About HyperMirror

HyperMirror is a new world for communication that resembles a mirror. It isn’t the name of a specific device. outline PDF(38KB)

- Why do we use a mirror image in HyperMirror ?

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HyperMirror is a new type of video conversation system which does not simulate face-to-face conversation in real space. Images used in the conversation display all users in various locations onto a single mirror, as if they are all in a same room. All users in HyperMirror space conduct their conversations using the same image.

A HyperMirror session is not limited to just two locations, but can be extended to any number of locations. Users can start conversation just by standing in front of the system, and need not to wear or operate any equipment.

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In HyperMirror, users can point at remote objects. Because users feel as if they are together, the men tried to call her unintentionally as if she was adjacent to them.

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HyperMirror can use desktop displays as well as big size screens.
HyperMirror screen has no walls to divide users. All users can move freely in front of the system, and can freely change their positional relationship in respect to their conversation partner. For example, a user can walk to stand next to a conversation partner, who may be located at any site, on the screen. A user can also tap the shoulder or shake the hand of their conversation partner on the screen.

A man in a white shirt is in Osaka. Others are in Alaska. The background is a classroom of Osaka University. A woman steps on the foot of the man (left). When a man moved his foot unintentionally (center), another woman steps on the foot of the man too (right).

It is very important for the people leaning foreign languages to experiment the way of living of the country and understand the culture. The lady in red sweater is in Osaka and the lady in yellow is in Alaska. They are Japanese teachers. The background is traditional Japanese house. In HyperMirror, they demonstrate Japanese formal bow to the students in Alaska (left and center). A student in Alaska joins to bow. It is very effective for her to experiment Japanese formal exchanging bows in HyperMirror.

On October 1-3, 2007, the demonstration of embrace system for remote counseling was held on the Welfare Engineering Symposium 2007 in AIST. A participant plays the roll of a client in remote counseling, and he experiments remote embrace in HyperMirror. We confirm that vibratory stimuli enable the embracing effect to continue even when the client closes her/his eyes.

On July 5, 2006, HyperMirror connected a conference room with Osaka University in NECC 2006. The participants confirmed that they could play with remote students in a HyperMirror image. related link ,(copy(

On December 11, 2003, it was reported that a trial to connect schools, some elementaly schools and some junior high schools in Fujiidera city, with Fujiidera general hospital by HyperMirror. On this system, as they can communicate as if they are in a single room, an injured school child can tell his/her condition to a doctor by using pointing, and the doctor can give proper advices. HyperMirror is expected as the points that we can use pointing that we can't in usual TV-phone and we can get the sense of security as well as a doctor's direct examination. related link 1 ,2

On February 25, 2003, through HyperMirror a social study class was given to fourth-grade students by connecting an elementary school in Yao City and a traditional knife factory in Sakai City. related link

On November 13, 2003, a school lesson connected by HyperMirror between Nobuta elementary school in Izumi Osaka and an elementary school in Afghanistan was held. This time, we confirmed that, not only such as shaking hands, we can tell remotely haw to make Origami. related link

On November 11, 2003, a science lesson connected by HyperMirror between Kawashima elementary school in Kawashima Gifu and an elementary school in Afghanistan was held. Both schools prepared same experimental tools. They experimented same tasks and compared with their results. This time, we used HyperMirror-II, so experimental tools in Afghanistan was reverse in the screen. Related link

On June 10, 2003, Morikawa gave a seminar on the visual communication system at Osaka International Conference Hall (GranCube Osaka) as a program of an information communication monthly project. related link

On February 13, 2003, a Japan-Korea joint class was held between Domyoji Minami Elementary School (Fujiidera City, Osaka Prefecture) and HanLim Elementary School (Gimhae City, Korea) using HyperMirror. Students and a teacher presented their ideas from a HyperMirror stage (left) and students watched the presentation (right). The subject was moral education. In this attempt, a teacher taught two remote classes using the same educational materials. A joint class environment was aimed to be created in which the teacher could watch each student by switching HyperMirror screens and cameras that moved around the classrooms. related link-1 ,2 ,3

On October 25th, 2002, Chuou elementary school, Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture, was connected with an elementary school in Korea by 256 KBPS Internet. An open school of Comprehensive study (Interdisciplinary Study) was held on HyperMirror. School children of both countries are shaking hands (left), and both principals are shaking hands (right). This time we don't use chromakey synthesis but developed a new electronic synthesis system. This open school is a part of an all-Japan congress on telecommunication and audiovisual education that was held in 2002 in Osaka.

On April 24th, 2002, a remote joint study was held between National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Tsukuba) and Osaka University by 256 KBPS Internet. Left is an image of immediately after connection. People of both sites are setting up in HyperMirror image (center). In the right picture, three quarter of background is Tsukuba and the other is Osaka. Four standing people in Osaka come and go both sites freely and enjoyed having a conversation.

An elementary school in Osaka Japan was connected with a Korean elementary school by 256K BPS Internet, on March 8, 2002. As a project "Junior ambassadors of Japan and Korea", classrooms in the two countries were merged by HyperMirror. Left is a program host and schoolchildren who are enjoying HyperMirror. Right is a HyperMirror screen, three persons at the center are Korean and two persons of both sides are Japanese. (Each photo was taken at different time.)
This is an important experience showing that it will become easy to use HyperMirror in elementary school thanks to the broad banded network. In future, this system is expected to be widely used in general study classes (Sogo-Gakushuu). HyperMirror will also be useful for remote joint studies because it produces the feeling of realisms.

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Osaka university in Japan and Seika university in China were joined by two satellites on Oct. 8, 2001. Teachers of both universities are shaking hands over the sea in a HyperMirror screen.

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The right woman points at an object in another room, and instructs her partner to move it. They are far away from each other.

Watch the left woman's foot, so you can see she is in another room.

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They are far away from each other. When a companion (yellow) started to explain, they turned to look at each other in the HyperMirror world.

HyperMirror meeting of Osaka and Tsukuba(in Japanese)

A HyperMirror meeting was held. A person from Tsukuba (the third from the left, pointed by the man at the center) and eleven people from Osaka attended the meeting.

Movie(2.43MB)

he is teaching ORIGAMI to a student in another room.

News Paper(in Japanese)

合成装置で仮想画像　新TV電話システム　同室にいる臨場感生む (Asahi,Tokyo 1998-7-31)
会議システム完成　画面上に共有の「対話の場」(Nikkan-kogyo 1998-7-31）
アフガン−岐阜で遠隔授業 ６年生交流、阪大が実現 (Kyoto-Shimbun 2003-11-12)
遠隔授業　日本とアフガンの小学校が合成画面で一体感 (Mainichi,Osaka 2003-11-14)
遠く離れても一つの動画に　病院と保健室、ネットで結び"直接問診" (Asahi,Osaka 2003-12-12) cash
衛星携帯使いケニアに友達　大阪の小学校 (Asahi,Osaka 2004-2-21)
国境超えネット授業　日大三島中とタイの生徒(静岡新聞　2009-12-1) (キャッシュ)
共同授業：三島とタイの中学校、合成画像で　／静岡(毎日新聞 静岡　2009-12-5) (キャッシュ)

glossary(Japanese)

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