IAFOR > The European Conference on Aging (EGen) > EGen2019

EGen2019

The European Conference on Aging & Gerontology (EGen)

December 07-08, 2019 | The Bartlett Real Estate Institute, University College London, London, UK

We are very excited to host The European Conference on Aging & Gerontology (EGen2019), the sister conference to The Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology (AGen2020), which has been held in Japan since 2015. This will be held for the first time in London – one of the world's most important global cities and inside the Bartlett, the world’s leading faculty of the Built Environment.

This conference brings together all disciplines to discuss in a holistic way one of the greatest challenges humanity currently faces: the ageing of the population. Scholars from practically every discipline are welcomed to bring their perspective, as ageing involves almost all aspects of humanities, science and policy. For this global issue, we have created a global event. We have joined efforts with Osaka University and, specifically, with the IAFOR Research Centre, with the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) at the University of Michigan, USA and with the support of academic leaders and thinkers from all disciplines from numerous prestigious institutions.

We are honoured and thrilled to have special keynote presentations from Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University, Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories), Professor James Barlow (Imperial College London, UK), Professor Paul Higgs (UCL, UK), Professor Nick Tyler (UCL, UK), Professor Haruko Satoh (Osaka University, Japan) and Professor Tsuyoshi Sekitani (Osaka University, Japan) together with other highly prominent academics.

Because both in Bartlett Real Estate Institute (UCL) and at IAFOR, we believe that it is through people coming together that great things happen, we have planned for multiple networking opportunities. These include the welcome reception and conference dinner, among others. With a high volume of thematic streams covering many disciplines such as the built environment, frailty, loneliness, the silver economy, and others, EGen2019 provides a great opportunity for researchers.

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EGen2019 Photo Report

Above: Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, from Osaka University and Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories (Japan), delivers a Keynote Presentation via video. Professor Ishiguro discussed his ground-breaking work in robotics and artificial intelligence and the implications this research has for ageing populations.

Above, clockwise from top left: Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, from the host university, University College London (UK) welcomes delegates to IAFOR’s first annual European Conference on Aging & Gerontology. Dr Chrysikou moderates the Keynote Panel featuring Professor Paul Higgs (left) and Professor Nick Tyler, both from University College London (UK), as they discuss the issues raised throughout the plenary day and tie together the common themes of the conference. Professor Higgs delivers his Keynote Presentation, titled “The Challenge of the Fourth Age for Ageing Societies”, in which he explores growing disparities in how different sectors of the population face ageing. Delegates enjoy one of the many networking opportunities provided by the conference, discussing the day’s presentations, as well as their own research interests. The Bartlett Real Estate Institute (BREI) at University College London was a fantastic venue for the event.

Above left: Professor Tsuyoshi Sekitani, from Osaka University (Japan), takes questions following his Keynote Presentation, “Imperceptible Brain Monitoring System -Patch EEG-”, in which he explains cutting-edge technology in brain monitoring. Above right: Professor Shin-ichi Ohnuma, of University College London (UK), offers comments on the connections between UCL and Osaka University, and how British researchers are contributing to Japan’s attempts to face the issues of an ageing population.

Above, clockwise from top left: Dr Ryuji Yamazaki, from Osaka University and Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories (Japan) joined the event on behalf of Professor Ishiguro, and is seen here adding to the video address from Professor Ishiguro. Professor Haruko Satoh, of Osaka University (JAPAN), welcomes delegates on behalf of Osaka University and IAFOR. Professor Andrew Edkins, Bartlett Real Estate Institute, welcomes delegates on behalf of the host, BREI, and University College London. Though circumstances prevented Professor James Barlow of Imperial College London (UK) from attending in person, he shows his commitment to the event by delivering a Keynote Presentation via video address. His presentation, titled “Why Successful Ageing Needs Innovation in the Built Environment”, explores the significant advancements in architecture and engineering to address the needs of ageing populations. A group of speakers, organisers, and delegates take time for a group photo in the midst of a busy day of presentations and discussions.

