• This lab conducts fundamental research for deep natural language processing (NLP) and NLP-oriented information organization such as classification, extraction, and summarization of language information. Our activities also cover a broad range of applied research including NLP-based information and knowledge mining, information credibility analysis, and resilient ICT through the maximal use of Big Data.

(i) Analysis of market trend or research trend through intelligent text mining, (ii) Discovery of potential needs and risks from opinions in social media, (iii) Management of knowledge in a company by analyzing internal documents, etc.

• Our study focuses on sensing, processing, recognition, understanding, and analysis of enormous visual data collected in real-world environments. We have invented a set of advanced techniques of sub-pixel image analysis using phase-based image matching. Potential applications include personal recognition using various biometric traits (e.g., face, fingerprint, palm print, finger knuckle print, iris, and medical radiographs), machine vision, multi-view 3D reconstruction, image database search, and medical image computing. We are also studying fundamental techniques for building secure ICT infrastructure for the big data era; our research interests include tamper-resistant cryptographic processing and biometrics-based secure remote authentication.

We can provide collaboration and information exchange services for industries and other research organizations in the fields of image processing, computer vision, information security, biometrics, LSI design, and embedded system technologies. Many researchers and engineers from various companies, universities, and research institutions have visited our laboratory regardless of their technology fields. Our staff at the Intelligent Information System (IIS) Research Center will welcome potential collaborators: info@iisrc.ecei.tohoku.ac.jp

• Our study focuses on information security technologies for the next-generation ICT society fusing real-world and cyber-space computing. We are now conducting the research and development of ultra-high-speed, ultra-low power LSI computing to perform security functions such as encryption and secure computing, secure implementation technologies to protect systems from various physical attacks (attacks carried out by physical access to the system), and security optimization technologies tailored to the system usage environment and application area.

We can provide collaboration and information exchange services in the fields of information security. In particular, we have experiences of domestic/international collaborative researches on embedded security with some companies, universities, and governmental institutes.

• Toward realizing a high-performance neuromorphic vision processing system, our research involves a neural network model of spatial perception based on motion-stereo vision and its implementation on a very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI). Important parameters for spatial perception such as time-to-contact, orientation, and the shortest distance to plane surfaces of a target object are recognized by using the model without knowing moving direction and velocity of the object. We have developed a VLSI capable of performing visual perception based on the model with low power consumption, reduced less than 1/100 compared with a commercial CPU.

Targeted applications include a drone flying autonomously equipped with collision avoidance system by visual perception. Targeted industry includes infrastructure inspection, agriculture, logistics, and so on.

• To realize ultralow-power and high-performance integrated circuit and information processing, spintronics physics, material, devices are studied.