Last updated: March 2025  ·  Kimurakilabo, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Gunma Paz University
KAL
Kimurakilabo
Graduate School of Health Sciences · Gunma Paz University, Japan
JJPHPT Journal ↗
Physical Activity Science · Public Health · Informatics · Est. 2010

Informatization of
Physical Activity
for Human Healthspan

Contributing to the healthspan of all people through the informatization of physical activity and its applications in public health, physical therapy, and accessibility technology.

Explore Our Research JJPHPT Open Access Journal ↗
2010
Est.
4
KAKENHI Grants
APHA
Award 2022
ACRM
Poster Award 2020
📍 1-7-1 Tonyamachi, Takasaki, Gunma 370-0006, Japan
📧 [email protected]
🌐 jjphpt.netlify.app
🗓 Upcoming: IDF2025 Bangkok · WP2025 Tokyo · ACRM Chicago
研究道
Akira Kimura, PhD, PT
Professor & Lab Director
Laboratory Director
Akira Kimura, PhD, PT
Professor — Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation
Graduate School of Health Sciences — Doctoral Programme in Biological Function & Physical Activity Informatics
Gunma Paz University, Takasaki, Japan
International Associate Member, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, UK)

Prof. Kimura leads a multidisciplinary research group at the intersection of physical therapy, public health informatics, wearable biosensing, and accessibility technology. Since 2010, the laboratory has developed novel methods for quantifying human physical activity and translating these into clinical, epidemiological, and social applications — particularly for ageing populations and individuals with visual impairments.

Research Question: How should you move your body to maintain a healthy life? It is a deceptively simple question — one without a universal answer. We independently develop better exercise and physical activity regimens and explore how ICT and IoT can deliver them equitably to all.
Physical Activity Epidemiology Human Health Informatics Wearable Biosensing Accessibility Technology Electrotactile Sensing Machine Learning Public Health Rehabilitation Science
Our Mission Lab Goals Past Activities Educational Resources
Research Themes

Areas of Investigation

Our work spans four interconnected themes, united by the concept of the informatization of physical activity — building bridges between movement science, data technology, and population health.

01
Prevention of Lifestyle-Disease Functional Decline
Using physical therapy enriched by the informatization of physical activity to prevent functional deterioration caused by lifestyle diseases. We develop integrated health support methods combining IT, IoT, and health education, with vascular stiffness improvement as a primary outcome.
Physical Therapy
02
Biological Function & Physical Activity Quantification
Developing mathematical models and measurement methods for human biological function and physical activity, and applying these to medicine and public health. Includes longitudinal cohort studies in longevity communities across Okinawa Prefecture and field research in Gunma.
Epidemiology
03
Compensation Technology for Visual Impairment
Developing electrotactile signal technologies that help people with visual impairments perceive spatial information — including depth, proximity, and collision hazards — without relying on vision. Current KAKENHI-funded work examines EEG phase synchronisation during collision avoidance (JSPS 24K06197).
Accessibility · IoT
04
Public Health & Epidemiology Education
Creating educational materials for public health and epidemiology incorporating physical activity informatics. The laboratory also conducts field-based health promotion research, including a cabbage-farming community health project in Tsumagoi Village in collaboration with JA Tsumagoi (since 2022).
Public Health
Positioning within related disciplines:
Anatomy & Physiology · Biochemistry — Posture & Movement (Human Kinesiology)
 ↓
Physical Activity Informatics & Public Health (身体活動情報保健学)
 ↓
Behaviour & Lifestyle Science — Longevity Science · Medical Science · Public Health
 ↓
Philosophy of Science
KAKENHI Research Public Communication Tsumagoi Community Health Project
Software & Tools

Laboratory-Developed Software

All tools developed in-house to advance physical activity research and accessibility technology. MPIPA has been distributed continuously since 1996.

📊
MPIPA 3
Physical activity quantification based on the PIPA method (Posture–Intensity–Duration). Originally developed in Visual Basic (1996, Vector), now rebuilt in Python with interactive analogue-metre visualisation. Windows 11+. No Python installation required. Record-output function available (paid).
→ Download on Vector (paid version)
🦴
PESEK
AI-powered markerless motion capture system for practical physical activity research. Uses skeleton estimation to analyse posture and movement without physical markers, enabling rapid activity guidance and simulation.
→ PESEK — AI Skeletal Estimation
🦯
Safety4U
An IoT pedestrian safety system for individuals with reduced visual function. Detects hazards and delivers electrotactile alerts to help users avoid collisions during ambulation. Verified on Windows and Ubuntu (Linux).
📈
PIPA Database
Community data accumulation project for physical activity measurements obtained using the Posture–Intensity method. Contributing to population-level reference data for physical activity quantification research.
→ Register your data
Scholarly Activities