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Special Keynote

  • Hiroshi Ishiguro
    Hiroshi Ishiguro
    Osaka University, Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories, Japan

Speakers

  • James Barlow
    James Barlow
    Imperial College London, UK
  • Dimitrios Buhalis
    Dimitrios Buhalis
    Bournemouth University, UK
  • Evangelia Chrysikou
    Evangelia Chrysikou
    University College London, UK
  • Andrew Edkins
    Andrew Edkins
    Bartlett Real Estate Institute, UCL, UK
  • Maggie Ellis
    Maggie Ellis
    European Knowledge Tree Group for eHealth
  • Joseph Haldane
    Joseph Haldane
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
  • Paul Higgs
    Paul Higgs
    University College London, UK
  • Tadasu Iida
    Tadasu Iida
    Osaka University, Japan
  • Shin-ichi Ohnuma
    Shin-ichi Ohnuma
    University College London (UCL), UK
  • Haruko Satoh
    Haruko Satoh
    Osaka University, Japan
  • Tsuyoshi Sekitani
    Tsuyoshi Sekitani
    Osaka University, Japan
  • Ian Spero
    Ian Spero
    Agile Aging Alliance, UK
  • Nick Tyler
    Nick Tyler
    University College London, UK
  • Ryuji Yamazaki
    Ryuji Yamazaki
    Osaka University, Japan

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Programme

  • Studies on Interactive Robots
    Studies on Interactive Robots
    Special Keynote Presentation: Hiroshi Ishiguro
  • Imperceptible Brain Monitoring System –Patch EEG–
    Imperceptible Brain Monitoring System –Patch EEG–
    Keynote Presentation: Tsuyoshi Sekitani
  • The Challenge of the Fourth Age for Ageing Societies
    The Challenge of the Fourth Age for Ageing Societies
    Keynote Presentation: Paul Higgs
  • Conversions of Existing Buildings into Welfare Facilities for the Elderly
    Conversions of Existing Buildings into Welfare Facilities for the Elderly
    Keynote Presentation: Tadasu Iida
  • “Design shall not wither them…”
    “Design shall not wither them…”
    Keynote Presentation: Nick Tyler

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Organising Committee

Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, European Public Health Association (EUPHA) & University of Malta, Malta
James Barlow, Imperial College London, UK
Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University, UK
Stefano Capologno, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Marcus Chidgey, Loqiva, UK
Evangelia Chrysikou, The Bartlett Real Estate Institute UCL, UK
Alexey Danilov, Sechenov University, Russia
Carina Dantas, Cáritas Diocesana de Coimbra, Portugal
Isaiah Durosaiye, University of Sheffield, UK
Maggie Ellis, European Knowledge Tree Group for eHealth
Jonathan Erskine, EuHPN, UK
Ava Fatah gen. Schieck, University College London, UK
Joseph Haldane, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
Paul Higgs, University College London, UK
Anastasia Kalea, University College London, UK
Konstantinos E. Kouskoukis, Hellenic Academy of Thermal Medicine, Greece
Peter McLennan, University College London, UK
James W. McNally, University of Michigan & NACDA Program on Aging, USA
Iveta Nagyova, European Public Health Association (EUPHA)
Shinichi Ohnuma, University College London, UK
Elena Petelos, University of Maastricht, Netherlands, European Public Health Association
Haruko Satoh, Osaka University, Japan
Andrew Sixsmith, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Ian Spero, Founder Agile Ageing Alliance, UK
Eleni Tracada, University of Derby, UK
Nick Tyler, University College London, UK
Chariklia Tziraki-Segal, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Willeke van Staalduinen, European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIPonAHA), Netherlands
Antoinette Vietsch, Politician (Former MP), Architect, Healthcare planner
Greg Williams, The University of Manchester, UK
Dineke Zeegers Paget, European Public Health Association (EUPHA)

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Event Partners

The European Conference on Aging & Gerontology (EGen) is run in partnership with The Bartlett Real Estate Institute at UCL, The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) at the University of Michigan, USA, and the IAFOR Research Centre at Osaka University.

