Introduction
The "Bioengineering Division" in The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) currently has about 1900 members (the total number of the 1st to 3rd members registered).
The origins of the Bioengineering Division lie in "Research Group on Biomechanics" which was formed in JSME from 1970 to 1972. This Research Group was founded by the members led by Prof. K. Tsuchiya (Waseda Univ.), Prof. Y. Umetani (Tokyo Institute of Tech.) and Prof. I. Tanazawa (Tokyo Univ.) with the aim of mainly researching the current situations and future prospects of the studies of biomechanics and its related fields. In the field of mechanical engineering at that time, when biomechanics and bioengineering were hardly known, the Group took a significant part in enlightening and consequently developing the field.
After this Group was dissolved, the members of this Group had nowhere to gather or study with others and had to work on individually in some smaller societies/academies. The foundation of The Japan Society of Biorheology in 1977 provided the place for many members to gather. However, they still had to suffer as the society was for biorheology, not for biomechanics.
To resolve this problem, in 1985, Research Group on Biomechanics was set up as a section of Japan Society of Medical Electronics and Biological Engineering and finally the place for study and enlightenment of biomechanics was ensured. Since its foundation, this Group has been efficient and successful in enlightening the studies and introducing the new research members by holding a meeting in many parts of Japan almost every two months. The number of the members has also increased. As the Research Group on Biomechanics achieved successful results and more people got involved in the activities, the need for a place for those whose studies were based on bioengineering arose in JSME. In The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Bioengineering Division had been founded in 1975. Aiming at further studies and development of the technology of bioengineering based on biomechanics and its related fields, in 1986, JSME formed Technical Committee on Bioengineering, which became the most active body of the field. Shortly later, following the example of ASME, JSME was to introduce the Division system for more activity and efficiency and quickly re-formed the Committee into "Bioengineering Division". On the introduction of the Division system into JSME, only two other Divisions, "Dynamics, Measurement and Control Division" and "Thermal Engineering Division", were founded along with the Bioengineering.
The rapid development of the studies during the time owed much to Prof. K. Tsuchiya, Prof. Y. Seguchi (Osaka Univ.) and Prof. H. Abe (Tohoku Univ.) for their great devotion and insight into the future. The original forms of many current projects were made at that time.
Note: the occupations at that time are written
bioengineering, biomechanics, biodynamics, biomaterial, medical material, biotribology, biomedical measurement, somatometry, bioinformation, biocontrol, biomimetics, medical engineering, medical instrumentations, artificial organs, rehabilitation, welfare engineering, life science, biotechnology, biological engineering, genetic technology, bioreactor, sports engineering, health engineering