Conferences & Awards

International Conferences

  • Invited Lecture — University of Modena, Modena, Italy 2026 Planned
  • SSM — London, UK 2026 Planned
  • IDF2025 — Bangkok, Thailand 2025 Planned
  • WP2025 — Tokyo, Japan 2025 Planned
  • ACRM Annual Conference — Chicago, USA 2025 Planned
  • WCE2024 — Cape Town, South Africa 2024
  • ACRM 101st Annual Conference — Dallas, USA 2024
  • ADA 84th Scientific Sessions — Orlando, FL, USA 2024
  • EAS2024 — Lyon, France 2024
  • ACRM 2023 (100th Anniversary) 2023
  • WP2023 — Dubai 2023
  • EAS2023 — Mannheim, Germany 2023
  • IPSJ 85th — Tokyo 2023
  • ACRM 99th — Chicago, USA Nov 2022
  • APHA Annual Meeting — Boston, USA 🏆 Nov 2022
  • EAS2021 — Okinawa longevity & vascular research 2021
  • WP2021 — Elderly visually impaired self-health 2021

Japanese Academic Societies

  • 日本疫学学会 — Kochi Feb 2025
  • 日本公衆衛生学会 — Sapporo Oct 2024
  • 日本疫学会 — Otsu Feb 2024
  • 日本公衆衛生理学療法学会 — Takasaki Feb 2024
  • 日本公衆衛生学会 — Tsukuba Oct 2023

Awards & Recognition

🏆
November 2022
APHA Aging Section — Nabuo Maeda Global Health Award, Honourable Mention
Research demonstrating that healthy longevity and lifespan extension may diverge across generations in Okinawa following enforced lifestyle change. Boston, USA.
🥇

Field Research Sites

  • Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture
  • Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
  • Tsumagoi Village, Gunma — Cabbage farming community health project (JA Tsumagoi, since 2022)
  • Kusatsu Town, Gunma Prefecture
  • Okinawa Prefecture — Healthy longevity cohort study (since 2015–2016)
Full Activity History →
Funded Research

KAKENHI Grants-in-Aid

Research supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI programme.

2024 – 2027 · Current
EEG Phase Synchronisation Arising When Persons with Blindness Avoid Collision via Electrotactile Signals
失明者が通電信号で衝突事故を回避する際に発生する脳波位相同期現象の研究
KAKENHI 24K06197
2021 – 2023 · Completed
Electrotactile Signalisation for Interpersonal Distance Recognition by Persons with Blindness
失明者が対人距離を認識するための通電覚の信号化に関する研究
KAKENHI 21K02712
2017 – 2019 · Completed
Composite Evaluation of Electrotactile Alerts Facilitating Hazard-Avoidance During Ambulation by Persons with Blindness
失明者の移動時の危険回避動作を促す通電アラートの複合評価
KAKENHI 17K12417
2012 – 2015 · Completed
Preventive Effect of Activity–Rest–Sleep Regulation on Vascular Function Deterioration in Post-Stroke Hemiplegia
活動・休養・睡眠の調整が及ぼす脳血管障害後片麻痺者の血管機能悪化予防効果の検証
KAKENHI 24593523
Laboratory toolkit: PWV · ABI · NPFES · Accelerometry · Wearable biosensors · Health literacy assessment · Machine learning · Causal inference · Electrotactile stimulation systems · Markerless motion capture (PESEK)
Associated Journal

Japanese Journal of Public Health Physical Therapy

JJPHPT

Japanese Journal of Public Health Physical Therapy (JJPHPT)

Peer-reviewed open access journal. Kimurakilabo is actively involved in editorial activities for this journal, which is also a branch of ICCEF-Japan.

Online ISSN: 2189-5899 ISSN-L: 2189-5899 Open Access · CC-BY ICCEF-Japan Branch
Visit Journal ↗

The laboratory is a branch of ICCEF-Japan (international community).

Books & Publications

Authored Works

身体活動学入門
身体活動学入門
Akira Kimura
Amazon →
実践身体活動学
実践身体活動学
Akira Kimura
Amazon →
はじめて学ぶやさしい疫学
改訂第4版
はじめて学ぶやさしい疫学 改訂第4版
Japan Epidemiological Association (Co-author)
Amazon →

Journal Club — Recent Feature

Zoom Meeting Series — Eleanor L. Watts, D.Phil., M.P.H. (University of Oxford) et al.
Association of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Level With Risks of Hospitalisation for 25 Common Health Conditions in UK Adults
JAMA Open Access · Presented in our laboratory reading group
Laboratory Resources

Pages & Links

Our Mission Research Objectives Educational Materials Laboratory Entry PESEK — AI Skeletal Estimation PIPA Data Registration Tsumagoi Community Project KAKENHI Research Results Electrotactile Distance Research IoT Safety Research 2017 Past Activities ICCEF-Japan MPIPA3 on Vector JJPHPT Journal
Get in Touch

Contact

Kimurakilabo

Address1-7-1 Tonyamachi, Takasaki,
Gunma 370-0006, Japan
InstitutionGraduate School of Health Sciences,
Gunma Paz University
DepartmentDoctoral Programme — Biological Function & Physical Activity Informatics · Faculty of Rehabilitation — Physical Therapy
Email[email protected]
Journal[email protected] (JJPHPT)
✉ Email JJPHPT Journal

Research Enquiries

We welcome enquiries from prospective graduate students, collaborators, and research partners. The laboratory accepts doctoral students interested in physical activity informatics, public health physical therapy, and electrotactile accessibility research.

Kimurakilabo is a branch of ICCEF-Japan and affiliated with the Japan Society of Public Health Physical Therapy. Prof. Kimura holds International Associate Membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, UK).