Kentaro Watanabe

Group LEADER
Socio-digital service system Research group
Research institute on Human and societal Augmentation (RIHSA)
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

Research fields

  • Service design and innovation
  • Service engineering
  • Servitization of manufacturing, Product-Service Systems (PSS)
  • Service digitalization, frontline service technology
  • Engineering design

Education

  • Tokyo Metropolitan University:
    • Doctor of Engineering, System Design (2012)
  • The University of Tokyo:
    • Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Precision Engineering (2005)
    • Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.), System Innovation (2003)

Past career

  • Visiting researcher at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (2016.6-2017.6)
  • Software Engineer, Sales Engineer in Fujifilm corp. (2008 – 2012)
  • Embedded Software Engineer in DENSO corp. (2005 – 2008)

Recent projects

  • 2023-2027: Large-scale field testing of avatar robots to solve the lack of human resources for airport operation
    • Fund: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
  • 2023-2027: Research and Development of Interverse Technology to Augment Communication
    • Fund: Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, “Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), Development of foundational technologies and rules for expansion of the virtual economy,” NEDO
  • 2022-2025: Design of Augmented Work Systems
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS (Principal Investigator)
  • 2021-2024: Research and Development of In-field Evaluation Guidance for Overseas Development of Robotic Care Equipment
    • Fund: Project for Promoting Robotic Care Equipment Development, AMED
    • Project website
  • 2021-2022: Vision design of the post-Corona workstyle with augmented telework
    • Fund: Japan Prize Heisei Memorial Research Grant Program, the Japan Prize Foundation (Principal Investigator)
  • 2020- : Platform project to develop, evaluate and disseminate care robotics
    • Fund: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
    • Head, Kashiwa Living Lab (since 2023)
  • 2019-2022: Socially-Consicous Service System Design in the Era of Digital Transformation (SoSDeX)
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS (Principal Investigator)
  • 2019-2022: Impact of Care and Technology Integration to Trust in Welfare: Toward Care Science
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS
  • 2016-2019: Construction of a model to support practical knowledge of caring (ShareCare)
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS
  • 2015-2018: Meaningful Technology for Seniors -Models of Digital and Human Networks (METESE)
    • Fund: SICORP, JSPS (Principal Investigator from Japan)
    • Collaborator: VTT Technical Research Center of Finland Ltd (Finland)
  • 2015-2018: Development of Work Knowledge Circulation Method for Service Fields
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), JSPS (Principal Investigator)
  • 2015-2018: The System for Sharing the Memory Between Elderly and Care Staffs in Order to Build a Desirable Human Relationship
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS
  • 2015-2018: Social welfare services for the elderly by utilizing local lifestyle behavior data platform
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), JSPS
  • 2013-2015: Development of a Technology Selection Method of Process Observation and Modeling for Labor-Intensive Services
    • Fund: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), JSPS (Principal Investigator)

Standardization activity

  • ISO/TC 159/WG 3 Expert (2025-)
  • ISO/TC 324/WG 2 Convener (2020-)
  • ISO/TC 324 (Sharing economy) Expert (2019-)
  • ISO/TC 159 (Ergonomics) /SC 1/WG 5 Expert (2014-)

Other activities

  • The ASAP Advisory Board (2025-) Website
  • Scientific Advisory Board, ETAIROS (Ethical AI for the Governance of the Society) project (2020-2022) Project website
  • Member, Service Design Study Group, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (2019-2020)
  • Board member, Society for Serviceology (2018-2023)

Favorites

  • Playing the piano (mostly classical)
  • Japanese calligraphy (pencil, seventh dan level certified by Nippon Budokan)