Taking to the stage at Design Indaba’s 25th Edition, Japanese design engineer and innovator Kinya Tagawa explored how technology can become more emotionally intelligent, humane and socially responsive when guided by empathy, experimentation and what he calls “pendulum thinking”.
Founder of the multidisciplinary design innovation studio Takram, which works across fields such as industrial design, software engineering, mobility, interactive art and data visualisation, Tagawa shared how Takram navigates the space between seemingly opposing ideas: art and engineering, abstract thinking and practical execution, human intuition and machine intelligence. Tagawa approaches technology as an innovation that should deepen human connection and expand society’s collective imagination.
Tagawa focused on a series of speculative and real-world projects that embody this philosophy. These included the HAKUTO Flight Model, a lunar exploration rover developed for the Google Lunar XPRIZE initiative, as well as interactive installations, mobility concepts and data visualisation systems designed to make complex information more intuitive and emotionally resonant. By combining rigorous engineering with artistic sensitivity, Tagawa illustrated how design can humanise emerging technologies rather than alienate users from them.
Tagawa’s underscored the importance of prototyping as a form of inquiry and discovery, describing Takram’s process as one of continual experimentation, where ideas evolve through making, testing and interdisciplinary collaboration. This fluid approach allows the studio to move seamlessly between physical products, digital systems and speculative futures while remaining grounded in real human needs and behaviours. Tagawa also reflected on the growing role of data and artificial intelligence in shaping society, cautioning against purely utilitarian or efficiency-driven approaches to technology. Tagawa advocates for systems that preserve wonder, emotional richness and ethical responsibility. His vision of “techno-progressivism” proposes a future where technology is carefully woven into cultural and social life in ways that support humanity.
Watch the full Design Indaba talk here.
