Director's Welcome

　To promote the "humanization of technology" advocated by artistic engineering, humans' biological characteristics must first be understood. Therefore, physiological anthropology has been examining fundamental characteristics of humans through various experimental methods.
Today, various issues such as global climate change, low birthrates, and longevity have become evident. Artistic engineering and physiological anthropology must find ways to fix them. Therefore, we founded the Physiological Anthropology Research Center to explore specific solutions in cooperation with a range of organizations; these are not limited to those within Kyushu University, but include international, industrial, and academic organizations. After presenting details on the four departments in our center, we will be glad to answer your questions.

Background

Dramatic innovations in technology and information appear to be improving people's lives, but the environment to which humans have biologically adapted for survival looks less and less like the current natural one; the strain this creates has already caused problems for humans, such as health risks. To tackle such obstacles, it is necessary to conduct basic research on humans' biological adaptations. Since the Kyushu Institute of Design was established 45 years ago, investigations along these lines have been carried out in the field of physiological anthropology. To solve the urgent challenges facing civilization, using this basic research as the foundation, organizations specializing in applied studies are necessary.