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Event Supporters

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IAFOR Research Centre (IRC) – “Innovation and Value Initiative”

The IAFOR Research Centre (IRC) is housed within Osaka University’s School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), and in June 2018 the IRC began an ambitious new “Innovation and Value Initiative”. Officially launched at the United Nations in a special UN-IAFOR Collaborative Session, the initiative seeks to bring together the best in interdisciplinary research around the concept of value, on how value can be recognised, and measured, and how this can help us address issues and solve problems, from the local to the global.

Learn more about the Innovation and Value Initiative

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Hiroshi Ishiguro
Osaka University, Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories, Japan

Biography

Hiroshi Ishiguro received a Doctor of Engineering in Systems Engineering from Osaka University, Japan in 1991. He is currently Professor of the Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University (from 2009) and Distinguished Professor of Osaka University (from 2017). He is also visiting Director (from 2014) (group leader: 2002–2013) of Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute and an ATR fellow. His research interests include sensor networks, interactive robotics, and android science. He received the Osaka Cultural Award in 2011. In 2015, he received the Prize for Science and Technology (Research Category) by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. He was also awarded the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award in Dubai in 2015.

James Barlow
Imperial College London, UK

Biography

Professor Barlow has been Professor of Technology and Innovation Management (Healthcare) at Imperial College Business School since 2003. He was co-founder of the Innovation Studies Centre, and from 2006 to 2013 was Principal Investigator and a director of the Health and Care Infrastructure Research and Innovation Centre (HaCIRIC). He is a member of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation.

Previously, Professor Barlow’s positions were at the Science Policy Research Unit (University of Sussex), University of Westminster and the Policy Studies Institute. He earned a PhD from the London School of Economics and has a background in geography and economics.

His research, teaching and consultancy focuses on the adoption, implementation and sustainability of innovation in healthcare systems. Professor Barlow has led or been involved in many research and consulting projects around the world. He has also worked extensively on innovation in housing provision and other housing policy issues.

In addition to research and teaching, Professor Barlow advises and consults for government, healthcare services and industry. He has worked with companies from the medical technology, pharmaceutical, ICT and construction sectors.

In July 2014, he was appointed as the new president of the International Academy for Design and Health, a global knowledge community bringing together the built environment industries creating new healthcare infrastructure.

His advisory work includes membership or chairing of expert panels on healthcare innovation for the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, OFCOM, Welsh Assembly Government, European Commission, Royal Society, King’s Fund, London Health Commission and Policy Exchange. He has given evidence on public-private partnerships before the Treasury Select Committee and evidence on healthcare innovation issues to other Parliamentary Committees.

Professor Barlow is currently associate director of research and evaluation for Imperial College Health Partners, and works with the executive boards for the NIHR Northwest London CLAHRC and the Department of Health Policy Innovation Research Unit. He also sits on the advisory board for the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Charity Strategy Committee.

He has published numerous books and journal articles, and his latest book, Managing Innovation in Healthcare, was published by World Scientific in January 2017.

Dimitrios Buhalis
Bournemouth University, UK

Biography

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis is a Strategic Management and Marketing expert with specialisation in Information Communication Technology applications in the Tourism, Travel, Hospitality and Leisure industries. He is Director of the eTourism Lab and Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, at Bournemouth University in England. He is also Editor in Chief of the most established Journal in Tourism: Tourism Review, now the SSCI Journal is in its 74th volume. He is a well known international speaker on trends, technology, marketing, tourism and hospitality. Professor Buhalis is an inspirational forward thinker that undertakes cutting edge research, develops innovations and makes a major impact to global society. For the period January 2016- September 2019, Buhalis was the Head of Department of Tourism and Hospitality, at Bournemouth University. Dimitrios is a Founding Member and past President (2010-2014) of the International Federation for Information Technologies in Travel and Tourism (IFITT). He served as the First Vice President of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (2017-2019). He also served as an Executive Board Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Affiliate Members for the periods 2013-2015 and 2017-2019.

