Takashi Toriizuka

（President of JES, Nihon University）

The application areas of Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) are expanding and the importance of the systems approach is becoming more recognized. The International Ergonomics Association (IEA) will revise the core competencies for HFE professionals in 2020, and is beginning to emphasize the practice of HFE addressing social solution issues, with a greater awareness of dissemination and implementation. In response to this situation, new HFE domains such as "HFE for Sustainability", "HFE in Climate Change", or "Green Ergonomics" have been given attention. We, the Japan Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (JES), have also been addressed to the issues and proposed the "Sustainable Ergonomics Development Goal 2040" in 2022. This keynote will provide an overview of recent global trends in HFE.

Fátima Díaz Bambula

(University del Valle, Colombia)

The Ph.D. programme in HFE has been running since 2022 in the Latin American and Caribbean Region. It is a joint initiative between Universidad del Valle and Universidad Nacional de Colombia, with support from IEA.

The forward-thinking Ph.D. programme boasts distinctive features such as multidisciplinary research groups and networking with global universities specialising in HFE. Furthermore, it provides a high-level educational programme under the following three research areas: 1) work and health, 2) innovation design and organisations, and 3) social impact and sustainability. This keynote outlines the pioneering Ph.D. program in Human Factors and Ergonomics.

Akinari Hirao

(Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan）

Alessandro Naddeo

(University of Salerno, Italy)

Rosaria Califano

(University of Salerno, Italy)

Roland Zemp

(sensomative ag, Switzerland)

Yohaness Brombach

(The German Association for Work Science （Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft, GfA）, Germany）

Kageyu Noro

(ErgoSeating, LTD.）

Dr. Masaaki Mochimaru

(National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

Well-being is defined as a positive state experienced by individuals and societies (WHO, 2021). It is similar to health, not limited to human but global. Sustainable development can be one state of human/global health. Well-being has two aspects; one is objective aspect such as physical health., the other is subjective aspect such as psychological happiness. Those can be measured and managed through interaction between humans and environment. We can apply the recent technology, wearable sensing and AI to improve the interaction towards well-being. These approaches are strongly related to ergonomics.

Dr. Minako Hosono

(National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

As the world's ageing population continues to grow, various initiatives are actively undertaken to enhance community wellbeing. The activities of ISO/TC 314 Ageing Societies, along with an overview of the international standard developed by ISO/TC 314 Ageing Societies/WG 4 Wellbeing (ISO 25554:2024 Ageing societies — Guidelines for promoting wellbeing in communities, published in 2024), will be presented in this symposium. The standard facilitates the comparison, contrast, and sharing of knowledge regarding initiatives from different communities across various countries.

Prof. Woojin Park

(Seoul National University (Seoul, Korea))

As vehicles become increasingly intelligent and connected, attention is shifting toward not only driver performance but also driver wellbeing. This presentation explores the concept of driver wellbeing as a holistic state encompassing physical comfort, mental alertness, and emotional balance. It emphasizes the growing recognition that stress, fatigue, and discomfort impair driving performance and lead to long-term health issues, especially among professional drivers. Through a human factors and ergonomics lens, the talk outlines key research domains including physical ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics, vigilance monitoring, emotional design, and integrated wellness systems. Technological innovations such as biometric sensors, mood-adaptive AI, and comfort-enhancing features (e.g., massage seats, ambient lighting) are transforming vehicles into wellness-supportive environments. Case studies from industry leaders highlight how AI and affective computing are being applied to enhance in-cabin experience. Looking ahead, the presentation discusses emerging trends such as autonomous vehicles as health platforms, personalized wellness assistants, and the need for privacy-aware, inclusive design. This presentation contributes to the broader discussion by bridging disciplines including engineering, psychology, and design to propose future research directions and practical strategies for integrating driver wellbeing into vehicle system design at scale.

Prof. Myung Hwan Yun

(Seoul National University (Seoul, Korea))

This talk addresses the critical  role of human factors and ergonomics (HFE) in the success of AI projects. While AI technologies are advancing rapidly across domains, from healthcare to logistics, over 90% of AI initiatives still fail—largely due to insufficient integration of human-centered principles. The concept of “intelligentizing” HFE refers to embedding AI systems with intuitive, human-aware design that aligns with user expectations, mental models, and cognitive capabilities.

Drawing on examples from the South Korean Government Research Initiative, "Intelligent-izing Human Factors" , this presentation illustrates how AI performance can match user experiences, privacy concerns, or lack of transparency.

Standards such as ISO 9241-210 are emphasized for guiding human-centered AI design. Key concepts like affordance, mental models, and socio-technical systems are explored to stress the importance of seamless human-AI interaction.

Finally, successful AI requires more than technical accuracy—it must understand, adapt to, and harmonize with human needs. Intelligent ergonomics bridges this gap, ensuring AI systems are not only powerful but also usable, trustworthy, and socially accepted. As AI becomes ubiquitous, the future of ergonomics lies in co-evolving with intelligent systems to enhance both human performance and system effectiveness.

Prof. Eric Wang

(National Tsing Hua University (Hsinchu, Taiwan))

As the Taiwan Patient-safety Reporting System was established for some years, healthcare ergonomics and patient safety is promoted since early 2010s. It is still in the early stage of the efforts. This presentation shares the development of this movement in Taiwan.

It is found that the unfamiliarity and unawareness of ergonomics in the healthcare sector is the main obstacle for the movement. To cope with this, the Ergonomics Society of Taiwan initiated a taskforce dedicated on this track. Some rewarding achievements are realized by organizing various activities to promote ergonomics in healthcare work after years of devotion. Up to now, it is just a beginning and many more work are to be continued by the future generations.

