Winner
Social EV Design Contest, 2022
Chiba, Japan
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Conducted by-
Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles
Ryūshi
This project won a special award at the Social EV Design Contest in Chiba organised by APEV, Japan.
The competition revolved around the speculative proposal for a Social EV for 2040.
The Ryūshi Policy and Global Village Initiative
Domain:
Transportation Design
Automotive UX/HMI
Collaborators:
Anuraag Vashist
Aakash Mangla
Year:
Concept RYŪSHI looks at the social challenges of an aging population and lack of immigrant integration in Japan and provides a new positive outlook on the future of immigrants in Japan. This project was done in a three-member team with Aakash Mangla and Anuraag Vashisht. Our team was among the 200 international teams participating in the competition. We were invited to Japan to present our concept at CEATEC 2022 for the final round of the competition and won The Special Award from the screening committee.
2022
Role:
Service Design
Automotive UX/HMI
Design Research
Conceptualization
Keywords
Automotive HMI, Automotive UX, Speculative Design, Year 2040, Japan, Hikikomori, Social Reclusiveness, Social Structures, Old Age, Immigration, Transportation Design
Population and Ageing Crisis
With a population of around 126,672,000 people, Japan has been seeing a shallow birth rate, making it one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world.
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Out of the entire population, around 28.7% of the people are 65 or older.
Japan's population is expected to drop from 127 million in 2015 to 88 million by 2065.
Rising cases of Hikikomori
Hikikomori loosely translates to severe social withdrawal, which has been seen on the rise in the youth of Japan. The pandemic has only fueled the fire even more, and now Japan has had an astronomical increase in the number of Hikikomori cases in Japan.
Major problems
Youth living in silos
Increasing aging population
Severe labour shortages
"No one can live entirely on their own, nor can any country or society exist in isolation."
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Daisaku Ikeda
Japanese philosopher, educator, author, & nuclear disarmament advocate
Immigration as a solution
In April 2019, Tokyo implemented historic immigration reform, expanding visa programs to allow more than 345,000 new workers to immigrate to Japan over the subsequent five years.
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But, immigrants find it difficult to cope with the nuances of Japanese culture.
How do we ensure the immigrants have a smooth and successful integration into the Japanese society?
Ryūshi Initiative
A new Japanese Government policy in 2035 aims to help immigrants acclimate to Japanese culture and balance Japan's rapidly aging population.
The Ryūshi Policy and Global Village Initiative
Under this policy, a newly arrived young immigrant will be paired with an old Japanese local (called a Ryūshi volunteer). The immigrant will take care of the paired senior volunteer in exchange for the cultural knowledge they will gain from them.
Ryushi Service
Ryushi Policy
5 stages of Ryūshi initiative
This will ensure a faster onboarding of immigrants and a supportive young population to take care of the older population of Japan.
Ryūshi Module and AI Design
The module allows the immigrants and the senior volunteers to travel together during a fixed time suitable for them. It is equipped with advanced Ryushi AI trained with cultural knowledge of their own home country, which helps them exchange Japanese culture.
Ryushi module
Ryushi AI
The exterior and interior of the module take inspiration from traditional Japanese architecture with features like the use of wood, multi-leveled design, seats that allow the users to sit in the Seiza position for better interaction, and a separate Genkan area, where the users can take off their footwear.
The vehicle is designed symmetrically to use fewer parts during manufacturing thus promoting sustainability
A 4-6-8-10 week tailored program
The immigrants are paired with different volunteers from different genders, professional levels, or interests according to what stage they are in their acclimatization journey.
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During their travel, they follow a 4, 6, 8, or 10-week program with a one-hour-long daily session tailored by the AI and start exchanging notes on culture and society.
The module has an AI-powered Ryushi bot, which can project interactive content on the retractable table.
Different levels help these immigrants integrate into their surroundings with time. The program is available in different languages and accommodates the users' needs.
Two or more Ryushi modules can also combine to become large social spaces.
Presentation and Award Ceremony at CEATAC 2022, Chiba, Japan