Evangelia Chrysikou
University College London, UK

Biography

Dr Evangelia Chrysikou is a registered architect and senior research fellow at UCL. She owns the award-winning SynThesis Architects (London – Athens), that specialises in medical facilities. Her work received prestigious awards (Singapore 2009, Kuala Lumpur 2012, Brisbane 2013, Birmingham 2014, London 2014). Parallel activities include teaching at medical and architectural schools, research (UK, France, Belgium, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Greece and the Middle East) and advisory. She advised the Hellenic Secretary of Health and is the author of the new national guidelines for mental health facilities. Dr Chrysikou is the author of the book ‘Architecture for Psychiatric Environments and Therapeutic Spaces’, healthcare architecture editor, reviewer, active member of several professional and scientific associations and a TED-MED speaker. She is a Trustee, Member of the Board and Director of Research at DIMHN (UK) and Member of the Board at the Scholar’s Association Onassis Foundation.

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Andrew Edkins
Bartlett Real Estate Institute, UCL, UK

Biography

Professor Andrew Edkins is Head of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute. His experience is purely projects - and complex or major ones in particular. After finishing his degree, he went on a graduate training scheme with the former John Laing plc and upon completion of that was proudly part of the team who built Chelsea & Westminster hospital (the first 'fast-track' major teaching hospital project for the NHS). His professional research career started in late 1996 after he had substantially finished his PhD and had been appointed as a junior faculty member at The Bartlett, working with Graham Ive on a funded research project that eventually led to the book 'The Constructors' Key Guide to PFI'. He has worked on a number of funded research projects. The first major successes were in the area of risk management where he won two EPSRC grants. He has also done work as part of an EPSRC grant on international project performance comparisons (comparing almost identical facilities built in both the UK and France as part of the Channel Tunnel), for the National Audit Office. Most recently, he has been involved as part of a collaborative team comprising UCL and the University of Bristol in a research project commissioned by Infrastructure UK (part of HM Treasury) looking at potential interdependencies arising from proposed significant infrastructure projects in the UK.

Maggie Ellis
European Knowledge Tree Group for eHealth

Biography

Maggie Ellis has been at the London School of Economics (LSE) since 1999 where she has also been involved with EU R&D. MonAMI, and SOCIONICAL projects lead to new EU technology schemes as well as for contingencies and EU PPI implementation. Originally an occupational therapist, she managed physical disability and mental health services, and also served as Chairman of the British OT Association, the European OT Committee. Maggie was awarded Fellowships by RCOT and ISPO. She has organised both a Trade and a Ministerial Mission to Japan with their government. EU and ISO Technical Committee Membership brought wider experience linking user needs, planners, and policymakers. Her most recent project at LSE (Enterprise) (2014-2019), where Maggie was Leader of the LSE Team, independently contracted to the Scottish Futures Trust to review and validate calculations and services that Trust provided to the Scottish Government. The review helped deliver 131 GBP million net benefits and savings to infrastructure investment in Scotland.

Maggie uses this background managing Rehabilitation at West Square Associates (WSA). Maggie is a Member of the CPG for Digital Inclusion and Disability, Holyrood and APPG Disability, Smart Cities, and Legal Aid in the UK Parliament.

Joseph Haldane
The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

Biography

Joseph Haldane is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of IAFOR. He is responsible for devising strategy, setting policies, forging institutional partnerships, implementing projects, and overseeing the organisation’s international business and academic operations, including research, publications and events.

Dr Haldane is a founding Co-Director of the IAFOR Research Centre, an interdisciplinary think tank situated at The Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University, where since 2015 he has also been a Guest Professor, teaching on the postgraduate Global Governance Course.

A Member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network for Global Governance, Professor Haldane’s research and teaching is on history, politics, international affairs and international education, as well as governance and decision making.

