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Research paper : Cyber Assist project as service science (H. Nakashima et al.)−117−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.3 No.2 (2010) of design: design of appearance and design of functions. The latter is somehow within the ability of researchers but the former is not.According to Yamanaka, he used to be a designer of cars, but left the field to become independent because he thought that the shape design of cars has too much freedom to realize a desired function and therefore not very interesting. His philosophy that the function determines the shape is typically exemplified in his design of the Suica reader.Yamanaka was present at our bi-weekly meetings as well as annual off-site workshops to propose ideas of shape design that implements functions we discuss. Aimulet LA, which received the Good Design Award, is the best successful example we have that turned desired function into a good shape. However, we regret that the infra red communication system exemplified by Aimulet LA did not make it to commercial use.7.5 Unfinished goalsWe had a “digital version of a tally method” on our research agenda from the early stage of the project, but it was never realized. Tally is a method to protect information content by physically dividing a paper or a plate on which information is written into two parts so that each piece alone is meaningless. Two pieces must be together to decode information. We wanted to have a similar system on digital data for privacy protection.[Example] Information storage by the tally methodGathering personal information on a server is problematic in terms of privacy protection because it is vulnerable to malicious data usage or accidental leakage. We need a security or encryption method to divide information between the server and user terminal so that information is meaningless unless both of them are present.We understood that this is a next to impossible goal from the beginning. Simple encryption cannot be the solution because encrypted data becomes a plain data that can be copied when it is decrypted for use. For example, an encrypted personal medical record can be copied once a doctor displays it on his terminal and the doctor can keep the copy after the patient goes home. We need a method to guarantee that the data is accessible only while the patient is present. We thought this might be an unsolvable problem within the digital world alone. We thought some physical means, location-based communication for example, must be combined and searched for the solution without success so far.7.6 Evaluation by the Advisory BoardThe following is the executive summary of the final report by the advisory board of CARC given in 2004. It matches our own evaluation of CARC.We find that the Cyber Assist Research Center (CARC) is a unique organization that is:• Pursuing a powerful new vision in a field of worldwide importance;• Aggressively implementing research results as prototypes in real world settings;• Gaining momentum as a laboratory of international standing.CARC’s field is ambient intelligence, an approach to pervasive computing that emphasizes the thorough integration of information technology into devices, buildings, clothing, and other artifacts to dramatically increase their capability and utility. Within this field, CARC is focusing on using information technology to help human beings in all aspects of their daily lives. CARC’s unique vision is that this assistance is best achieved by making maximum use of human and physical context, leveraging relatively simple information interaction to achieve the required capability.CARC’s commitment to deploy early prototypes of its research results provides immediate feedback from the public, and also establishes the benefits of the new technology in the mind of the public. External funding has been increasing, and is now poised for significant growth based on the success of CARC’s prototypes.CARC’s vision and research methodology have created a growing reputation in the international research community. CARC is seen as one of the leading information technology innovation laboratories in Japan. It has a head start in the integration of three major worldwide information technology trends: ambient intelligence, semantic web services, and multi-agent technology. To realize the benefits of this competitive advantage, CARC needs to continue as a research center in energetic pursuit of its integrative vision.8 AcknowledgmentsCARC members contributed research described in this paper. Although we do not list names of researchers here, they can be seen in the references provided below.CARC also had many non-research staff members. Without the industrial designer Shunji Yamanaka, we could not have enjoyed the success of CoBIT and Aimulet. Takahiro Koshibu from Nishizawa patent office attended our weekly research meetings to find patentable ideas and then took care of all document work from writing proposals to answering claims during the check phase. Cyber Souken Co. undertook management of the Cyber Assist consortium even though it was not profitable for them. Many others contributed to the project but the list of names is too long to be listed here.

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