Creating travel plans that satisfy travelers is challenging, requiring the consideration of positive factors such as travelers’ preferences and the purpose of travel as well as negative factors such as travel time and cost. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been applied in various fields in recent years, including tourist recommendation systems. However, the use of generative AI to create specific tourist travel plans, including international travel schedules, has been limited to date. In the current study, we proposed two methods for a tourism planning system using a free generative AI tool. In the first method, the tool created a travel plan for remote areas and a tour plan involving sightseeing destination separately. In the second method, the tool created a tourist travel plan while narrowing down the user’s travel needs in a conversational format. We then conducted experiments using each method to create travel plans and identified the advantages and disadvantages of each. On the basis of these results, we discussed research issues for developing an ideal travel plan creation system using generative AI.

Creating effective sightseeing trip plans requires consideration of both positive factors, such as travelers’ preferences and the type of experience they want, and negative factors, such as travel time and travel costs. However, it is difficult for travelers to create completely satisfactory trip plans. Additionally, although it is easy to outsource trip planning to a travel agency or use an existing travel tour, the resultant plans often cost extra or are unsatisfactory. The purpose of this research was to facilitate the creation of highly satisfying sightseeing trip plans that meet the needs of travelers. In this study, a database was created of sightseeing trip plans that included positive and negative factors and had relatively high satisfaction levels. A sightseeing trip plan search service is proposed that allows users to search for sightseeing trip plans that meet their needs. To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed service, a web-based system was built that allows users to view 72 sightseeing trip plans created by students at Yamato University in Osaka and Iwate Prefectural University in Iwate, Japan. A database system was then constructed that allows users to input and search for trip plans. This paper provides an overview of these systems, evaluates the effectiveness of the proposed service, and highlights future issues to consider in fully implementing a search service for sightseeing trip plans.

The number of Foreign Independent Tour (FIT) is increasing rapidly in the world. The FIT tourists usually leave from one hotel as a base, travel around multiple sightseeing areas and return to the same hotel by using some public transportation methods in one day (we call it “one-day circular tour (OCT)”). However, due to the restriction on the public transport schedule, it is difficult to travel around multiple sightseeing areas efficiently with high satisfaction within a limited time. In our previous research, we proposed a planning algorithm for OCT to obtain high satisfaction using such public transportations. But, the satisfaction and tired condition of transportation was not considered there. In this paper, we propose a Kansei model for OCT including the satisfaction and tired condition of transportation and shows the evaluation results in a case study using persona method on travelers in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

In this study, we aim to develop a personal tour planning system for use in an urban and a rural area. We collected and analyzed comments about tourist spots from social network services. We used the interest degree (ID) to evaluate the value of a tourist destination. We also proposed modeling using the tourist itinerary, which includes the walking time, waiting time, and transit time as well as time spent at tourist spots. The proposed system uses the priority of the ID and the travel time to make a tourist itinerary for the urban and rural areas with a high level of satisfaction, including the transit efficiency for the trip. Finally, we discuss the feasibility of our proposed system with a case study using the Persona Method for locations in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

As the number of foreign travelers to Japan increases rapidly, this research aims to develop a system for finding and recommending unknown regional attractions to foreign tourists. In this paper, the authors analyzed photos taken by foreign tourists in Iwate prefecture in Japan, and classified the data by photographer details such as nationality and season of their visit. These data were then displayed on Google Maps for each classification. Analysis confirmed that there are differences in nationalities and seasons of visit present in the photo data, so it will be capable to recommend the tourism resource according to nationalities and seasons. From these results, we propose a Tourism Course Recommendation System (TCRS) for foreign tourists visiting in Iwate prefecture.

There are strong expectations that growth in Japan's tourism industry will stimulate regional economies. The present study aimed to create a system for recommending itineraries, including little-known local attractions, to visiting tourists. In previous research, we developed the Tourism Destination Finding System, which uses data on social network services (SNSs). In the Recommendation System, which suggests tourist itineraries using data on SNSs. Toward verifying the effectiveness of this system, this paper presents a case study; it involved collecting and analyzing photo data and check-in data to identify tourist attractions on Google Heat Maps of Iwate Prefecture. From this case study, we were able to confirm that our proposed system is able to recommend an appropriate itinerary for tourists with limited time.