In 2020 Dr Haldane was appointed Honorary Professor of UCL (University College London), through the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management. He also holds Visiting Professorships in the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, and at the School of Business at Doshisha University in Kyoto, where he teaches Ethics and Governance on the MBA programme. He is a Member of the International Advisory Council of the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Dr Haldane holds a PhD from the University of London in 19th-century French Studies, and has had full-time faculty positions at the University of Paris XII Paris-Est Créteil, Sciences Po Paris, and Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, as well as visiting positions at the French Press Institute in the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, The School of Journalism at Sciences Po Paris, and the School of Journalism at Moscow State University (Russia).

Dr Haldane has given invited lectures and presentations to universities and conferences around the world, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and advised universities, NGOs and governments on issues relating to international education policy, public-private partnerships, and multi-stakeholder forums. He was the project lead on the 2019 Kansai Resilience Forum, held by the Japanese Government through the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Office in collaboration with IAFOR.

From 2012-2014, Dr Haldane served as Treasurer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Chubu), and since 2015 he has been a Trustee of the HOPE International Development Agency (Japan). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society in 2012, and the Royal Society of Arts in 2015.

Paul Higgs
University College London, UK

Biography

Paul Higgs is Professor of Sociology of Ageing at UCL. His research interests stem from work he conducted with Dr Chris Gilleard which has been published in four books: Cultures of Ageing: Self Citizen and Society (2000), and Contexts of Ageing: Class, Cohort and Community (2005). From 2005 to 2008 he directed an ESRC/AHRC funded project, “From passive to active consumers: Older people's consumption 1998–2001”. He also co-authored the book, Medical Sociology and Old Age (2009) with Ian Rees Jones of Cardiff University. Another two books with Chris Gilleard have been published in recent years: Ageing, Corporeality and Embodiment (2013) and Rethinking Old Age: Theorising the Fourth Age (2015), as well as a book on social class and later life edited with Marvin Formosa. From 2009 to 2011 he was a co-organiser of an ESRC funded seminar series on “new ageing populations”. He is currently a co-investigator on two five-year NIHR/ESRC projects (MARQUE and PRIDE) investigating the social aspects of dementia. Professor Higgs is also an editor of the journal Social Theory and Health and co-editor of the 2017 Sociology of Health and Illness monograph which addresses the topic of dementia and the social mind.

Professor Higgs studied for a BSc in Sociology at the Polytechnic of North London and a PhD in Social Policy at the University of Kent. Before moving to UCL in 1994, he was the Eleanor Peel Lecturer in Social Gerontology at St George's Hospital Medical School, London. At UCL he was variously Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Reader in Medical Sociology. He is currently Professor of the Sociology of Ageing and was elected a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2012 and a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. He is also a visiting professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Bath.

Tadasu Iida
Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Tadasu Iida received a PhD in Engineering from Osaka University in 2004, and has been Associate Professor of the Architectural Engineering Course in the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University since 2007. Previously, he worked as an architect in an architect office specialising in medical and welfare facilities from 1994 to 2001. Research for his doctoral dissertation was carried out in one of the hospitals which he had been involved in design. His research interest is design of these facilities. Moreover architectural ergonomics and sustainable use of existing buildings recently. As for ergonomics research, he was involved in the joint research on innovative step-by-step ramp designed for wheelchair users with the Building Research Institute, the National Research and Development Agency. He advises local government and social welfare service corporation on the foundation of welfare facilities for the elderly and for people with disabilities. He won a prize for excellence in Nikkei Architecture 750th Issue Commemorative Design Competition in 2003. He also received the Osaka University Prize for his outstanding contribution to education in 2018.

Shin-ichi Ohnuma
University College London (UCL), UK

Biography

Professor Shin-ichi Ohnuma is the Deputy Director of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and also the UCL Japan Ambassador at the UCL Global Engagement Office. His research interest is Age-related diseases in Ophthalmology. He is aiming to develop new treatment of eye-diseases using animal models. Also, he has a strong passion to facilitate interaction between UCL and Japan. Based on this activity, he was awarded Foreign Minister's Commendation for 2017.

