Admission Guide for the 2nd International Universal Design Research Course

Satoshi Kose

Dr of Engineering
Professor Emeritus, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
Guest Researcher, Building Research Institute

• 2017-:
  Chair, Board of Directors, IAUD
• 2003-2014:
  Professor, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
• 1972-2003:
  The Building Research Institute (BRI), Ministry of Construction (BRI became an agency in 2001)
• 1978-79:
  Stayed at the Building Research Establishment, UK as a guest researcher
• 1975-77:
  Worked with the Science and Technology Agency, the Prime Minister’s Office
• 1971:
  Graduated from the University of Tokyo (Department of Architecture)

Specialized in research on building use and safety, universal design and inclusive design. Published many papers and book chapters related to the topic. Several books in Japanese were published as well.
Developed draft design guidelines of dwellings for the ageing society, whose basic concept became the norm in Japan.
Received several awards such as Ron Mace Designing for the 21st Century Award, Include 2003 Award, etc.

Keiji Kawahara

Industrial Designer
President, KIDStudio Corporation
Professor Emeritus, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences
Executive Director, International Association for Universal Design
Member of IAUD International Design Award Selection Committee

Keiji Kawahara graduated from Department of Industrial Design, Kyushu Institute of Design (then Kyushu University), Japan in 1976 with a Bachelor of Design, and completed Postgraduate Advanced Course at KID in 1977. Then he graduated from the School of Industrial Design, Royal College of Art, London in 1980 with a Master of Design, MDes(RCA).
He founded the design office Kawahara ID Studio in 1981, then established KIDStudio Corporation in 1988 and became President. He held various posts including a member of a variety of public deliberative assemblies, such as a Judge of Good Design (G-Mark) Products Selection System, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and a Coordinator of the Product and Development Committee, Tokyo Creative Committee.

He had a serial column “Yasashii-Ippin” (User-Friendly Products) in Asahi Shimbun newspaper, and contributed articles for Nikkei newspaper, Gakken Co., Ltd., and a variety of trade magazines about food and nursing care etc. He gave lectures for local governments, academic societies, and public service organizations, and also gave lectures on Universal Design in UK, Germany, Spain, Norway, Korea, and Hong Kong.

He received various prizes such as first prize in the Industrial Design competition for Zinc Die-casting for Braille Label Marker, UK, Governor of Osaka Prefecture Prize in the 2nd International Design Competition for Natural Fiber Reinforced Plastic Biogas Plant, Japan Design Foundation, and a Good Design Award for a Platform Safety System, and his Barrier-free Kitchen was selected into the Universal Design Exemplars.
He has been specializing in designing for handicapped people since 1970s and been involved in the planning and development of a wide range of products such as industrial equipment, information tools, housing equipment, and medical and welfare devices etc. Especially in the field of universal design and sustainable design, he is an expert of product development related with social issues.

He organized the International Conference for Universal Design in Japan 2002 and served as its promoter / member of Executive Committee / Secretary General, then founded the International Association for Universal Design (IAUD) in November 2003, of which he became Executive Director.

Masayoshi Kubo

Professor Emeritus of Kyoto Institute of Technology
Designer/Design Theory, Ergonomics, Regional Research, Design Management

• Academic affiliations:
  Honorary member of the Japanese Society for the Science of Design,
  Kansai Executive Committee of Japan Ergonomics,
  Kansai Secretary of Japanese Association for an inclusive Society.
• Career:
  At Panasonic, Involved in overseas products and the development of Japan's first UD products. Involved in the establishment of Panasonic Design Company and the creation of the Panasonic CI.
  After leaving Panasonic, Take the professor in the Design and Architecture Department at the Kyoto Institute of Technology Graduate School, in charge of design management engineering (undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs) (qualified the lead doctoral programs instructor).
• Committee members:
  Served as planning committee for the International Design Exchange Association, member of the Kyoto Brand Promotion Special Committee,
  G-Mark review committee member for the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization,
  vice-chairman of the Research and Study Committee for the New Japan Style Council, member of the Kyoto Smart Products committee, chairman of the Maizuru City Leading Industry Challenge Project etc.
• UD products:
  
  1. G Mark UD Award 《National "Sitting posture Shower"》 1996.10.
  2. G Mark Gold Award《National System Bath "Uni-Rich"》 2000.11.
  3. iF GOLD AWARD《Kinjo Rubber Co., Ltd. Guidance mat for visually impaired people "HODOUKUN Guideway"》 2016.2.
  Many other G Mark products (omitted).

Makoto Oshima

Advisor to the Design Club, Department of Design, Faculty of Media and Arts, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences.
Director of the International Council for Universal Design, Director of the Chubu Design Association.
Major in industrial design, transportation design and universal design.

• 1977
  Graduated from the Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Art and Design, Kyushu Institute of Design (Bachelor of Art and Design).Joined TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION in the same year (Design Department, Design Office).
• 1983-1986
  CALTY DESIGN RESEARCH INC (California, USA)
• 1995-2002
  Part-time lecturer at the Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Art and Engineering, Kyushu University
• 2003-2005
  TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (General Manager, 2nd Design Department)
• 2006-2014
  TOYOTA BOSHOKU CORPORATION (Managing Director)
• 2015-2018
  Professor, Department of Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Department of Media and Design.
• 2019-2021
  Visiting Professor, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Media and Design

Awards:

• Golden Marker Award 1994
• Motor Trend Import Car of the Year 1985,1995
• Good Design Award Long Life Design Award 2008

Fumikazu Masuda

Design consultant
President, open house inc.
Website: http://openhouse.co.jp/

Fumikazu Masuda was born in 1949 in Tokyo, Japan. After he graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, he started his own design office in 1978. open house inc. was established in 1991.
He has worked mainly on projects for major Japanese industries, including electric home appliances, transportation, and many other products.
The latter half of his career has been dedicated more to work for local SMEs as a design consultant while studying and teaching at design schools.
He is currently specialized in the field of Design for Sustainability, including Eco-Design, Universal Design, Kids’ Design and Design for the cause.
He has hosted “Destination”, the International Conference of Design for Sustainability (ICDS), every year from 2006 to 2016. He moved the headquarter of open house Inc. to a rural area in Yamaguchi prefecture from mid-city Tokyo in 2013 to realize a sustainable way of working and living.

Good Design Awards, Fellow, Former Jury, Former Chair Member Kids Design Awards, Jury Chair Wood Design Awards, Wood Products Category Judge IAUD Design Awards (International Association of Universal Design), Vice Chair of the Selection Committee Good Life Awards, Chairman Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Visiting professor Animal Conference on the Environmental (ACE), Advisor Spedagi Japan inc, Advisor

Books: "Strategic Environmental Management Ecodesign: 100 Best Practices" Yamamoto Ryoichi & Masuda Fumikazu (1999 - Diamond Inc.), "Ecodesign" Asai Haruhiko & Masuda Fumikazu (2010 - University of Tokyo Press), “Shapes of memories” (English Edition) Fumikazu Masuda (2018 – Kindle Edition), “Ask the Animals - Japan & Australia Edition: Animal SDGs” Fumikazu Masuda & Ian Tsutsui (2024 - Kindle edition) English edition., “Ask the Animals - Japan & Australia Edition: Animal SDGs” Fumikazu Masuda & Ian Tsutsui (2024 – NURUE) English edition.

