work with creators
to make a world
full of joy
Engineer Interview
How to provide a wealth of
experience and emotions
during the finite amount of time
we have on this earth
Tsubasa Tsukahara
Job description: System & service design development
in the entertainment domain
Field of expertise: Human-computer interaction
Graduate School of Science and
Engineering; joined Sony in 2007
Please share any formative experiences from
your childhood or
school days that have
led to where you are today
A childhood spent pondering
the fleetingness
and
preciousness of human life,
and how people should
live their life
I’m always thinking about how to deliver emotions and put smiles on people’s faces, and I think this originates from my childhood experiences. My father was an engineer who designed disaster prevention infrastructuretsuch as bridges and dams. Whenever there was a disaster, he would rush to the disaster-stricken area. so even as a young child, I saw photos taken at scenes of disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunami, and volcanic eruptions, and my father would sometimes take me with him to building sites. Having experienced the might and fearsomeness of nature firsthand, and the fleetingness and preciousness of human life in the face of disaster, I became keenly aware of how people should lead their lives. This experience got me wondering to what extent human wisdom could save lives, and so I decided to major in medical engineering at university. As I learned about technologies related to the field of medicine, I also became aware of the importance of spending our limited time on this earth in a more fulfilling way. I strongly desired to deliver emotions and put smiles on people’s faces with products and services that I had developed, and so I decided to work as an engineer at Sony.
How did you get into your current
field of research?
The fascination of trying to
understand people through
interaction research
When I first joined Sony, I used my knowledge of chemistry,optics and physics to engage in the development of devices such as OLED displays. However, in the area of basic research, it might be 10 to 15 years before a finished product ever reaches a customer. Gradually, I became interested in the “touchpoints” in the technologies and products we develop that move people emotionally, in other words, I wanted to understand the people who use our devices, and the circumstances surrounding their use. Thus, the subject of my research shifted to human-computer interaction, which is concerned with the interface between people and devices. Human interaction is centered around delivering emotions, so it is a field of technology that has a strong affinity with entertainment. I also went to Sony’s bases for its game business in San Mateo, and for its entertainment business in Culver City, in an attempt to put the results of my research into practice. Incorporating the perspectives of CX (Customer Experience) and EX (Enterprise experience), which are extensions of interaction research, I am currently working on developing applications to bring technologies developed by R&D engineers to other business divisions, such as music and movies.
What do you consider to be great
about the Sony R&D Center?
If I really want to do something,
someone
will support me
in my endeavors
There is a culture here in which, if you convey your conviction of wanting to try something, your managers and managers from other departments will support your endeavors in a variety of ways. One such example that stuck with me was when I proposed that I wanted to trial AR technology in the most demanding country culture and businesses, to see it in use in other business and cultural settings, aiming for the practical application of research. While there were various difficulties and constraints involved, there were also managers and colleagues to support me, and eventually I was given the green light to go ahead and do it. Similarly, even though it’s not necessarily just to repay the favor, when someone asks my opinion, I try to be as supportive as I can. It’s a privilege to be in an environment together with some of the world’s best minds and talented people, and it’s a channel with speedy access to the very cutting-edge of our technologies and businesses. When you want to find out about something that is outside your current field of expertise, you have the opportunity to learn from experts on the subject, affording you expertise in broader areas as your career develops.
Please share the experience you’ve had while
at the Sony R&D Center that made
the biggest impression on you
“When attempting something new,
entrusting the task
to someone who
has experienced failure
will
guarantee a higher rate of success”
One of the challenges that I experienced was in the development of an interactive AR program in collaboration with the Ghostbusters movie. It was a massive undertaking, involving partner companies, famous film directors, and many others, and the resulting game consisted of players wearing headsets and eliminating ghosts that appeared in the city. The AR experience was rated as one of the “best experiences ever,” and a “true fusion of the real and the virtual.” At the same time, I learned firsthand that there are far more conditions to clear in getting a business venture off the ground than I had imagined, such as cost, failure rate, aspects relating to business models, and so on. At that time, the top management said to me, “Go and learn more about business,” and taking on new missions has led me to where I am today, acting as a bridge between the R&D Center and the entertainment business. Along with the weight of responsibility to bring new technologies to the world, this experience reminded me of Sony’s broad-minded view, using failure as the driving force behind new growth, rather than dwelling on the obstacles that were encountered.
What kind of world do you hope
can be achieved through
the technologies you are researching?
Perfecting human-computer
interaction to create
a world full of joy
I want to increase the number of people who, at the end of their life, look back fondly on it and think, “I had a good life.” It would give me the greatest pleasure to know that my research into human-computer interaction has gone some way towards achieving that. I don’t have the talent or skill to make music, movies, or games, but I can help the creators that do. Through R&D, I hope to be able to continue providing creators with new technologies, using the knowledge and skills I’ve cultivated in various fields, and work together to create a world full of joy.
What words do you take to heart
in your daily research activities?
“Life is not about waiting for
the storm to pass…
it’s about learning to
dance in the rain”
This is something once said by the American singer-songwriter Vivian Greene. The research and development that we are engaged in on a daily basis is not always successful, and that’s because there is no correct answer. Sometimes things don’t work out even after you’ve invested a lot of time and effort in them. At those times, I remember these words, and try to frame it in a positive light, thinking of it as just one of life’s colorful experiences. I cheer myself up by reminding myself that I can make use of what I learned from that experience in my next endeavor.
