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Embodied Informatics Lab (Inami-Monnai)
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The lab studies embodied informatics, using technology to expand people's bodies and senses.
AboutAbout the lab
Expanding the human body and senses through technology
The Embodied Informatics Lab studies technologies that support human physical ability, perception, and learning.
Its work includes virtual reality (VR), wearable robots, and measurement and communication using terahertz waves.
The lab is part of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. It is based mainly at the Komaba Research Campus and also has a base at Hongo Campus.
The lab accepts undergraduate students from the Department of Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics, and graduate students from the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, and the Graduate School of Engineering.
Key terms
- Virtual reality
- A technology that lets people experience a computer-generated world as if it were right in front of them. Also called VR
- Terahertz waves
- Electromagnetic waves with frequencies between radio waves and light. They are considered necessary for next-generation communication (6G)
- Machine learning
- A method that lets a computer automatically learn rules and relationships from large amounts of data
NewsLab news
Won the Audience Choice Award at SIGGRAPH 2026
Opened the lab to visitors at Open Campus
Received the Best Paper Award and other awards at an international conference on human augmentation
Research accepted at the international conference CHI 2026
Received an Excellence Award at the Asia Digital Art Award FUKUOKA
ResearchResearch themes
Aiming at a future in which humans, robots, and AI work together, the lab studies technologies that support human physical ability, perception, and learning. Various projects are underway, including wearable robots, virtual reality, and measurement and communication using terahertz waves.
*Illustrative imageMoving a robot just by thinking about it
The system reads from camera images the small movements that appear unconsciously in the face and body when a person tries to move a robot, and links them to the robot's motion using machine learning. Users can operate a robot arm without wearing any device.
*Illustrative imageA robot near the face that helps with expression
This is a wearable robot that adds hand gestures beside the face. By combining human-like hands with soft arms, it aims to keep users safe while broadening the expression of feelings and interaction with other people.
*Illustrative imageTerahertz waves that reach from any orientation
The lab built a system that directs a circularly polarized terahertz beam, which is less affected by the receiver's orientation, in all directions to follow a moving target. Tracking that uses the position data of a VR headset has also been successful.
*Illustrative imageSteering terahertz waves in all directions
The lab developed an antenna that instantly switches terahertz waves, which are needed for next-generation communication, to a chosen direction. Tiltable reflectors inside a waveguide let it point the beam in all directions.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Embodied Informatics Lab consist of faculty, staff, doctoral and master's students, visiting professors, visiting senior researchers and visiting researchers, collaborative researchers, and advisors.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasahiko InamiPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorMonnai YasuakiPublications ↗
- Associate Professor (JST BOOST)Yuki Igarashi
- Project LecturerKazusumi Maekawa
- Project LecturerAtsuko Miyazaki
- Assistant ProfessorHiroto Saito
- Project Assistant ProfessorKuniharu Sakurada
- Project Assistant ProfessorJiayi Xu
- Project Assistant ProfessorDaichi Hotta
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “VR headset with smartphone and stereoscopy image” Bert Niehaus / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Moving a robot just by thinking about it: “Robot arm handles an assay plate” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases / Public domain (cropped)
- A robot near the face that helps with expression: “Prosth hand” uwnews / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Terahertz waves that reach from any orientation: “FZU THz PJachimova 11” Akademie věd České republiky / Czech Academy of Sciences (Pavlína Jáchimová) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Steering terahertz waves in all directions: “CSIRO ScienceImage 3881 Five Antennas at Narrabri” John Masterson, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
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（中村・高瀬） ): “Pleiades two row” NASA Ames Research Center / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (計算情報学研究室): “SocialNetworkAnalysis” Martin Grandjean / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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