Research Areas
At Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL), researchers are not assigned predefined topics by the company; instead, they have the freedom to choose their own themes and pursue them from unique perspectives. At the same time, when looking at these activities from a broader perspective, we can observe that research is currently conducted across six major "Research Areas." These areas are not rigid frameworks; rather, they are seen as evolving and transitioning in response to changes in the times and shifts in researchers' interests.
Here, we introduce Sony CSL's diverse research areas and the activities associated with them.
This research area is dedicated to fundamental studies accross the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts. It aims not only to expand the possibilities for new discoveries and technological applications but also to pioneer new fields of research.
This research area addresses planetary-scale challenges such as climate change and the biodiversity crisis. While aiming to build sustainable societies and ecosystems within the limits of environmental resources, capacities we focus on practical actions that extend beyond theoretical studies, contributing to solutions for global challenges in real-world and regional contexts.
This research area focuses on diverse fields that revolve around creativity, such as art, music, and visual design. By developing technologies and methodologies that expand human imagination and enable new forms of expression and experiences, we aim to contribute to the formation of future cultures and their sustainability.
This research area explores ways to enhance human capabilities through sensory augmentation and robotics. By offering new experiences in vision and touch or developing technologies that complement and extend physical functions, we seek to broaden human potential while also exploring the redefinition of humanity itself.
Grounded in AI and data analytics, this research area aims to bring intelligence to real-world systems and processes. From a cybernetics perspective, we pursue the extraction of efficient and meaningful information, connecting the results to practical applications in society and industry.
This research area focuses on strengthening social systems through technology to create sustainable and harmonious communities. It addresses a wide range of challenges, including urban design, information sharing, and the optimization of decision-making processes. The goal is to propose new forms of collaboration and sustainable societal models.