Kazutaka Kurihara

Kazutaka Kurihara, Nobuhiro Doi

This study proposes middleware, GameControllerizer, that allows users to combine the processes of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Web services, and applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and to convert them into game control operations to augment existing digital games. The system facilitates easy trial-and-error development of new forms of entertainment and the configuration of gamification by enabling the use of diverse devices and sources of information as inputs to games. GameControllerizer consists of a visual programming element that uses the Node-RED tool to allow users to program easily to convert diverse formats of information into inputs to games, and contains a game input emulation element whereby hardware- and software-based emulation generates inputs for gaming devices. Evidence of the usefulness of the system was provided by a performance assessment and the proposal of a variety of use cases.

Koji Tsukada, Maho Oki, Kazutaka Kurihara et al.

People often have difficulty to take pictures of animals, since animals usually do not react with cameras nor understand verbal directions. To solve this problem, we developed a new interaction technique, AnimalCatcher, which can attract animals' attention easily. The AnimalCatcher shoots various sounds using directional speaker to capture various reactions of animals. This paper describes concepts, implementation, and example pictures taken in a zoo.

Kazutaka Kurihara, Masakazu Takasu, Kazuhiro Sasao et al.

This paper demonstrates that face-like structures are everywhere, and can be de-tected automatically even with computers. Huge amount of satellite images of the Earth, the Moon, the Mars are explored and many interesting face-like structure are detected. Throughout this fact, we believe that science and technologies can alert people not to easily become an occultist.

Kazutaka Kurihara, Koji Tsukada

In this paper we report on a system, "SpeechJammer", which can be used to disturb people's speech. In general, human speech is jammed by giving back to the speakers their own utterances at a delay of a few hundred milliseconds. This effect can disturb people without any physical discomfort, and disappears immediately by stop speaking. Furthermore, this effect does not involve anyone but the speaker. We utilize this phenomenon and implemented two prototype versions by combining a direction-sensitive microphone and a direction-sensitive speaker, enabling the speech of a specific person to be disturbed. We discuss practical application scenarios of the system, such as facilitating and controlling discussions. Finally, we argue what system parameters should be examined in detail in future formal studies based on the lessons learned from our preliminary study.