Lucid Virtual/Augmented Reality (LVAR) Integrated with an Endoskeletal Robot Suit: StillSuit: A new framework for cognitive and physical interventions to support the ageing society

Japanese society is ageing ever faster. One of the most critical issues here is the shortage of working population, which is both cause and effect of the ‘super-ageing’ problem. We propose a new framework to ‘desterilize’ and utilize the elderly population as a new social resource. To sustain and hopefully enhance cognitive and physical functions of the elderly, we integrate cognitive and physical interventions by using high-fidelity (Hi-Fi) virtual/augmented reality (Lucid Virtual/Augmented Reality, LVAR) and an endoskeletal robot suit (StillSuit), respectively. LVAR has a physics-fidelity (Phy-Fi) digital-self for each LVAR space, and provides real time dynamic feedbacks to the user through StillSuit. Physical interventions are governed with a biologically relevant musculoskeletal model tailored for each user. To realize social cognition, furthermore, LVAR provides a social networking service with high quality 3D immersive experiences, which is able to be shared by remote users. With the fine-tuned interventions based on biological data of human and non-human animals, we prolong the healthy life expectancy of the elderly population to be the social resource, by which we will overcome the negative spiral of the super-ageing society.