Tatsuji Mizobe

Conceptual Artist
President of Miz-Design Miz Design Office

• 1971:
  Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Interior Design, 3D Design Department, Bachelor of Fine Arts
  Joined the planning and design department of Display Japan Co., Ltd., a Japan Airlines affiliate, and designed branches.
  Established the display concept "Japan Airlines Carrying Culture" for overseas branches, and disseminated Japanese culture through traditional Japanese culture, tea ceremony, Zen, Kabuki, and folk tales, earning recognition around the world.
  Established Japan's first Nippon Rent-A-Car concept "Rent-A-Car", and built a CI/VI total design and franchise system.
• 1977-1995:
  Founded Yonmarugo Co., Ltd., CEO
  Developed surface lighting that approaches the essence of light: Concept (Edison went from point light source to line light source to surface light source) Developed a light guide plate that shines evenly. It has contributed to the creation of universal design by changing the nature of lighting design, which does not take up much space, such as the thin design of various signs, signs in underground shopping malls and subways, luminous shelves, emblems and garnishes for automobiles, backlights for mobile phone LCDs, panels for various instruments, and clocks.
• 1979:
  Awarded the JAPANSHOP Surface Lighting Technology Development and Design Award sponsored by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
• 1979:
  Ota Yukio played a central role in developing the design of emergency exit pictograms, and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency decided on the final design, which was made into a JIS standard in 1980. Along with this, he contributed to the creation of a surface lighting thin sign using the emergency exit design.
• 1986:
  Development of a speaker that approaches the essence of sound: The concept is "a speaker that emits sound from itself.
• 1987:
  Winner of the Nikkei Best Product of the Year Award for the product named Thin Lite Speaker System Temaki. A 100μ thick film speaker (piezo film) that changed the concept of sound was jointly developed with Mitsubishi Yuka Co., Ltd. (now Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and was highly praised around the world.
• 1987:
  The Japanese proposal was conditionally decided as an international ISO standard. With regard to the total evacuation guidance sign system, he believed that illuminated signs that cannot use electricity in the event of a disaster would be useless, so he began a demonstration experiment of phosphorescent signs and conducted his own demonstration experiment on the phosphorescent line of the international standard ISO16069.
• 1987:
  Winner of the Nikkei Best Product of the Year Award for the product named Thin Lite Speaker System Temaki. A 100μ thick film speaker (piezo film) that changed the concept of sound was jointly developed with Mitsubishi Yuka Co., Ltd. (now Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and was highly praised around the world.
• 1991:
  Winner of the Special Award in the Public Category of the 25th SDA Awards by the Japan Sign Design Association (JR East Japan Railway, JR Central Railway, etc.): The environmentally friendly light clock with the concept of an "ECO Clock" surface light source system was highly praised as a public transportation clock and universal design.
• 2001-present:
  Representative of Miz-Design
• 2003:
  Lecture "On Personal Sensitivity Engineering" at AREC, Shinshu University
• 2003-2007:
  Part-time lecturer at the Department of Sensitivity Engineering, Shinshu University
• 2011:
  CI/VI design for Nippon Rent-A-Car Service's renovated stores and nationwide agency stores
  80% reduction in electricity consumption and CO2 emissions for lighting at approximately 800 stores. Manual created in advance for store design compliance to the Ancient Capital Preservation Ordinance.
• 2016:
  Total design for Nippon Rent-A-Car stores, won the "Kusatsu Landscape Grand Prix Outdoor Advertising Division Landscape Cooperation Award" in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture
• 2017:
  Appointed Representative Director of VICode Co., Ltd. Developed visual codes to replace QR codes and barcodes. August 2024: Resigned as Representative Director of VICode Co., Ltd.



Development of PICTLOGO:
Concept "All visuals transcend language" by Miz-Design

Yukio Ota

Visual Communication Designer
Former professor of the Design Department, Tama Art University
Former president of Japan Society for Science of Sign
President of Pictogram Institute Ltd.
Councilor of Japan Society for Science of Design
Representative of Yukio Ota Design Associates
Chair Director of NPO Sign Center
Councilor of International Association for Universal Design

Born in 1939 / Graduated from Tama Art University / Completed course at Venice National Art Institute in Italy / Research and invent of LoCoS in Italy in 1964 / After serving as assistant professor at Tokyo Zokei University and founding Pictorial Institute, invited to Munich University in West Germany and National Research Institute of the United States EWC to participate in international project “Visualizing Global Interdependencies” coordinated by Aaron Marcus / Symbol mark and CI design for Japanese Government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry / Production of “The World of Symbol Marks” for semi-government NHK television program / Sign design of global standardized emergency exit and evacuation area pictogram / design for the safety signs of working space for the Japan Industrial Safety & Healthy Association / supervise the Refuge Guidance Sign Total System to deal with complex disaster / Earliest computer animation design titled “Sharing for Servival” for The United Nations University / Founded the Japan Society for Science of Signs / Serving as one of key member of ISO committee of graphical symbol in Japan more than 30 years /

Awards: SDA(Japan Sign Design Association) Award Gold medal for sign communication design of Keio Gijuku Yochisha / SDA Award Grand prize for emergency exit sign design and many other prizes and awards.

