The Keio-NUS CUTE Centre officially opens

13 Oct 2009

The Keio-NUS Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments (CUTE) Centre was officially opened by the President of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency S R Nathan on 12 October 2009. The S$20 million Centre is a partnership between NUS' Interactive and Digital Media Institute (IDMI) and Keio University's Graduate School of Media Design (KMD). Funded by the National Research Foundation and administered by the multi-agency Interactive Digital Media R&D Programme Office hosted by the Media Development Authority of Singapore, this is Keio University's first full-scale international research centre located outside of Japan.

Chairman, Board of the Management Committee of the Keio-NUS CUTE Centre Prof Hang Chang Chieh said: "The establishment of the CUTE Centre reiterates NUS' commitment towards supporting national development goals and reinforces the leadership position of NUS in interactive digital media related research through its collaboration with Keio University, a world leader in Media Design."

The Centre is headed by two Co-Directors - Dr Adrian David Cheok, KMD Professor and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NUS, who is also the Deputy Director (Research) of NUS IDMI; and Dr Masa Inakage, Dean and Professor of KMD.

On the aspirations of the Centre, Prof Cheok said: "The new centre opens up exciting new opportunities for both NUS and Keio University in terms of research and education, with a strong focus on new types of multi-modal networked communication for children and families. There will be substantial interaction between researchers and students in NUS and Keio through joint lab projects."

For a start, the Centre will conduct research and development in feeling communication and build a trend-spotting engine of online digital content activities. It will also be working on other areas such as global computing, to install a Global Studio that will provide high-speed networking capabilities between Singapore, Keio University and partner locations. Projects which the Centre have been working on include the "Huggy Pajama" where parents and children can "hug" one another via a hugging interface device and a wearable, hug reproducing pajama connected through the Internet. The Centre is also working with NEC to develop new kitchen media and with the Defence Science & Technology Agency to work on augmented reality in urban combat.

To-date, there are 51 interactive digital media researchers based at NUS and 36 researchers at the Keio campus. A total of 14 KMD faculty members are involved in the Keio-NUS CUTE centre and researchers from the NUS Mixed Reality Laboratory are now part of the Centre.