with easy-to-understand visual information.
In this sense, computer visualization itself can be seen as an interdisciplinary field of study that involves the collaborative work of experts from various academic disciplines.

Web page of research contents:
u-aizu.ac.jp/~shigeo/research/index-e.html

Demonstration Video:
youtube.com/user/TheTakLab

Research introduction video (2020 version):
web-ext.u-aizu.ac.jp/~shigeo/research/project-video.html

TAKAHASHI Shigeo
Professor

Database Systems Laboratory

Robot Information Engineering
Data science

We are researching artificial intelligence that can be useful to robots and humans by using large amounts of data.

Currently, I am working on the following research topics.

1.
We are researching the use of data obtained from cameras and sensors mounted on robots to make them move automatically and to recognize what objects are seen by the cameras.

2.
Using the images obtained from the camera, we are conducting research to restore the photographed surrounding structure in three dimensions as quickly as possible.
In particular, we are thinking of applying 1 and 2 to disaster sites and decommissioning sites of nuclear power plants.

3.
We are analyzing program source codes submitted to Aizu Online Judge, the University of Aizu's online judging system for learning programming, using technology that deals with natural language (words that people use in their daily lives).
Based on this analysis, we are classifying program source code and applying it to the development and improvement of Aizu Online Judge and to programming education.

NAKAMURA Keita
Associate Professor

liberal arts education

The University of Aizu expects its students to become rich and healthy in mind and body at the same time as attaining a high degree of expertise in computer science and technology, so they can graduate and take responsibility for the future.

The eight faculty members, responsible for the Center's humanities, social studies, physical education, and education courses, provide an education which builds a broader background for the University's specialist education and share the responsibility for realizing the University's goals.

In particular, in "Academic Skills 1," the entire faculty of the Center teaches first-year students the study skills (logical thinking, reading and writing skills) that are essential for university study.

Center URL：u-aizu.ac.jp/labs/ccrs/ol2021/ol2021.pdf

KARIMAZAWA,Hayato
Professor

SEINO, Masaya Senior Associate Professor

NAKAZAWA, Ken Senior Associate Professor

AMITANI, Yuichi Senior Associate Professor

IKEMOTO, Junichi Senior Associate Professor

KOGURE, Katsuo Senior Associate Professor

EBINA, Shoji Associate Professor

OKI, Kazusa Associate Professor

Phonetics and Phonology

My main research interests involve sound systems in languages of the world.
Different languages have different sound systems and when we learn these as native speakers, this fixes our brain structure in ways that make other languages harder to learn.
Students in my lab may be interested in why certain sounds ("l" and "r" or English vowel sounds) may be difficult to hear and to make for Japanese learners of English.
In addition to English, students who are interested in learning more about sounds in other languages (including Japanese) are also welcome.
Students in my lab will learn about using software to analyze speech sounds and how to do experiments.
These experiments could be about listening (speech perception) or speaking (speech production).
Students who are interested in using R programming language to help run experiments and do statistics to analyze experimental results are particularly welcome to apply.
Finally, my specific research area is about tone in languages, which is the use of pitch in languages like Chinese to distinguish words from each other.

web-ext.u-aizu.ac.jp/~jperkins/index.html

PERKINS Jeremy
Senior Associate Professor