During a lecture session called "Moonshot Goal 1: Introducing Cybernetic Avatars" held at Dubai's Museum of the Future, experts predicted that humans could have robotic digital twins in the future to perform their work and tasks on their behalf, allowing them to have more social freedom.

The session was part of a collaboration between the Dubai Future Foundation’s Dubai Future Labs and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, which brought together science and technology experts from Japan and the UAE to explore the intersection between reality and the Metaverse via robotics.

The lecture emphasised the potential for a society free from limitations of body, brain, space, and time by 2050. The Japan Science and Technology Agency's Moonshot Goal 1 program supports innovative ideas and research projects aimed at preparing societies for digital futures and developing the infrastructure to deploy advanced technologies that can enable virtual social activities by 2050.

One of the opportunities discussed during the sessions was the possibility of robots becoming digital twins of humans, performing tasks and work more accurately and quickly than humans. This advancement would potentially free up more time for socializing and other activities.

Khalifa Al Qama, Director of Dubai Future Labs, said, "Promoting research and development in cooperation with various scientific, technological and research institutions at the local and international levels is critical to anticipating future opportunities and transforming innovative ideas into real solutions for a better future for humanity.

“This event aligns with Dubai Future Foundation's efforts to identify the most important opportunities and upcoming technological transformations, and to exchange experiences, best practices and knowledge about the best ways for societies to benefit from future technology.”

Coexisting Between Digital and Real World

In the first talk, Dr. Norihiro Hagita, Programme Director and Professor at Osaka University of Arts, presented the main goals of the Moonshot Goal 1 programme, which includes seven research projects focused on developing a variety of cybernetic avatars to enable individuals to actively participate in the development of their societies, considering ethical, economic, environmental, legal and social factors.

Hiroshi Ishiguro, Project Manager and Professor at Osaka University, said during the second lecture, “Our lives will change drastically by 2050, and we will have greater freedom in choosing our location and how we spend our time participating in various activities such as work, education, medical care and daily life. We aim to develop levels of digital and real coexistence in a balanced manner.”

Junichi Ushiba, Deputy Project Manager and Professor at Keio University, spoke about promising technologies for analysing brain activities and body language to predict human interactions and behaviours, helping to develop the virtual reality world.

Kouta Minamizawa, Project Manager and Professor at Keio University, noted during the final lecture that the Moonshot Goal 1 programme helps people make full use of their abilities and share their skills and experiences with others to promote joint innovation.Dubai