WELCOME
In 2019 The Japan Research Association for Textile End-Uses will celebrate its 60th anniversary. To commemorate this special occasion, we will hold the Comfort and Smart Textile International Symposium on September 6th and 7th with the cooperation of related academic societies and associations.
The fourth industrial revolution is upon us, as keywords like AI, robots, IoT, and the cloud herald the rapid advancement of digitalization. The textile industry is also actively developing smart textiles worldwide due to dramatic advances in ICT (information and communication technology). This is expected to lead to developments across many fields, including healthcare and sports, with innovations in nursing and rehabilitation.
In the first special invitation speech, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University Graduate School, which is well known for the development of human robots, is invited to give a lecture on the future prospects of human robots and smart textiles. In addition, guest speakers from abroad will give lectures on topics including Industry 4.0, which is propelling Germany forward, and introduce the latest information on smart textiles from Google in North America and BMW in Germany.
Amidst these revolutionary changes, we have called on those who are active in fields related to smart textiles and designed this symposium as an occasion for broad, global exchange with the aim of clarifying the challenges that lie ahead in the next decade, as well as furthering developments in the field.
On day two, we have prepared two workshops. The first is the "European Smart Textile Workshop," cosponsored by the Japan Chemical Fibers Association. The second is the "Comfort Workshop," sponsored by the Comfort and Health Research Committee of the Japan Textile Consumers' Association.
Nara Kasugano International Forum, close to Todaiji Temple in the ancient capital of Nara, has been selected as the venue. We are deeply grateful for your cooperation and understanding, and we look forward to your active participation in the 60th anniversary of this society.
Chairman Hideki Hoshiro