Haruko Satoh
Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Haruko Satoh is Specially Appointed Professor at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), where she teaches Japan’s relations with Asia and identity in international relations. She is also co-director of the OSIPP-IAFOR Research Centre and she was previously part of the MEXT Reinventing Japan project on “Peace and Human Security in Asia (PAHSA)” with six Southeast Asian and four Japanese universities.

In the past she has worked at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Chatham House, and Gaiko Forum. Her interests are primarily in state theory, Japanese nationalism and identity politics. Recent publications include: “China in Japan’s Nation-state Identity” in James DJ Brown & Jeff Kingston (eds) Japan’s Foreign Relations in Asia (Routledge, 2018); “Japan’s ‘Postmodern’ Possibility with China: A View from Kansai” in Lam Peng Er (ed), China-Japan Relations in the 21st Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017); “Rethinking Security in Japan: In Search of a Post-‘Postwar’ Narrative” in Jain & Lam (Eds.), Japan’s Strategic Challenges in a Changing Regional Environment (World Scientific, 2012); “Through the Looking-glass: China’s Rise as Seen from Japan”, (co-authored with Toshiya Hoshino), Journal of Asian Public Policy, 5(2), 181–198, (July 2012); “Post- 3.11 Japan: A Matter of Restoring Trust?”, ISPI Analysis No. 83 (December 2011); “Legitimacy Deficit in Japan: The Road to True Popular Sovereignty” in Kane, Loy & Patapan (Eds.), Political Legitimacy in Asia: New Leadership Challenges (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), “Japan: Re-engaging with China Meaningfully” in Tang, Li & Acharya (eds), Living with China: Regional States and China through Crises and Turning Points, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009).

Professor Satoh is a member of IAFOR’s Academic Governing Board. She is Chair of the Politics, Law & International Relations section of the International Academic Advisory Board.

Tsuyoshi Sekitani
Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Professor Tsuyoshi Sekitani received his B.S. from Osaka University in 1999, and Ph.D. from the Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering, at the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 2003. From 2003 to 2010, he was an Assistant Professor, and in 2011, he was an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. In 2014, he was made a Full Professor in The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University. In 2017, he was awarded as the title of Osaka University Distinguished Professor. From 2019, he is playing a leading role in the research intensification of Osaka University as an Executive Assistant to the President of Osaka University.

He was awarded as IEEE Paul Rappaport Award in 2009 and 2010, “Highly Cited Researchers” (The World’s Most Influential Scientific Mind) from Thomson Reuters in 2014, and from Clarivate Analytics in 2018, Young Scientist Award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan in 2015, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Award in 2016.

Keynote Presentation (2019) | Imperceptible Brain Monitoring System –Patch EEG–
Ian Spero
Agile Aging Alliance, UK

Biography

A social entrepreneur with a deep knowledge of cause-related marketing, Ian Spero believes in the power of private/public sector alliances to improve lives.

Ian is founder and director of the Agile Ageing Alliance (AAA), a campaigning social business which aims to demonstrate that through innovations in technology, business and service models, our homes and neighbourhoods of the future can be reimagined to boost health and wellbeing, leading to a reduction in the financial burden on State and citizens.

A regular contributor to conferences, seminars, anthology and academic papers, Ian has published two influential white papers: Neighbourhoods of the Future and Better Homes for Older Adults – Improving Health, Care, Design and Technology, in 2017 and 2019.

Ian’s professional interest in health and wellbeing began in 2011 when he established Creative Skills For Life, a research project enabling young people living with life-threatening conditions to come together and explore their creative potential as a catalyst for healing and personal development.

In 2013 Ian was commissioned by Innovate UK to co-design the innovation agencies “Long Term Care Revolution” programme, which aimed to transform late-life care from an “end of life” institutional model, widely regarded as unfit for purpose, to a dynamic market of innovative new products and services that offer people greater choice and flexibility of care when they reach later life. This experience was the catalyst leading to the launch of the Agile Ageing Alliance in 2015.