The authors developed a system for collecting and analyzing photo and check-in data to represent location data in a heat map. In addition, the authors classified traveler profiles and analyzed their data for display as a heat map for each classification. To verify whether the findings would be consistent with actual travelers' intentions, a questionnaire was carried out for people living in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. This paper compares the results of the data collected by the system with the actual intentions of travelers as obtained from the questionnaire. It is confirmed that check-in data for women and young people correspond closely with the intentions of travelers revealed by the questionnaire.

In Japan, the population flow into urban areas has seen the economic power of rural areas decrease. This has made it difficult for rural areas to maintain their historical and cultural heritage. Strategies combining information technology with tourism have been applied in many local areas, but the effects have not been significant. In this study, we aim to discover local features of interest that are buried within rural areas, and publicize them on a nationwide or worldwide scale using information systems. We develop a system for discovering local features that may be broadly unknown, and discuss issues related to the activation of local areas using information technology. We then propose a strategy to activate rural areas using web advertising and social network services. The effect of web advertising and the possibility of targeting users are further examined based on the experimental results.

Requirement traceability is essential in verifying compatibility between software requirements and various work products in development phases. However, many organizations cannot employ traceability efficiently because of the large number and complex nature of traceability links. It is necessary to reduce the number and complexity of traceability links for effective verification. We propose a method with which to simplify the traceability links between software requirements and work products in software development processes. We describe the effectiveness of the proposed method in a case study tested of a real software development project.

An increasingly aging society and higher prevalence rates of lifestyle-related diseases are significant problems in advanced countries. There are social requirements of integrated services for medical care, welfare, and healthcare. In this paper, we propose the concept of a Life Support Network (LSN) including a Wellness Support System (WSS) which is an information system can be used to improve the health with risk of becoming lifestyle-related diseases at anywhere and at any time (ubiquitous environment). The architecture of WSS enables easy operation and flexible information environment with various terminals, applications, and interface adaptability. We also introduce an Integrated Health Improvement Supporting System (IHISS) as a practical implemented example in WSS. A developed nutritional management function as key element of IHISS is shown as an example of IHISS application.

The authors' project is concerned with the development of a monitoring system for elderly people living alone in rural areas. The monitoring system was developed and introduced in Kawai village, Shiwa town and Tono city in Iwate Prefecture. The aim was to develop a new type of monitoring system which would reduce the initial cost and increase operability. A key feature of the system was that it used standard telephone terminals and computer telephony technology. The results of the experiment, carried out in Iwate and Aomori Prefectures in Japan, showed improved operability. Based on the results, this paper estimates the required number of telephone lines for an increasing number of users in the future.

The high aging society has become a main problem in advanced countries. In this paper common problems of the high aging society in Italy and Japan are described. Then, new healthcare systems and some field trials in both countries are introduced and compared. At last, how to improve the life style of elderly people in Italy and Japan are proposed.

In recent years, a problem has arisen in that users have become estranged from the processes of software development. End user development (EUD) is a solution to this problem. To realize EUD, however, we need to be able to describe the requirements of a user directly as a program.

In this study, a new concept and architecture for a Life Support Network (LSN) are proposed to support healthy, secure and comfortable lives for elderly people in rural areas. Projects were developed to introduce and evaluate related systems such as a monitoring system for elderly people living alone, as well as a remote healthcare system, which were the main components of the LSN. These projects were carried out in Kawai village, Shiwa town and Tono city in Iwate prefecture. Based on these experiences, this work describes the information obtained and the issues which need to be resolved in the construction of a useful and successful LSN.

In this paper, we propose a method of an object manipulation by multiple mobile robots using sticks as tools. In the conventional cooperative work by multiple mobile robots, manipulation technique based on force-control has been proposed. However, mobile robots are moving by position-control, and motion errors can easily arise. Then, we build the manipulation technique, which is suitable for mobile robots by position-control. We propose the manipulation method without using sensor information, and consider the motion errors of mobile robots and the indefinite element of environment from the planning stage. We compute the conditions in which the object gets unstable during manipulation, and generate the motion of each mobile robot with these analyses. We verify the effectiveness of our proposed motion planning method through simulations and experiments.

We are going to analyze on the constraint among contacting points between robots and an object that is manipulated by the robot group. Constraint can be obtained by solving pseudo inverse of matrix filled by force data measured by all robots supporting one object. The result provides additional information for obtaining a relative positioning information to the object to ordinary constraint based on geometrical reasons. This analysis on the constraint has been verified by sensing system. The model explained here can be used for estimating contacting points, fitting coordinate system among robots, and making active sensing strategy for detecting the change of environment.

