Event Report: 2040 Community Event "Mock Citizens' Meeting on Transparent Artificial Skin Devices" (Held on March 24, 2023)

May 23, 2023

On March 24, 2023, the 2040 Independence and Self-Respect Project of the Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI) held a mock citizens' meeting titled "Mock Citizens' Meeting on Transparent Artificial Skin Devices." Members of the " 2040 Community ," an open innovation community established by the project and composed of members from academia, industry, and students, participated in the event.

The event featured Associate Professor Tadashi Matsuhisa of the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, a project member and researcher/developer of transparent artificial skin devices. The discussion was facilitated by science communicator Takayuki Honda.

This event was held with the aim of involving citizens in research and development, based on the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI). The participating community members held group discussions regarding the social implementation of transparent artificial skin devices.

To begin, KGRI Project Professor Masako Kakehi and Project Associate Professor Haruna Kawashima explained the purpose of the event, and Mr. Honda introduced the importance of Responsible Research and Innovation. Following a presentation by Dr. Matsuhisa on the potential applications of artificial skin device technology, participants were divided into two groups for discussion: one that experienced the device firsthand and one that did not.

In the morning session, each group exchanged ideas on the theme of "a happy and positive future brought about by technology." They also discussed concerns about the ideas raised within their groups. An opportunity was also provided to comment on the opinions raised by other groups, allowing all participants to share each group's ideas. The exchange of opinions highlighted the importance of simultaneous discussion among people with different backgrounds, as different concerns were raised by the group that had experienced the artificial skin device and the group that had not.

In the afternoon session, Dr. Matsuhisa and Dr. Inoue, a lecturer at Musashino University specializing in environmental ethics, provided comments from an expert's perspective on countermeasures for the concerns raised in the discussion and new challenges for realizing a "positive future." Ryota Saito, representative of the Hiraku Institute, which holds workshops on democracy, also commented. Participants considered ideas for overcoming the challenges raised in each group, as well as the fields and industries that would need to collaborate for problem-solving, and realized the importance of citizens' meetings.

The next citizens' meeting is scheduled to be held on the theme of "flying cars."

(Affiliations and titles are as of the time of the event).