Message from the division head
Mami Tanaka (Tohoku University),
101st Head of the Robotics and Mechatronics Division
I am Mami Tanaka of Tohoku University and am honored to serve as the Head of the Robotics & Mechatronics Division during its 101st term. Along with the Deputy Head Takashi Yoshimi of Shibaura Institute of Technology and the Secretary, Teppei Tsujita of National Defense Academy, we will manage the division's operations for this term, enlisting the cooperation of the members of the Planning and Operating Committees. Although there may be many areas in which I am inexperienced and fall short, I look forward to working with you.
In preparing for this greeting, I pondered the definitions of robotics and mechatronics, which encompasses an extremely diverse array of disciplines. The field includes not just the domains that enhance industrial growth and development, but also technologies that support manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, aviation and space, medical welfare, and everyday life. It aims to promote harmonization with humans and develop fundamental technologies and inventions of novel robotics and mechatronics, which has boundless possibilities. Robotics and mechatronics traverse fundamental academic research and the realization and practical application of knowledge in industry. By bridging academia and industry, we can significantly contribute to society.
ROBOMECH is the largest conference of our division and completely embraces the broad scope of robotics and mechatronics. Last year, ROBOMECH 2022 was held in Sapporo in hybrid format, allowing participants to choose between on-site and online attendance. There were 1,209 presentations and approximately 1,751 paid registrations, which resulted in a highly successful event. The conference, which featured onsite presentations as the mainstream mode for the first time in three years, was well-attended and an impressive sight. We would like to express our deep gratitude to the members of the Executive Committee who led the conference to a huge success with comprehensive preparations, as well as to everyone who presented and participated in the conference.
Another unique feature of the division's activities in addition to ROBOMECH is the open access electronic journal "ROBOMECH Journal," published by Springer since 2014. The journal covers 16 areas including Modeling and Design, System Integration, and Actuators and Sensors to Other Applications, embracing both the theoretical/methodological and practical implementation aspects of robotics and mechatronics. The CiteScore of this journal has also improved annually (3.8 in 2022), enabling research outcomes to be shared effectively with researchers worldwide. We also provide English proofreading assistance to divisional members. We hope that this service will be helpful for your research activities.
ROBOMECH 2023 will be held in Nagoya from June 28th (Wednesday) to July 1st (Saturday), 2023 under the theme "Robotics and Mechatronics Creating a New Era." The event will be held on-site, with Kenichi Ohara as the Executive Committee Chair, Kosuke Sekiyama as the Vice Chair, and Tadayoshi Aoyama as the Program Committee Chair. This conference focuses on inter-divisional collaborations as follows: collaboration between the Transportation & Logistics Division, Sports Engineering & Human Dynamics Division, and Information, Intelligence, and Precision Equipment Division; collaboration between the Micro-Nano Science & Technology Division, Bioengineering Division, and Information, Intelligence & Mechanical Equipment Division; and collaboration between the Dynamics, Measurement & Control Division, and Divisions at the Tokai Branch. By leveraging the wide-ranging characteristics of robotics and mechatronics, we hope to stimulate cross-disciplinary pollination across highly specialized areas of mechanical engineering and contribute to solving problems in the development of mechanical engineering.
ROMOBECH is a forum where engineers and researchers can gather. We are confident that this will stimulate our imaginations. I look forward to meeting you at this conference. Thank you for your cooperation during the 101st term of the Robotics & Mechatronics Division.
Published by: JSME Robotics and Mechatronics Division Publicity Committee