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Phygital Media Lab
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The lab explores the metaverse through visual and haptic media technologies.
AboutAbout the lab
Toward a metaverse that combines embodiment, spatiality, and experiential quality.
The Phygital Media Lab studies virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), the metaverse, haptic interfaces, and more.
The lab sees the metaverse as made up of three components—platforms, interfaces, and content—and aims to realize a future in which people are freed from physical and spatiotemporal constraints.
A faculty member of the lab holds a cross appointment at Cluster, Inc., and the lab also conducts research using "cluster," the metaverse platform operated by that company.
The lab's website introduces it under the name "Metaverse Media Lab," which the lab adopted when it was renamed in fiscal 2024.
Key terms
- Metaverse
- The lab views it as an environment that combines spatiality, embodiment, and experiential quality.
- Cross-reality lifestyle
- A way of living that combines activities in physical space and virtual space at the same time.
- Swarm robots
- A group of many robots. In FluidicSwarm, they are handled and operated like a fluid.
NewsLab news
A paper by Associate Professor Hiraki and colleagues was published in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Information session on lab assignments for fiscal 2026 held (10/20)
A paper by Associate Professor Hiraki and colleagues was published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
A paper by Associate Professor Hiraki and colleagues was published in Scientific Data
A presentation received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the SICE System Integration Division Annual Conference
ResearchResearch themes
The lab views the metaverse as consisting of three components: platforms (spatiality), interfaces (embodiment), and content (experiential quality). It explores metaverse environments that combine all three. The lab researches and develops the media technologies that support these environments, covering both hardware and software.
*Illustrative imageLiving Between Physical Space and the Metaverse
The lab proposes a "cross-reality lifestyle" that combines activities in physical space and virtual space. It analyzes patterns of how these activities are integrated along three axes: extension, complementation, and emergence.
*Illustrative imageConnecting the Metaverse and IoT Devices
The lab proposes MetaGadget, a framework for easily connecting commercial metaverse platforms with IoT devices. Its effectiveness was confirmed in workshops on topics such as smart home control.
*Illustrative imageOperating Swarm Robots Like a Fluid
The lab proposes FluidicSwarm, which treats a robot swarm like a fluid so that users can operate it intuitively as an extension of their own bodies. Hand movements change the swarm's shape and flexibility, and it can be used for tasks such as obstacle avoidance and object transport.
*Illustrative imageCreating 3D Objects with Natural Language
The lab proposes MagicCraft, which generates 3D objects that move and react from natural language instructions and can be placed in the metaverse right away. It combines image generation, 3D modeling, and behavior setup into one process.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Metaverse Media Lab consist of faculty, administrative assistants, visiting researchers, students in the doctoral program, the master's program, and the undergraduate college, and collaborating students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorTakefumi Hiraki
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Zero Latency Virtual Reality Experience” Almostnow / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Living Between Physical Space and the Metaverse: “Virtual Interactive Environment Workstation (VIEW)” NASA Ames / Public domain (cropped)
- Connecting the Metaverse and IoT Devices: “Zigbee E27 Bulb” Danielrosehill / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Operating Swarm Robots Like a Fluid: “Kilobot robot swarm” asuscreative / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Creating 3D Objects with Natural Language: “3D printer working on green model parts” Shixart1985 / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Image Science Lab): “Craig Joint Theater Hospital receives exclusive new CT scanner 150724-F-QU482-016” Senior Airman Cierra Presentado / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Visualization and Interactive Systems Lab): “Data flock (digits) by Philipp Schmitt” Philipp Schmitt / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Hybrid Social Interaction Lab): “Mindpark Helsingborg bottenvåning Open Space” Karstendc / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Social Robot Lab): “Team ViGIR Robot Florian DARPA Robotics Challenge 2015” Sun L. Vega / Public domain (cropped)
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