Takashi Kawashima
Digital Designer. Creative Director.
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Google Project Guideline

 

Google Project Guideline: Enabling Independence for Runners with Visual Impairments

Google Japan project, in collaboration with Google Creative Lab and Google Research.

Project Guideline is an early-stage research project by Google Research that explores the potential of on-device machine learning to help people with visual impairments run independently with just a mobile phone, headphones, and a guideline painted on the ground. This pioneering initiative, announced in the United States in 2020, expanded to Japan with my assistance, a significant event in anticipation of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Animation showing how Project Guideline communicates to users through sound.
Animation showing how Project Guideline communicates to users through sound.

The heart of Project Guideline for Japan is the story of Masamitsu Misono, our first blind partner in Japan, who has a deep love for running. With the help of Project Guideline, Misono-san was able to achieve his dream of running independently without the need for an escort. Our short documentary film and website tell the story of Misono-san's journey and showcase our work with partners, while also calling for more partners to join us in our mission.

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Project Brief:

“Demonstrate that Google is the most helpful brand when the world comes together through innovation.”

My Role:

As part of Google Japan’s Tokyo Olympics Campaign, this project was initiated as an innovation venture. Serving as the creative director, I co-led the project with Ted Yukawa, the head of brand marketing. My role involved identifying the opportunity, spearheading internal stakeholder management, crafting narratives, providing creative direction for the brand film, and designing the website and marketing materials. In addition, I advocated for accessibility by collaborating with internal and external accessibility partners. This resulted in Google Japan's first brand film featuring an audio description version for visually impaired individuals and captions for those with hearing impairments.

Result:

The project garnered substantial positive attention and was featured by nearly all major TV networks in Japan. It also earned the Excellence Award from the Japan Media Arts Festival, an annual event organized by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and the Grand Prize from the Innovation League Contest held by the Japan Sports Agency of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

Integration in Tokyo Paralympics Opening Ceremony

Project Guideline and its technology were featured in the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics on August 24, 2021. This endeavor was made possible through a partnership with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG), and their marketing agency, Dentsu. The technological display was broadcast globally, reaching over 36 million viewers in Japan alone. I was honored to present the idea of integrating Project Guideline's technology into the Paralympics ceremony and provided the overarching creative direction for the integration.

Challenge:

The original app was designed to recognize painted lines on the ground. However, the ceremonial context and broadcasting requirements necessitated modifications for the app to work with projected light and thicker lines. Given the live event's strict security protocols and careful coordination needs, preparation posed a significant challenge. Additionally, the grand scale of the event and COVID-19 restrictions made rehearsing in the Olympic Stadium extremely limited. We overcame these hurdles by testing remotely and virtually. We created a digital replica of the ceremony stage and surrounding environment, including elements such as projection mapping and spotlights, in Unity. This allowed us to conduct virtual simulations and ensure seamless execution.

Screen-record of the smart phone of virtual simulations in Unity — The system allowed us to simulate the performer’s movements and the images created by projection mapping.

Virtual simulations in Unity — The system allowed us to simulate the performer’s movements and the images created by projection mapping.

Projection Mapping test — A video of testing variations in line color and thickness.
Projection Mapping test — A video of testing variations in line color and thickness.

Projection Mapping test — Testing variations in line color and thickness.

Virtual Ekiden (Full Marathon Relay) Race

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In 2022, we embarked on a collaborative venture with NPO Achilles International Japan, an organization that connects people with disabilities and able-bodied people to enjoy running and walking together. Through this partnership, we facilitated the participation of visually impaired runners in the ASICS World Ekiden 2022. This unique, virtual Ekiden race connects digital sashes among teams of six, allowing the visually impaired runners to compete without the need for escort runners. Utilizing Project Guideline's technology, all six participants successfully completed the 42.195km race in a commendable time of 4 hours, 29 minutes, and 44 seconds.

Selected Honors: