Taiga Suzuki (PhD student) and Hanlin Wang (master’s student) of the Inami-Monnai Laboratory receive the Best Paper Award and Best Student Paper Honorable Mention, respectively, at Augmented Humans 2026.

At Augmented Humans 2026, an international conference on human augmentation held in Okinawa from March 16 to 19, 2026, a paper by Taiga Suzuki (a second-year doctoral student in the Inami-Monnai Laboratory) and collaborators received the Best Paper Award, while a paper by Hanlin Wang (a second-year master’s student in the Inami-Monnai Laboratory) and collaborators received the Best Student Paper Honorable Mention.

【Taiga Suzuki】
At Augmented Humans 2026, an international conference on human augmentation held in Okinawa, Japan, from March 16 to 19, 2026, a paper by Taiga Suzuki (2nd-year doctoral student, Inami-Monnai Laboratory) received the Best Paper Award at the international conference Augmented Humans 2026.

【Title】
"Induced Human-Driven Actuation: Controlling Timing of Human Movement via Constraint-Release Mechanism"

【Authors】
Taiga Suzuki, Seito Matsubara, Azumi Maekawa, Akihiko Murai, and Masahiko Inami

【Abstract】
This research proposes Induced Human-Driven Actuation (IHDA), a new human augmentation framework for dynamic motor skills in which the human performs the movement and the machine is responsible for its timing. As a case study, we implemented a throwing system using EMS-based movement constraint and release, and demonstrated a case in which the machine controls the release timing in throwing, enabling the user to achieve different throwing distances according to the target distance while the movement itself remains human-driven.

【Hanlin Wang】
At Augmented Humans 2026, an international conference on human augmentation held in Okinawa, Japan, from March 16 to 19, 2026, a paper by Hanlin Wang (2nd-year master’s student, Inami Monnai Laboratory) and collaborators received the Best Student Paper Honorable Mention.

【Title】
"A Design Framework for Virtual Space based on Spectral Relationships"

【Authors】
Hanlin Wang, Hirosuke Asahi, Rose Shao, Kunihara Sakurada, Hiroto Saito, Jiayi Xu, Kenshin Kondo, Takeru Tokoro, Masahiko Inami

【Abstract】
Conventional VR systems rely on separate, fixed worlds with discrete transitions, limiting continuous spatial experience. We present Spectral Space, a framework that adds a non-spatial “frequency” axis as a metaphor to virtual environments, enabling multiple worlds to coexist and blend seamlessly. By modulating entities’ perceptual intensity along this axis, the system produces smooth transitions and emergent intermediate spaces. Our prototype and user study show that Spectral Space enhances presence, expands usable space, and encourages exploration―offering a new approach to designing and experiencing virtual worlds.