This paper deals with motion planning of cooperative transfer with regrasping by a group of car-like mobile robots. In order to realize this transfer task by actual car-like robots, three aspects should be considered: the nonholonomic characteristic of car-like robots, how to control the force and avoid too large a force by position-controlled robots, and control cycle of the system. Based on algorithms from previous works, the authors propose the following approach: 1) designing robot hand mechanism; 2) constructing hybrid planning architecture composed of centralized and decentralized system including an object motion observer. A simple transport experiment by an actual robot system is made to show the effectiveness of this mechanism. Validity of the proposed method is verified by a transport simulation.

In transporting various objects by multiple mobile robots we need to change the formation of robots and posture of an object. This planning depends on the mass and center of gravity of an object. Here we discuss the accuracy of the estimation of the mass and the position of the center of gravity of an object. Particularly we propose a method for estimating the height of the center of gravity which cannot be estimated by only one measurement. Validity of this strategy is verified by means of a real robot system.

We aim at handling an unknown object by cooperating multiple mobile robots. The most important problem in this paper is obtaining a weight and mass center position of an object. Another important problem is to determine appropriate grasping points before handling. This method is proposed to avoid bad situations, such as making an object fall down, or some robots overloaded in handling. The algorithm we propose in this paper is a first step of grasping objects, which is "determination of initial grasping points". Initial grasping points are given by only a geometrical shape of an object. The robots are placed where the possibility that robots can lift the object with no trouble. This evaluation is based on the normal distribution model proposed in this paper. We are also going to discuss how to avoid and regrasp when initial grasping has failed. We show a simple numerical example of initial grasping and re-grasping, in planar object model.

This paper deals with a motion planning of mobile robots during the cooperative transport of a large abject by a group of multiple mobile robots (a robot group). In spite of the complexity of the relationship between the several kinds of requirements for this problem, motion planning should be done in real time according to each robot's torque limit to apply its force to the object. Based on the algorithm of Ota et al. (1995), the authors propose the following approach: (1) derive handling force applied to the object by each robot, and (2) determine the role for each robot (to handle the object or to regrasp it) by each robot's torque limit and optimization of a penalty index indicating performance for obstacle avoidance, stable grasping, and reduction of force. Effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by a transferring simulation.

This paper deals with an arrangement planning problem of mobile robots for handling unknown objects. To improve the flexibility of multiple a mobile robot system, these systems are now, expected to handle various kinds of objects. The authors propose a closed algorithm to judge whether a group of robots (robot group) can handle an object or not, by means of geometrical data of an object only. For this algorithm we also propose a method to generate a robot arrangement to maximize possibility of grasping an object with no trouble. These methods are based on the quantitative relationships between an arrangement of robots, load data to robots, and unknown mass and mass center of an object. Effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by a simple simulation.

The authors aim at grasping and handling a large object by cooperating multiple mobile robots with various sizes, moving cost, and load capacity. In this paper the authors focus on the problems of deciding an appropriate grasping arrangement before handling operations. The authors propose this method to avoid bad situations, such as making an object fall down, or some robots overloaded in grasping and handling. The algorithm proposed includes two optimization problems; one is the "decision of initial robot arrangement," the other is the "decision of final robot arrangement." The difference between these optimizations is that the mass center of the object is recognized or not. The penalty index is defined to minimize the energy the system consumes and to maximize an index of stability. The authors have confirmed that the robots moved to the optimal arrangements in computer simulations and experiments.

This paper deals with a motion planning of mobile robots during transferring a large object cooperatively by a group of multiple mobile robots (a robot group). This problem has the following characteristics: 1) a real time planning is essential because mobile robots move in an open and dynamic area in comparison to articulated robots; 2) both the object and the robot group need to avoid collision against obstacles; and 3) the object needs to be grasped stably by the robot group. The authors propose the following approach to solve this complicated problem: 1) regrasping strategy of the object is introduced in order avoid obstacles and to transfer the object stably; and 2) the motion planning is divided into two steps: the object and that of the robot group. The former step is accomplished by extending the virtual impedance method, which was proposed by authors. The latter step is realized by using nonlinear programming method, that optimizes a penalty index indicating the performance for obstacle avoidance and for stable grasping. Effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by a simulation of transferring a large circle-shaped object with three robots.