March 2020 Vol. 18 No. 3

View from the Top

• Atsuko Oka, Senior Vice President, Head of Technology Planning, NTT

  

  Overview
  The NTT Group is committed to solving social issues, and its initiatives and responsiveness have been highly evaluated. The Group joined the international environmental protection initiatives EP100 and EV100 as their first telecommunications carrier member. It has also been selected as a global top innovator for the eighth consecutive year. We asked Atsuko Oka, NTT senior vice president, head of Technology Planning, for her 2020 outlook for the NTT Group, which strives to provide high-quality, highly reliable services for safe and secure operation of information and communication technology infrastructure.

Front-line Researchers

• Tessei Kobayashi, Senior Distinguished Researcher, NTT Communication Science Laboratories

  

  Overview
  A report published in August 2015 by the World Literacy Foundation estimates that economic and social loss due to illiteracy in Japan is about 95.1 billion yen annually. Thanks to compulsory education, Japan is said to have achieved a literacy rate of 99.8%. However, according to a survey by the National Institute of Informatics conducted in 2016, many junior- and senior-high-school students do not understand the structure of basic sentences, such as the relationship between subjects and predicates. We interviewed Tessei Kobayashi, a senior distinguished researcher at NTT Communication Science Laboratories, who is researching the development of the linguistic ability, which plays an important role in social participation, about his current research and attitude as a researcher.

Feature Articles: NTT R&D Forum 2019 Special Sessions

• A Digital World of Humans and Society―Digital Twin Computing

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces a lecture presented by Ryutaro Kawamura, senior vice president and head of NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group, at a special session of NTT R&D Forum 2019 held on November 14 and 15, 2019. The lecture described the latest research activities at the laboratory group, focusing on NTT’s vision of Innovative Optical and Wireless Network or IOWN.

• Innovative Network for 2030 (Beyond 2020)

  

  Abstract
  As part of NTT’s Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN), we are focusing our research and development efforts on converting the transport network to be all-photonics based and maximizing its potential. We are also working on rapidly providing services and optimizing value chains. This article introduces IOWN initiatives at NTT Information Network Laboratory Group and recent research examples. It is based on a special session presented by Arata Itoh, senior vice president and head of NTT Information Network Laboratory Group, at NTT R&D Forum 2019 held on November 14 and 15, 2019.

• Basic Technologies toward the All-Photonics Network

  

  Abstract
  Optical technology is important for achieving the All-Photonics Network, a key element of NTT’s Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN). This article introduces basic research on optical technologies, including large-capacity optical transmission system/device technology, photonics-electronics convergence technology, the LASOLV^TM coherent Ising machine, and optical lattice clock network. It is based on a special session presented by Tetsuomi Sogawa, senior vice president and head of NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group, at NTT R&D Forum 2019 held on November 14 and 15, 2019.

• Upgrade Reality—Reality in IOWN Concept

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces the vision of NTT Research, Inc., which began its operations in July 2019 with the three laboratories. This article is based on the special session for NTT Research, Inc. at the NTT R&D Forum 2019, which was held on November 14 and 15, 2019.

Feature Articles: ICT R&D Initiatives for a Smart World that Harmonizes People and Environments

• R&D Initiatives to Make the Most of Human Abilities by Amplifying Human Intelligence to Achieve a Smart World that Harmonizes People and Environments

  

  Abstract
  Information and communication technology (ICT) will soon be necessary to make the most of and supplement people’s abilities and support their activities by harmonizing people and environments through natural interactions that seamlessly blend with their activities. This article introduces the ICT research and development initiatives at NTT Service Evolution Laboratories to achieve a smart world that harmonizes people and environments.

• Natural Communication Technologies Providing Information through Natural Exchanges that Do Not Interfere with Human Activities

  

  Abstract
  NTT Service Evolution Laboratories is conducting research on providing high-presence viewing experiences involving virtual people and objects as if they have been brought to life right in front of the viewers. This article introduces natural communication technologies providing natural and valuable user experiences by creating people, objects, and space that emulate an incredibly realistic presence and seamlessly linking them to the real world through natural interactions without any sense of latency.

• Ambient Assistance Technology Supporting Human Behavior by Understanding the Relationship between People and Environments

  

  Abstract
  Many of the actions we take are not only based on our own abilities, thoughts, and emotions, but are also broadly influenced by the real-world environment that surrounds us. Focusing on the environments that surround people engaged in activities, we aim to establish ambient assistance technology to help people choose the most optimal behavior by natural interaction with the environment based on models that combine environments with human perceptive and physical states.

• User Experience Method for Deeper Understanding People’s Values to Design and Change Their Behavior

  

  Abstract
  Advances in technology has expanded the scope of people’s lives even though the behavior of people living comfortable lives has become complicated along with various personal values systems. This article introduces methods with which people can naturally achieve a state of well-being faster by enabling them to adopt technology to change their behavior for the better. There are two methods, one for analyzing people’s daily behaviors or Internet usage for understanding people and the other for providing technology to promote awareness and a sense of achievement by clarifying mechanisms of change regarding people’s minds and behaviors.

• Sports Social View—Method of Inclusive Sports Appreciation Extracting and Sharing the Essence of Sports through the Sense of Touch

  

  Abstract
  NTT Service Evolution Laboratories is collaborating with the Tokyo Institute of Technology to enable people with various physicalities, including those with disabilities, to enjoy sports together. This article introduces a new method of enjoying sports that not only uses the audiovisual senses but also the sense of touch.

Regular Articles

• Field Trials of Open and Disaggregated Transponder in Optical and IP Networking

  

  Abstract
  An open and disaggregated optical transmission system is a candidate enabler for future high-capacity, low-latency, and flexible optical networks. The open software architecture is key to developing an open transponder for this transmission system. In this article, we propose the new optical transponder architecture. We conducted field trials of low-latency optical transmission using an open and disaggregated transponder with the open software architecture in a datacenter interconnect network to confirm the feasibility and usefulness of this transponder.

• Does Exploratory Hand Movement Provide Information on Tactile Sensations?

  

  Abstract
  People move their hands in a variety of ways, such as tracing a finger on a material to feel its roughness or pushing a materials’ surface to feel its hardness, to judge the feel of materials around them. Many studies on human tactile sensation did not focus on such hand movements. This article introduces my studies on investigating whether hand movements—and even eye movements—can be used to provide information for estimating the tactile sensation felt by a person. These studies are expected to provide not only important information for clarifying the mechanism of tactile perception but also help in designing guidelines for tactile-information display devices attached to arms and hands.

Global Standardization Activities

• Activities at W3C Technical Plenary and Advisory Committee Meetings Week (TPAC) 2019 in Fukuoka

  

  Abstract
  The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Technical Plenary and Advisory Committee Meetings Week (TPAC) 2019 was held from September 16 to 20 in Fukuoka, and this meeting was the second time held in Japan. The activities of the NTT Group related to development of web technology in TPAC are described in this article.

Short Reports

• NTT and Telefónica Start PoC on Open Optical and Packet Transport Technologies within Telecom Infra Project

External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings

• External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings