ITAMI Taku’s laboratory (ITAMI Lab.), Department of Electronics and Bioinformatics, School of Science and Technology exhibited at Sagamihara Linear Festa 2025 held on October 25 and 26, offering hands-on experience with Meijiro Robot created by its students.
This event, jointly hosted by JR Tokai, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Sagamihara City, was held at the construction site of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Kanagawa Prefecture Station (tentative name). Its purpose was to deepen understanding of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen project and the construction work. Activities included light-up displays utilizing the underground space, concerts on a special stage, and robot experience exhibits.
ITAMI Lab. conducts research and development on walking support devices and back pain prevention devices, focusing on “creating products centered on the question ‘What are the truly necessary functions?’” from a medical-engineering collaboration perspective. The Meijiro Robot exhibited this time was planned, designed and built by students belonging to the Lab. On the day of the event, while many visitors, including children, enjoyed interacting with the robot, the exhibition provided an opportunity to widely share the Lab.’s activities and achievements.
ISHII Soichiro (4th-year student) reflected, “I was happy that the robot on which we collaborated to build sparked interest in so many people.” MIYAMOTO Kazuki (4th-year student) added, “Seeing the maglev construction site up close, I truly appreciated Japan’s manufacturing prowess and reaffirmed how research and creation can bring smiles to people’s faces.”
ITAMI Lab. will continue to promote the development of manufacturing technologies that can contribute to society while deepening cooperation with local communities through student-led manufacturing education and research activities.