Books: “New Picture language LoCoS” Kodansha 1973 / “World of Visual Words-Graphic Symbols”(coauthor) Japanese Standards Association 1983 / A Pictorial Book of Signs(five volumes)” (coauthor) Akane Shobo 1987 / “Pictogram Design” Kashiwashobou 1987 / “Sign Communication(two volumes)” Kashiwashobou 1989,1993 / “A Story of Pictogram” Japan Standards Association 1993 / “JISHA Safety Signs” Japan Industrial Safety & Helthy Association 1995 / “Encyclopedia of Semiotics” (coauther) Kashiwashobou 2002 / “Communication Design (five volumes)”(coauthor) 2009-2012

Francesc Aragall

Expert in Design for All / Universal Design, with 30 years of experience as an international consultant in the areas of urban planning, mobility, toursim, industrial design and building.

Born in Barcelona in 1960, he began his professional career in the field of ergonomics and biomechanics.
After expanding his training in biomechanics in Spain and the United States, he obtained a degree in Philosophy and Education Sciences, branch of Therapeutic Pedagogy, at the University of Barcelona, to deepen the psychological processes of learning.
In 1989 he was hired as an Ergonomist by the Barcelona City Council to design a center for the promotion of independent living for people with disabilities, where he came into contact with the problems of accessibility.
He was Director of Accessibility of the Barcelona City Council from 1990 to 1993, being responsible for the preparation of the city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Given the good result of the implementation of accessibility in the city, the Province of Barcelona proposed designing a public consortium responsible for accessibility in the province of Barcelona, where he was director from 1994 to 2000 and where he developed the concept of Design for All / Design for All, which was received massively in Europe and applied in Barcelona's Municipal Plans and, subsequently, in other cities in Spain, Portugal, France and Luxemburg.
During this period, at international level, he was president of EIDD, Design for All Europe, from 1998 to 2001 and participated in a large number of conferences in Europe and America. In 1991 he was accepted as a member of the European Concept for Accessibility, of which he is still a part.
In 2000 he founded the company ProAsolutions SL in Barcelona, specializing in the Design for All consultancy in urban planning and mobility, architecture, industrial design and service companies, and in 2008 he created ProAsolutions.pt Lda, a delegation in Porto, together with his partners Rafael Montes and Nuno Peixoto.

In 2001 he formed the non-profit private foundation of international scope "Design for All Foundation", of which he was president, to spread theory, implementation and good practices worldwide. In 2021 the foundation became the Design for All International association.
He is also patron of the Barcelona Center de Disseny and a member of the Board of the International Association for Universal Design, based in Tokyo. He is also a member of ASEPAU (Spanish Association of Professionals of Universal Accessibility).
During his professional career he has written about twenty books on accessibility and Universal Design applied to urban design and other areas, in English, French, Spanish and Catalan, translated into several languages such as Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Turkish and German. He has also written several academic articles and gives lectures all over the world.

Singanapalli Balaram

Born in India, Fellow of Royal Society of Arts, UK.
He was conferred the Design Guru, India's highest teaching award (2023) by JKL University, Jaipur . He is the Design Chair at DOT School of Design and Distinguished Professor at the Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, Delhi.

He is one of the pioneers who commenced Design Education in India through the National Institute of Design.

He is the only Indian to be conferred the international "Ron Mace Designing for the 21st century" award. His other awards include the Grand jury award for the best Universal design education in the world by the International Association of Universal Designers and Helen Keller (NCPEDP) lifetime achievement award for outstanding contribution for the people with disabilities.

He received the national best product design award from the National Research and Development Council of India. He established Indian government's first Craft Development Institute in Kashmir and was founder dean of DJ Academy of Design in Coimbatore.

His published 11 books including " Thinking Design, Speaking Design and Design approaches ". He was professor emeritus of CEPT University, member of PhD panel , NID; boards of Alagappa University, Jain University, Yenopaya University, Saintgits college of technology and DOT school of design.

