Design Magazine AXIS Vol.224 on Sale June 30 !

Feature
The New Space Age

Over half a century has passed since humankind first landed on the moon. Space has become now inseparable to our daily lives. The rapid progress in technology, moreover, has led us to envision space as a possible domain for living, and the major players in the business of space are shifting from a handful of superpowers to private enterprises.
On the other hand, the universe possesses a mysterious appeal that cannot be described solely by utilitarian factors. The reason space-related projects, which at times even appear reckless, are planned and executed owes solely to the inexhaustible romance human beings pursue. Space is still an object of adoration.
How will design be involved in this ambivalent and exciting world of outer space? Moreover, how will space-related design fuse with technologies and business to transform daily living? We examine these aspects in depth in this issue's feature. 

Into space on the wind
―Challenging balloon excursions by Iwaya Inc.

It has already been over 20 years since ex-NASA engineer Dennis Tito became the world's first private individual to travel into space at his own expense in 2001. Recently, private citizens have been going to space one after another, and there has been a rapid growth of companies that develop space travel services. The cost, however, is still high, a rigorous training is required, and the applicant's safety is not guaranteed. In light of all this, there is a startup in Japan that aims to provide an excursion out into space using a balloon. What is this balloon that aims to venture into space? We visited Iwaya Inc. in Sapporo, Japan to close in on the technology that supports this "safe excursion into space."

A new frontier as seen by Norishige Kanai, who has experienced living in outer space

Norishige Kanai was stationed on the International Space Station (ISS) for 168 days from December 2017 to June 2018. He now trains astronaut candidates, works at the Mission Control Room for the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM), and participates in the development of ISS instruments as well as projects such as the Pressurized Rover for future lunar exploration. How does this flight engineer, who has the valuable experience of long-term missions in space, anticipate the future of humankind living in space? We asked Kanai for his thoughts at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC).

INSIGHT
Luxury Means Time
LVMH Métiers d'Art CEO's continued commitment to the best in class

Matteo De Rosa, the CEO of LVMH Métiers d'Art, spoke to us about the company's unique approach and unwavering commitment to sourcing top-quality materials and investing in exceptional makers to sustain their craftsmanship for the future. This comes after the company announced the establishment of LVMH Métiers d'Art Japan in November 2022, which will further expand its operations.

INSIGHT
Tire maker Bridgestone's passion for robotics startup

Bridgestone  is making robots―not for optimizing productivity but for envisioning a society where robots and humans coexist. Softrobotics Ventures , the company's first in-house startup, launched last year the Dialogue, a robotic hand that revolutionized conventional concepts of robotic design. A gold winner in the iF Design Award  in Germany, the design proposed future robot-human coexistence in the AI era.

Sci Tech File
Diverse survival strategies in trees discovered through climbing them

What is happening in the treetops of large trees? Although forests are rather dim below, the branches and leaves in the treetops receive plenty of sunlight. How do trees transport water up from their roots to the uppermost parts? Do leaves in the treetops dry up on hot summer days? How have they become able to grow as tall as over 100 meters? To find the answers to these questions, a researcher Wakana Azuma climbs up huge large trees, gets data from their leaves and trunks, and clarifies survival strategies of plants to adapt to their particular environments. She fully utilizes her tree-climbing skills to study the ecology of forests. We talked with Wakana Azuma, Assistant Professor at the Laboratory of forest resources, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University.

TOHOKU Research by TAKT PROJECT
Pulling "yourself" away from your own gravitational force

There must be "something" that was forgotten in the process of developing a city centered around human beings. I visited places in the Tohoku region (north-east Japan) that possesses a harsh nature and a unique "fringe" culture in an attempt to find clues to future design from what has been forgotten there.