Prof. Min-Chi Chiu

(the National Chin-Yi University of Technology (Taichung, Taiwan))

Well-being is a broad concept related to what is intrinsically valuable to individuals and what defines a fulfilling life. Well-being is based on a set of objective goods that contribute to a fulfilling life, such as health, knowledge, relationships, and personal development. Ergonomics plays a vital role in enhancing human well-being by designing environments, tools, and systems that align with human capabilities and limitations. A well-structured ergonomic setup reduces physical strain, minimizes discomfort, and boosts productivity, ultimately supporting both physical and mental health.

In Taiwan, a dedicated group of human factors professionals is actively engaged in various practical fields, including industry, healthcare, the military, and transportation. Their work focuses on optimizing task performance to ensure safety, comfort, and efficiency, thereby fostering healthier and more fulfilling lives. They undertake research projects commissioned by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Labor, major medical centers and hospitals, and advanced defense technology programs from the Ministry of National Defense. Additionally, they serve as key advisors on national committees, playing a crucial role in safeguarding the well-being of employees across the country.

Dr. Masaaki Mochimaru

(National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

International standards related to ergonomics and human factors have been developed mainly by ISO TC159. The principles and guidances of human-centered design and accessibility were standardized here have a wide range of applications, not only in TC159 but also in new TCs such as aging societies and services. This is due in large part to not only fundamental standards such as terminology, safety, and compatibility, but also strategic standards such as principles, measurements, and guidelines. In Japan, too, discussions have begun on promotion of the idea of fundamental and strategic standards, strategically utilize them, and advance international consensus building as part of a national standardization strategy. Here, we will introduce fundamental and strategic standards using ergonomics standards as an example, and provide an overview of how they contribute to the transformation of industry and society.

Mr. Keisuke Hanyuda

（Owls Consulting Group, Inc.）

The Japanese government has been developing a “New International Standards Strategy” for the strategic use of international standards for the first time since 2006. This presentation will explain the key points of this strategy from my perspective as a member of the International Standards Strategy Subcommittee of the Cabinet Office, which was involved in the policy making. In particular, I will address the selection of important and strategic areas for international standardization, the expansion of the command post function in the government, and measures to discontinuously strengthen the ecosystem for international standardization. The role of academia in Japan's international standardization will also be discussed, taking into account the international standardization strategies of major countries such as the U.S., the EU, and China. At the same time, the concept of a “rule-forming market creation strategy” that can be implemented by the private sector will be explained.

Mr. Naotake Fujishiro

（Japan Intellectual Property and Standard Co., Ltd.）

Standardization in Japan has been driven primarily by the government, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry（METI）, and industry, but in basic fields and in recent years, in the field of cutting-edge technology, not only social implementation technology but also basic data collection and analysis in academia are extremely important. Furthermore, the consensus-building process in Japan's standardization has traditionally required the cooperation of not only industry associations but also academia. From this perspective, METI has been discussing the standardization policy to strengthen collaboration between academia and standardization. This symposium will discuss the current state of collaboration between academia and industry, issues that will contribute to the further development of standardization activities in Japan, and efforts to resolve these issues.

Dr. Nana Itoh

(National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

ISO/TC 159 in the field of ergonomics conducts standardization activities on various issues related to humans. TC 159 deals with cross-disciplinary issues such as matters related to human characteristics and problems that arise when humans use products, systems, and environments. For this reason, standard documents based on scientific knowledge and information have been published, and further developments are expected in the future.

This presentation addresses the interesting aspects of standardization activities from a researcher's viewpoint, using the standardization of "accessible design," which takes into account the needs of the older people and people with disabilities, as examples.

Higuchi Yoshiyuki

 (Fukuoka University of Education) 

In recent years, discussions on the construction of national databases and personal health records have progressed, and opportunities to come into contact with various big data have become more common. In this luncheon seminar, Dr. Higuchi Yoshiyuki, who has in-depth knowledge of big data analysis, will focus on the big data on workers' health examinations conducted by the Japan Preventive Medicine Association and explain the basic methods such as various research analysis designs, data trimming, and data linkage. In addition, he will explain the analysis results obtained through time-series data analysis, etc., and the health issues of workers from the perspective of appropriate health management for each age group.

Yohei Tarumoto

(Section chief, Aso Educational Services Co., Ltd.)

Kitakyushu City has a special way of improving nursing care called the Kitakyushu Model. The model has three stages. First, it helps people to visualize their work. Next, it uses technology to help, like information and communication technologies (ICT) and nursing care robots. Finally, it organizes business operations. Since April 2021, the Kitakyushu City Nursing Care Robot Introduction Support and Promotion Center has been using this model. Aso Educational Services Co., Ltd. runs the center. This center has helped special nursing homes in the city by improving work efficiency. For example, it has introduced equipment to help with transfers, which reduces the work load for nursing care staff. It has also introduced equipment to monitor patients at night, which reduces the need for staff to patrol the floor at night. In April 2025, the center was integrated with the Kitakyushu City Nursing Care Training and Promotion Center, with Aso Educational Services continuing to provide escort support. The use of nursing care technology has allowed for more efficient use of staff, such as having elderly nursing staff assist with transfers. These changes have gotten a lot of attention in Japan and other countries. Mr. Tarumoto, the former director of the Kitakyushu City Nursing Care Robot Introduction Support and Promotion Center, will give a lecture on these initiatives.