Ian currently serves as an Advisor and Monitoring Officer for Innovate UK, responsible for promoting commercialisation and safeguarding public investment in a diverse portfolio of public grant-funded early-stage business initiatives.

Ian has always maintained an active interest and passion for the arts and creative industries. A notable example is “RockCouture”. With a view to raising funds and awareness for a pioneering new cancer care centre, Ian conceived and curated the RockCouture® collection, 150 electric guitars, personally customised by many of the biggest names in music, fashion, art and design. Following critically acclaimed exhibitions at the National Museum of Ireland, Galeries Lafayette Paris, and Harrods of London, illustrating the story of the electric guitar and its impact on pop culture, the guitars were auctioned for charity: www.rockcouture.tv

Previously Ian led Spero Communications, exploring innovative concepts in brand development, employing emerging technologies and new engagement channels to realise strategic objectives for major blue-chip brands, including the AA, BT, IBM, NEC, News Inc, Nortel, Toshiba, and Vodafone.

Ian has received commendations from among others: New York Festivals – awards for film and video; International Public Relations Golden World Award; IPR Sword of Excellence; PR Week Award; Revolution Magazine Award; BT Britain Award for Innovation; the Emerald Literati Network Award for Excellence; and IVCA (International Visual Communications Association), and Awards for Learning; Experiential Communication; and Entertainment.

Nick Tyler
University College London, UK

Biography

Professor Tyler, Chadwick Professor of Civil Engineering at University College London (UCL), was educated at the Royal College of Music, the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) and UCL. He worked as Operations Manager at Unichem Ltd (1984-1985) before joining UCL in 1987, holding appointments as a Research Assistant, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Reader at UCL in the period from 1987 to 2002, when he was then appointed to a professorship. Since 2003, Professor Tyler has been the Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (renamed Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering in 2007). He is also Director of the UCL CRUCIBLE Centre and UCL Accessibility Research Group. A Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Professor Tyler's notable appointments outside UCL include: Member of EPSRC Engineering Programme Strategic Advisory Team 2006; Member of the Chief Scientific Adviser's review team for the Department for Transport 2009; Member of the Advisory Panel for Infrastructure UK 2010; Adviser to the Chinese Government Ministry of Science and Technology on low carbon transport (2010). He was appointed CBE for Services to Technology in the 2011 New Year's Honours list.

Ryuji Yamazaki
Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Ryuji Yamazaki (Yamazaki-Skov), PhD is a Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Symbiotic Intelligent Systems Research Center, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Japan. He received an MA in Philosophy from Chuo University (Japan), and a PhD in Knowledge Science from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), in 2004 and 2010. He has worked as a researcher at JAIST, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto, Japan, as an Invited Researcher, member of the PENSOR project (Philosophical Enquiries into Social Robotics) at Aarhus University (Denmark), and as an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Sciences, Waseda University (Japan). His current research is focused on media studies, social robotics, phenomenology of embodiment, clinical philosophy and ethics, and robo-philosophy.

Studies on Interactive Robots
Special Keynote Presentation: Hiroshi Ishiguro

We, humans, have an innate brain function to recognise other humans. Therefore, very human-like robots, androids, can be ideal information media for human-robot/computer interaction. The speaker, Ishiguro, has developed various types of interactive robots and androids so far. These robots can be used for studying technology and understanding human nature. He has been a leading contributor to the research area of Human-Robot Interaction with the robots.

Geminoid, that is a teleoperated android of an existing person, can transmit the presence of the operator to distant places. The operator recognises the android body as his/her own body after talking with someone through the geminoid and has the virtual feeling of being touched when someone touches the geminoid.

However, the geminoid is not the ideal medium for everybody. For example, elderly people often hesitate to talk with adult humans and adult androids. A question is what the ideal medium for everybody is. In order to investigate it, the speaker proposes the minimum design of interactive humanoids. It is called Telenoid. The geminoid is the perfect copy of an existing person and it is the maximum design of interactive humanoids. On the other hand, the minimum design looks like a human but we cannot judge the age and gender. Elderly people like to talk with the Telenoid very much. In this talk, the speaker discusses the design principles for the robots and their effects on conversations with humans.

