Graduate School of Science and Engineering ・Kenzaburo Yamazaki received the Student Encouragement Award at the IPSJ Human-Computer Interaction Study Group!

Graduate School of Science and Engineering Kenzaburo Yamazaki (Shishido Laboratory), a master's student, received the Student Encouragement Award at the 214th IPSJ Human-Computer Interaction Workshop (HCI Workshop) held at Hokkaido University of Science (Sapporo) on September 3-4, 2025.

The HCI Study Group is one of Japan's leading academic conferences, covering a wide range of research fields that explore the relationship between humans and computers, and presenting research results across multiple fields, including visualization/haptability, VR/AR, wearable technology, ubiquitous computing, and interaction design.

In Yamazaki's paper, "Development of a Race Simulation System Using Wave Light Video in the 1500m Track and Field Sprint," he proposed a new video analysis system that estimates runners' running speeds based on the movement of wave lights and visualizes the entire race. This system is capable of estimating runners outside the video range, displaying race progress in real time, and comparing and simulating different competitions, making it easier to grasp strategic trends that were difficult to grasp using conventional methods. In particular, the system's quantitative demonstration of the strategic acceleration of the world's top runners in the final stages and its unique approach were highly praised, leading to the award of this Student Encouragement Award.

Yamazaki said, "As we made each presentation, I was able to stay calm, and through the interdisciplinary discussions, I felt that information processing technology has potential for development in sports science."

Yamazaki's challenge opens up new possibilities in the combination of sports and information science, demonstrating that the power of research generated at our university can contribute to diverse areas of society.