Balaram coined the word "majority world" to replace the biased "third / developing world". He is the champion of universal design education in India and responsible for introducing UD as major course in many colleges. He was invited keynote speaker of IAUD six times, wrote and published frequently on the same subject. He is one of the authors who developed the "Universal Design India Principles" in 2011.

Padmini Tolat Balaram

Prof. Padmini Tolat Balaram has completed 5 1/2 years integrated Post Graduation in Industrial Design (Textile Design), and 1 1/2 years of special course in Environmental Design, both from National Institute of Design, (N.I.D), 1980. She holds Ph.D. from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, 2012. For which her major research topic was ‘Movement of Textiles and Textile Motifs between India, China and Japan’. And two minor topics were Handmade Paper Making in Tamil Nadu, and Banana Fibre Extraction in Tamil Nadu.
She has worked as a Chief Designer in Kingkade Fashion, has designed costumes for feature Films Nasibni Balaihari (Gujarati) & Vaasta (Hindi), as well as presented her works in fashion shows and 36 national and international exhibitions of her natural dyed Eco-friendly textiles.

She was appointed as UNDP consultant and Consultant of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) for making shade cards for dyeing Jute using natural Dyes at ATIRA, also for documenting natural dyes of 16 tribes of North-East India, dyeing Cane and Bamboo using Natural Dyes in Tripura, for identifying plants and restarting dyeing natural fibers using Natural Dyes in Uzbekistan, preparing shadecards for varieties of silks for Madhya Pradesh, by Madhya Pradesh Silk Board, ect.
She has retired as a Prof. of Design and was also Head of Silpa-Sadana, the first Design College set up by Rabindranath Tagore as a part of Visva-Bharati. She has taught as Faculty member at DJ Academy of Design for 6 years and has taught at NID, NIFT, CEPT University as visiting professor, apart from teaching in Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, USA, Thailand, etc.
She was awarded 7 international research fellowships from Japan Foundation (thrice), and one from Asia Scholarship Foundation, Fulbright for Teaching at University of Nebraska -Lincoln and travelling grants to teach Morgan State University in USA. Her book Bastar Textiles, Designs and Natural Dyes has revived Bastar Textiles, bringing them to international fashion shows, as well as creating solid income for the weavers and dyers of Chattisgarh and Orissa States of India. Her work on Natural dyes and natural indigo has revived traditional techniques of manufacturing and using natural indigo and other natural dyes of India and Uzbekistan.

She is also a Co-Founder of Emote Electric Pvt. Ltd. Company was started to reduce air pollution and give high speed electric motorcycle, which can also climb the 40 degrees slopes.
She was also invited as a keynote speaker by international organisation working on Universal Design (IAUD) to Japan, where she also presented a paper demonstrating how to create different fashions by using the same textile by draping it in multiple ways to suit people with disabilities and for normal people to reduce excess use of raw materials, natural resources and pollutions generated by dumping out of fashion and discarded garments, creating large landfills, thus reducing cultivable land.
Her emphasise has always been on Sustainable Design and Creating eco-friendly and healthy clothing.

Tim Oelker

• Product/industrial designer with his own office in Hamburg/Germany for 23 years
• Carpentry apprenticeship as a basis for craftsmanship
• ‘Universal design expert’ since 2014
• Core business: New and sustainable solutions for products and spaces as well as design consulting for companies
• Parallel: Teaching product design at various universities and academies, including: Substitute professor + head of the ‘Product Design’ degree programme at the ‘Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts’ 2011-2013
• Over 12 years of experience in teaching and providing content for the design, conception and creation of products and services
• Voluntary involvement in design organisations, including as a member of the advisory board of the ‘Universal Design Forum e.V.’

Onny Eikhaug

Onny Eikhaug is the founder of Innovation for All AS and was President of EIDD Design for All Europe 2017-2021, and is now Honorary Member.
Since 2021 she is Chair of the Selection Committe for the IAUD Design Award.
She was for more than 13 years Programme Leader at Norwegian Design Council (Design and Architecture Norway), responsible for the Centre's activities in the fields of people centred, inclusive design as a strategy for innovation.
She established and managed the Innovation for All programme, as well as initiating and developing the Innovation Award for Universal Design - presenting inclusive, people-centred design as a practice and an effective tool for innovation in both private and public sector.

