[Event Report] Augmented Humans 2026 —

Researcher Kasahara Serves as General Co-Chair; Cybernetic Humanity Studio Open Lab Draws Large Crowds

The Augmented Humans (AHs) International Conference 2026 was held from March 16–19, 2026, at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). The conference serves as a global research community platform focused on the physical, cognitive, and perceptual augmentation of humans through digital technologies. The 2026 edition saw 292 pre-registered participants from 18 countries, marking a significant growth in scale compared to recent years. Since its inaugural edition in 2010, the conference has grown steadily in both reach and influence, bringing together researchers from diverse fields including HCI, robotics, wearables, XR, sensory augmentation, and BCI. This year’s program spanned topics from fundamental research to real-world implementation, as well as ethical and cultural dimensions of human augmentation, fostering interdisciplinary presentations and lively discussions.

Shunichi Kasahara, researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. (Sony CSL), served as one of the General Co-Chairs of the conference, alongside Prof. Kouta Minamizawa (Keio University Graduate School of Media Design), Senior Researcher Paul Strohmeier (Max Planck Institute for Informatics), and Prof. Yomna Abdelrahman (Bundeswehr University Munich). Since 2023, Kasahara has been based at OIST, where he pursues his research into “Cybernetic Humanity” — a vision of a new form of humanity emerging through integration with computing.

On the evening of March 17, during the conference, the Cybernetic Humanity Studio at OIST — led by Kasahara — hosted an Open Lab event. Latest research demonstrations on human augmentation and embodiment were presented to the conference communities and public, sparking active discussions with visitors about the societal implications and future directions of the research. The venue was filled with nearly 200 attendees, making it a valuable opportunity to share research as a lived “experience.” An OIST Lab Reception was held concurrently, bringing together researchers, students, engineers, and other participants from a wide range of backgrounds for vibrant international networking.

The conference also featured a keynote by Sony CSL’s Chief Science Officer, Jun Rekimoto, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his longstanding and significant contributions to the field of human augmentation. For more details, please refer to the related article. The keynote lineup was notably diverse: Prof. Olaf Blanke (EPFL), whose research explores the neuroscientific foundations of bodily self-consciousness and the relationship between consciousness and bodily augmentation using robotics and VR; Prof. Jun Tani (OIST), who investigates human-robot co-developmental interaction based on the Free Energy Principle; and Prof. Catherine Holloway (UCL / GDI Hub), who leads assistive technology initiatives across 41 countries including the Global South, challenging us to consider what truly inclusive augmentation looks like. Together, they brought a wide variety of perspectives to the questions of possibility and challenge in human augmentation.Augmented Humans 2026 concluded successfully at OIST — an internationally diverse, world-class research environment — as a global forum for exploring the co-evolution of humans and technology. The next edition will be held in Sri Lanka, and we look forward to seeing the conference continue to grow. For more information about the conference, please visit the link below. 
https://augmented-humans.org

Organizing Committee Members at Sony CSL : 

General Co-Chair: Shunichi Kasahara (Sony CSL / OIST)

Local Arrangement Co-Chair: Takeru Hashimoto (Sony CSL / OIST)

Web Chair: Kazuma Takada (OIST / Sony CSL)