International Symposium
Participation (Un)plugged: Exploring Dignity and Disability through Human-Robot Interaction
Date: 19th May 2024 (Sunday) PM2:40-6:30
Venue: Suzaku Campus at room 303, Ritsumeikan University (near JR Nijo station)
Participation: On-site and On-line
https://ritsumei-ac-jp.zoom.us/j/99575974557?pwd=bVRkajFYa2pxSGg0VXVicVVOVEtvQT09
Meeting ID: 995 7597 4557; Pass code: 736826
Advanced Registration Required for on-site: https://forms.gle/HCkM836rizfyuH7U9
Language: ENGLISH only, No Japanese translation
What possibilities does the digital transformation of the society present for caring, and how might it alter the lives of people with disabilities?
Join us at our International Symposium where we will explore how the digital space—where people, objects, and information intersect—can reshape notions of “personhood” and “dignity.” This event will feature discussions that include individuals with disabilities and their supporters, offering a comprehensive perspective on these changes.
We will also examine whether communications through avatars and robotic interfaces in digital and/or real spaces can promote full participation and equality, ensuring no one is left behind, or whether they might create new forms of fetters.
Timetable
| 2:40 – 2:50 PM | Opening Remark Tatsuya Mima (Professor, The Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University) |
|---|---|
| 2:50 – 3:20 | “Perceptions of the relationship described in the narratives by persons with locked-in syndrome” Yukiko Himeno (Assistant Professor, College of Life Sciences, Ritusmeikan University) Tatsuya Mima (Professor, The Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University) |
| 3:20 – 3:50 | “An alter ego in the classroom: Potential and limitations of avatar robots for hospitalized children or children with disabilities” Celia Spoden (Senior Research Fellow, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ)) |
| 3:50 – 4:00 | Coffee Break |
| 4:00 – 4:30 | “Flight in History: myth, religion, literature, science, technology, politics, economy and everyday life from c.1000 BC to c.1800” Akihito Suzuki (Professor, Death and Life Studies and Practical Ethics, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo) Mika Suzuki (Professor, English Studies, Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shizuoka University) |
| 4:30 – 5:00 | “Personal Health Records (PHRs) using AI & robotics: Towards understanding its social and normative dimensions” Hiroto Shimizu (Designated Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University) |
| 5:00 – 5:30 | “Human-Robot Interaction in persons with dementia. Outline of a new project on the sociocultural and gender differences and ethical and professional implications in the use of companion robots” (On-line) Blanca Deusdad (Associate Professor, Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC), Department of Anthropology, Philosophy and Social Work (DAFITS), Universitat Rovira i Virgili) Fernando Vidal (ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) Research Professor, MARC, DAFITS, Universitat Rovira i Virgili) |
| 5:30 – 6:20 | Comments from Commentators and General Discussions. Yumiko Kawaguchi (Sakura International, Visiting Researcher, Institute of Ars Vivendi, Ritsumeikan University) and her group (ALS patients, on-line) Hiroshi Toya (Associate Professor, The Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University) |
| 6:20 – 6:30 | Closing Remark Tatsuya Mima (Professor, The Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University) |
Organized by B05 Group of Dignity Studies (JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (23H04857)) and Institute of Ars Vivendi, Ritsumeikan University.
FUNDING: AY2024 International Collaborative Research Promotion Program (Start-up type), JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (23H04857).