She is committed to sustainable, people-centred design and innovation - demonstrating the huge potential of this approach as a powerful and profitable business strategy for innovation. A key aspect of this is presenting and implementing effective, practical tools that can easily be adopted by any organisation or enterprise.
She writes, publishes, lectures, facilitate workshops, provides consultancy and curates exhibitions both in Norway and internationally, and works closely with designers, entrepreneurs, academia, industry, research and government using real projects and other knowledge transfer mechanisms to achieve this.
She coordinates and advices on people-centred design projects with business and public sector, and is frequently a judge in International design jurys.
She is responsible for the books Innovating with People - The Business of Inclusive Design and Innovating with People - Inclusive Design and Architecture as editor-in-chief and author.

Educated at NHH Norwegian School of Economics she has gained a broad executive experience in international marketing, sales, innovation, product development and design management in the fields of personal products, ergonomic lighting, and contemporary furniture having worked for companies such as Unilever and Luxo across Europe and the US.
She was Marketing and Sales Director for a contemporary furniture producer in Portugal as well as Managing Director of a Norwegian Strategic design company.
She was in 2015 appointed Inclusive Design Champion by an international jury at HHCD Royal College of Art, London at the Include conference.

Antika Sawadsri

Assistant Professor Antika Sawadsri (PhD)
Dean, School of Architecture, Art, and Design at KMITL

Asst. Prof. Dr. Antika Sawadsri is an accomplished academic and practitioner in sustainable and inclusive design. Her educational and career timeline demonstrates her deep commitment to advancing these fields, espec ially in the context of ASEAN. Below is a detailed overview:

Education:
• PhD in Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (2006-2011): Awarded by Newcastle University, UK, where her research focused on inclusive and universal design, particularly in urban and housing settings. During this time, she collaborated with experts like Professor Rose Gilroy, enhancing her expertise in planning for vulnerable groups and inclusive spaces.

Career and Work Experience:
• Dean, School of Architecture, Art, and Design at KMITL (2018-Present):
  As the Dean, Dr. Antika has led initiatives that embed universal and inclusive design principles in the curriculum, research, and community projects.
• Deputy Project Manager, Chao Phraya for All (2015-2016):
  Played a crucial role in the development of accessible public spaces along Bangkok’s riverfront, resulting in the project winning the Gold Award from the International Association for Universal Design in 2017.
• Founder, Inclusive Design Center:
  Established this center upon returning to Thailand with funding support, fostering the growth of young researchers and promoting inclusive design practices that improve quality of life.
• Advisory Roles: Engaged in governmental and private sector projects, including the renovation of the Prime Minister’s office to include accessible facilities and guiding the development of all-gender restrooms.

Key Publications and Achievements:
• Authored various academic papers focusing on universal and inclusive design in urban environments.
• Recognized for the award-winning paper on accessibility for people with disabilities in Bangkok, presented at an international conference at Ohio State University in 2007.
• Delivered a TEDx talk in Thailand in 2019 on inclusive design research.
• Recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award from Newcastle University in 2022 and awarded Highly Commended status in the Alumni Impact Award. Dr. Antika’s extensive research, transformative projects, and publications underscore her authoritative knowledge in creating environments that promote universal and inclusive design.

Her comprehensive experience equips her uniquely to teach the course “Universal Environment for Sustainable ASEAN and Beyond,” providing students with a rich blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application.

More about her experiences:
• Work: https://sites.google.com/site/antikasawadsriphd/
• Life: https://www.facebook.com/view.antika

Loïc Marleix

Loïc Marleix is a French independent designer specializing in systems architecture, interfaces, semiotics, and the study of glyphs. A fervent explorer of Unicode, kaomoji, and sub-internet culture, he has designed a free tool to preserve and explore the language constructed by Japanese designer Ota Yukio under the name ‘Lovers Communication System.