Further, Ishiguro has been developing and studying autonomous conversational robots and androids recently. Especially, he focuses on embodiment, emotion and intention/desire of the robots and androids.

In addition to these robotics studies, he will discuss our future society where we have symbiotic relationships with them in this talk.

Read presenters' biography
Imperceptible Brain Monitoring System –Patch EEG–
Keynote Presentation: Tsuyoshi Sekitani

I will introduce the research and development of ultra-flexible, -thin, and imperceptible brain activity monitoring systems. Concretely, we developed new type brain activity monitoring system, naming “Patch-EEG”. Patch-EEG (Electroencephalogram) is a sheet-type brain-wave sensor system that can monitor brain waves simply by attaching the sensor to the forehead.

The weight of the system is 20g and the thickness is less than 5mm, including 8ch-soft electrodes, CPU, wireless module, and battery.

The patch EEG has a measurement accuracy comparable to that of large medical equipment. It has been used in not only medical applications but also applications such as the development of products using brain waves, measurement of the quality of sleep, monitoring of brain waves during sport activities, and easy monitoring of brain activities at home as Self-care devices.

In addition, I will address some recent progresses on ultra-thin bio-signal monitoring systems and outline the leading edge of bio-signal monitoring using these systems and their future prospects.

Read presenters' biography
The Challenge of the Fourth Age for Ageing Societies
Keynote Presentation: Paul Higgs

If the 20th century was the century in which retirement from work became a universal experience in the most prosperous nations, the 21st century is likely to be the century in which old age is transformed into two contrasting experiences. For the majority and for the youngest cohorts of retired people improvements in health and standards of living offer the possibility of a period of life defined by forms of leisure retirement. This ‘Third Age’ can be contrasted with the experience of an old age defined by frailty, cognitive impairment and institutional care. Such a ‘Fourth Age’ becomes a fearful backdrop to those who feel that their ‘successful ageing’ is threatened by a descent into the dependency represented by the nursing home and other forms of institutional and community care. This presentation will outline the importance of understanding this new bifurcation of later life for the development of appropriate health and social care policies.

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Conversions of Existing Buildings into Welfare Facilities for the Elderly
Keynote Presentation: Tadasu Iida

Japan is one of the fastest ageing nations in the world due to the extended lifespan and decline in the birth rate. The population has begun to decline gradually since 2011. On the other hand, the ratio of vacant houses reached 13.6% in 2018. Though 8.5 million out of 62.4 million houses are unoccupied, about 1 million houses are still built every year. Vacant houses are increasing not only in rural areas but in cities. It causes several problems to the surrounding environment. Therefore, various attempts are made to reduce vacant houses and to use them effectively. One of such attempts is converting those houses into welfare facilities. It is also effective from the viewpoint of users and facility operators because users will be able to feel easy as if they were visiting their friend’s houses and operators can reduce construction costs. This presentation will show some successful conversion cases in Japan.

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“Design shall not wither them…”
Keynote Presentation: Nick Tyler

Ageing is basically a numerical construct. What happens during a person’s life is that they change – from baby to toddler, to adolescent, to adult, and so on. At each stage, some characteristics are stronger and some weaker – some are in the stage of growing or developing and others are changing in different ways. An older person’s sight changes but their life experience does as well, so that they could find better ways of meeting their needs. It is too simplistic to say that ageing simply means that things become worse. Our research starts from the concept of Capabilities – the comparison between what people can do, and what the environment requires them to do – and it is this mismatch that causes problems for people in terms of being able to do the activities they wish. By examining capabilities we learn what a person needs to be able to do to meet the requirements of their chosen activities and the environments in which they occur, and that then determines how we approach the design. This paper explains how we do this and the facilities we have had to design in order to achieve a better understanding of the needs of people throughout the lifespan in terms of their interactions with their immediate environment.

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