In this paper, we propose a ride-sharing system with harmonic aggregation of user demands to support both human satisfaction and resource efficiency, and report results of the simulation of our proposed system showing the efficiency of our method. Our proposed ride-sharing system alters user action time and harmonically aggregates user transfer by using flexible parts of users' demands toward their actions. We built a demonstration system visualizing our future vision in which the proposed ride-sharing method was represented as one scenario. In this system, the ride-sharing will be implemented as the joining of several small personal vehicles. We performed our simulations with basic scenarios including part of the proposed method and obtained results showing that the ride-sharing system with our proposed method has four-times higher efficiency than that without the method.

Recently, mobile object sharing systems including car-sharing systems have been gathering more attention as an ecological activity. In this paper, we propose a user-collaborative mobile object assignment system using location information of users. The optimal mobile object assignment is to minimize travel distances of mobile objects in the existing mobile object assignment system, and the system controls allocation of mobile objects. The system recommends the two users to hand over the mobile object to each other if it is the optimal way for users, for example, one user gets off the car and another user rides on the same car continuously. Our proposed system uses the location information of both current and next users to find the optimal way for both users, and informs them the information. Then, the system can trigger the independent collaboration of users by leaving a final decision up to them. Firstly our system calculates optimal mobile object assignment for both current and next users. Secondly, if it is efficient for both current and next users to change the destination of the current user, the system recommends the current user to change the current destination to the calculated one. Thereafter, the system gets an extra fee from the next user, and gives a part of that to the current user as incentive for change of destination when it is needed. Our system can achieve a more friendly system for both user and environment than the current system and solve the distribution problem of mobile objects. Also, we did multi-agent simulations with basic scenarios including a part of proposed method, and got results showing that the system was effective at increasing the number of people who were collaborate with each other.

We have developed a distance education system for developing skills in endoscopic paranasal sinus surgery, to enable efficient remote training of novices in manual skills such as their standing position and posture, and the insertion angle/depth and holding of surgical instruments. The system uses a precise model of human paranasal sinuses and the HyperMirror (HM) telecommunication interface. HM is a virtual mirror allowing clear visualization of differences in manual operation between the trainee and remote expert. This paper outlines the proposed system and describes remote training experiments between two locations 200 miles apart. In the experiments, two expert surgeons trained 17 novices for 40 to 60 min on probing of the nasofrontal duct and aspiration of the maxillary sinus, and subjectively evaluated their manual skills. The results showed that most of the novices improved their manual skills and were able to complete each procedure.