When a male moth perceives sex pheromone of a female moth, the bioelectric potential is generated in its antennas. This paper discusses putative novel methods controlling moths by using antennal ability that senses sex pheromone of Mamestra brassicae for the insect control. Measuring bioelectric potential, the antenna was cut off from the head and connected to the measurement instrument by electro-encephalogram paste. The maximum lifetime of after cutting off was approximate 200 minutes. The period of interstimulus interval to avoid sensory habituation was determined and it was more than 5 seconds. The Results showed that the bioelectric potential increased according to concentration of (Z)-11-hexadecenylacetate which is a principal ingredient of the sex pheromone. The relationship between the concentration of (Z)-11-hexadecenylacetate and the response of bioelectric potential was formulated by the approximate curve. It was concluded that the emergence of the female moth would be estimated by the response of bioelectric potential in the antenna against the sex pheromone.

Using inverse-numerical acoustic analysis, we constructed a sound source model of a diesel engine that was installed on a combine harvester and confirmed its accuracy by comparing the identified and measured results of the surface vibration. A transfer path analysis of the operator ear sound level was also carried out, using the identified sound source model and the measured acoustic frequency response function. The operator ear sound level improved based on the results of the transfer path analysis, showing the sound source model’s effectiveness.

We developed a strawberry-packing robot that conveys strawberries mounted on a free-tray, for a large-scale grading system. The robot simultaneously picked a maximum of six strawberries from the trays with six vacuum hands. Each hand held the strawberry by the calyx to avoid damaging the delicate skin. The robot then placed the fruits on a commercialized shipping tray. In functional tests, more than 95% of the fruits were packed with an orientation error of less than ±45°. The standard deviation of the orientation error, however, became larger than the manual operation. The processing time per shipping tray ranged from 45s to 59s. The mishandling rate could be reduced to less than 1% through the field test.

In this study, a subjective evaluation was performed into the sensation of brush cutter vibration experienced by operators to improve its vibration characteristics. The results indicated the sensation was particularly strong for handle vibrations in the frequency range 50∼500Hz. Experimental measurements were then performed to determine the vibration characteristics of the brush cutter at different engine rotation speeds. The vibration amplitude was found to be large at high rotation speeds, particularly at frequencies 100∼200Hz, which are within the range where the sensation was strong. Several countermeasures were then applied to reduce the vibration, including changing the handle pipe length. As a result, the vibration sensation at high speeds was significantly improved without any increase in total weight.