Attending UbiComp / ISWC 2025

The venue, Aalto University. “Yliopisto” means “university” in Finnish.

Hello! I’m Kaiya Shimura (kaiya), a first-year doctoral student.

From October 12 to 16, 2025, I attended UbiComp / ISWC 2025, which was held at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland (Official website: UbiComp / ISWC 2025). Three members from the Kawaguchi Laboratory participated: myself (Kaiya), Kisho Watanabe (kisho), and Tahera-Sensei.

What is UbiComp / ISWC? ━━━

UbiComp / ISWC is a world-leading conference in ubiquitous computing and wearable computing. It covers a wide range of research topics, including computers embedded in daily environments, wearable devices, the applications and services built on top of them, and their impact on human experiences and society.

The Kawaguchi Laboratory participates in this conference every year, and it was once again a very stimulating opportunity. Here is last year’s report.

Oral Presentations and Poster Presentations

• Oral presentation at HASCA 2025 (kisho)

  During the workshop period, the Human Activity Sensing Corpus and Applications (HASCA 2025) was held, and M2 student kisho gave an oral presentation.

• Oral presentation in an ISWC session (Prof. Tahera)

  At ISWC (International Symposium on Wearable Computers), Prof. Tahera gave an oral presentation.

• Poster presentation at Posters & Demos (kaiya)

  I gave a poster presentation in the Posters & Demos program.

When I stood in front of my poster, participants who were interested came to talk to me one after another. Being able to discuss my proposed method with researchers from various backgrounds was a very valuable experience.

In a poster presentation, you explain the same content repeatedly, but each time you must adjust your explanation depending on the listener’s expertise and interests. There were many moments when I couldn’t convey things well in English, and I felt strongly that I want to improve my ability to discuss in English. At the same time, the poster also allowed me to hear about others’ research, making it a very good place for exchange.

Interaction with Researchers

Chatting during a coffee break ☕️

There were many opportunities to talk with students and faculty from other universities during lunch, coffee breaks, and social events.

At the social event, we walked along the lakeside and talked with other participants, and even went into a sauna on campus. It was a chance to interact while experiencing the atmosphere unique to Finland.

We talked not only about research but also about daily life, studying abroad, careers, and many other topics, and I had a very enjoyable time.

Hiking around Maarinlahti (a natural area along the Gulf of Finland)

Banquet

A banquet was also held during the conference period.

Scene from the venue

Speaking of Finland—salmon 🐟

Nordic dishes such as salmon and venison were served, and we enjoyed the meal while interacting with other participants. In addition, various awards were presented, and outstanding research from this year was introduced. Seeing the work recognized at a top conference up close increased my motivation.

A Little Sightseeing

• Helsinki Cathedral

  With Prof. Tahera’s friend. (Unfortunately, it was under repair.)

• Sauna Löyly

  Speaking of Finland—sauna. I felt so "Zen" in the Baltic Sea.

• Oodi Helsinki Central Library

  A public library known as “the best in the world.”

Each place allowed me to feel aspects of Finnish culture and lifestyle.

Impressions and Future Outlook

At this year’s UbiComp / ISWC 2025, I was able to interact with many overseas researchers with whom I normally have no contact. I also exchanged information with students from other Japanese universities, which was very inspiring.

In particular, seeing Japanese undergraduate and master’s students confidently presenting in English at an international conference and actively asking questions and engaging in discussions made me feel that I must work harder myself.

There are not many opportunities to present your research at an international conference and receive direct feedback. I hope to apply the comments and ideas I received this time to future research—revisiting my experimental design and evaluation methods to produce more convincing results.

Finally

Next year’s conference is scheduled to be held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

That concludes Kaiya’s report!

If you would like to know more about this post or are interested in the Kawaguchi Laboratory, please feel free to visit us! Students can contact kisho☆ucl.nuee.nagoya-u.ac.jp (replace ☆ with @). We in the Kawaguchi Laboratory look forward to your visit!