Message from the division head
Takayuki Tanaka (Hokkaido University),
103nd Head of the Robotics and Mechatronics Division
My name is Takayuki Tanaka of Hokkaido University, and I have been appointed as the 103rd Robotics and Mechatronics Division Head. I would like to extend my sincere greetings to all members at the beginning my term. During this term, I would like to work together with Vice Division Head Kuniaki Kawabata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency), Secretary Fumiya Shibukawa (IHI), the Planning Committee, and the Management Committee in order to continue to manage the division together with all division members. Thank you for your continued support.
We received some wonderful news at the end of last term. ROBOMECH Journal, which has been published as the division’s English-language journal since 2014, has been officially recognized as an academic journal of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers thanks to the efforts of past directors, division heads, and the international journal committee. This means that papers that are published in the journal will be eligible for the JSME Medal for Outstanding Paper. The journal has already been given an impact factor and is steadily gaining international recognition; the division will continue its efforts to further enhance its appeal. We have already decided to introduce an award system for outstanding reviewers, and we are planning to encourage outstanding editorial initiatives and promote the improvement and speed of peer review in the future. We hope that everybody will actively use ROBOMECH Journal as a forum for disseminating their research results at the international level.
A priority measure of our division since two fiscal years ago has been the strengthening of interdivisional collaboration. The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers as a whole encourages interdivisional collaboration in order to respond to diversifying social and industrial issues. Our division has been promoting this initiative as a pioneer in the field. In division-sponsored conferences, we have been organizing sessions in collaboration with the Transportation & Logistics, Information, Intelligence & Precision Equipment, Sports Engineering & Human Dynamics, Micro-Nano Science & Technology, Bioengineering, and Dynamics, Measurement & Control Divisions in an effort to encourage interdisciplinary research. This year as well, we are pleased to continue the presentation of the Interdisciplinary Research Excellence Award to 18 outstanding presentations at ROBOMECH2024 and ICAM2024.
Additionally, thanks to the efforts of former Division Head Takashi Yoshimi and with the support of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, we will hold an interdivisional collaboration workshop entitled “Encouraging interdivisional collaboration research for opening up frontiers” at ROBOMECH2025, which will be held next fiscal year. Recipients of the Interdisciplinary Research Excellence Award will give lectures on the secrets of interdivisional collaboration and will promote further integration and collaboration.
We will continue to endeavor on internationalization and the strengthening of industry-academia collaboration. First, we are aiming to establish regular sessions of ICAM, which is a division-sponsored international conference that has been irregularly held since its first session in 1988. We will provide opportunities for young researchers and students to present their research results on a regular basis in order to foster the next generation of internationally competitive human resources. Furthermore, given the accelerating social implementation of robotics and mechatronics technology, we are preparing new projects that encourage participation in academic conferences from the industrial sector.
ROBOMECH2025, which is the division’s largest event, will be held in Yamagata City on June 4?7 (Wed?Sat), 2025. The theme will be “Robotics and Mechatronics: Expanding the frontiers”, and the Organizing Committee and Program Committee are endeavoring to prepare a variety of appealing events. The previous forums for exchange that have been used as general meetings and opinion exchange meetings for division members will be revamped as “Robomech fan meetings” in order to provide opportunities to not only share the latest research trends in the division, but also the latest trends from other academic societies, associations and the industrial sector. We hope that these initiatives, which are also linked to strengthening industry-academia collaboration, will provide forums for co-creation of the robotics and mechatronics of the future.
We will strengthen interdivisional collaboration based on robotics and mechatronics technology in order to create new possibilities. We will promote practical systematization based on mechanical engineering, encourage the fusion of knowledge as a forum for academic exchange, deepen collaboration with the industrial sector, and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.
I sincerely appreciate your continued support and cooperation throughout the coming year.
Published by: JSME Robotics and Mechatronics Division Publicity Committee