FACULTY RESEARCH ACTIVITY 2014

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24This wearable robotic suit learns from the rhythmic movement of living things.This communications robot provides comfort by reading people's emotions.My lab is working to create articial muscles using polymer gels and cell cultivation technology.The n-driven boat is tested with a dolphin-tail n propeller (on Lake Suwa).The bottlenose dolphin Fuji swims with a prosthetic n (at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium).A dolphin n-type outboard propellerBioengineeringPursuing biologically-inspired engineering in an environmentally friendly wayBioengineeringDivision of Mechanical Engineering and RoboticsFocusing on tuna, which swim at high speeds using their caudal fin, and dolphins, which swim adroitly, I am developing a fin-driven boat that uses a fin instead of a propeller.By applying this approach to a dolphin-like marine robot, I believe this fin-driven boat can be used to carry out maritime environmental surveys and surveys for resources such as rare metals on the ocean bottom. I am also pursuing research and development focusing on a prosthetic fin that could replace the fins of dolphins who have lost theirs to disease.Hirohisa MorikawaProfessorProfessor Morikawa graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Faculty of Engineering in 1974 and then worked as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Mining at Akita University. He subsequently worked as an associate professor in the Faculty of Textile Science and Technology at Shinshu University before taking his current position. His principal areas of research are biomechanics, bio-uid dynamics, and assistive technology.I am also working to develop boats and marine robots that use n-type propellers as well as a transport air mat for nursing applications that accommodates the autonomy of bedridden people with a system based on the gastropodal motion used by land-based mollusks such as snails.Outlook for researchGraduates utilize their knowledge of living creatures and engineering to work in numerous elds, including in the medical equipment, electrical equipment, automotive, and heavy equipment industries.Outlook for students after graduationTransitioning from robots that learn from life to robots that combine with lifeDivision of Mechanical Engineering and RoboticsI am working to implement technology for making products that are easy on humans by combining robots with life at numerous levels. Specifically, I am pursuing projects involving the development of a wearable robotic suit that learns from the systems responsible for rhythmic movement in living organisms, a communications robot that provides comfort by reading people’s emotions, and artificial muscles using polymer gels and cell cultivation technology.Minoru HashimotoProfessorProfessor Hashimoto took his current position in 1999 after working as an assistant professor at the University of Electro-Communications and as an associate professor at Kagoshima University. His principal area of research is biorobotics. A cohort of unique students keeps every day is fun and exciting.I believe that it will be possible to realize a society in which everyone, from children to the elderly, can live happily by using robotic technology, which will assist the elderly as their bodily functions decline and they experience an emotional sense of loneliness.Outlook for researchI help train researchers and engineers so that they will be able to pursue active careers in a wide range of elds, from medicine and welfare to automobiles, machinery, and electricity.Outlook for students after graduationPVC gel artificial muscle

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