In recent years, significant research has been undertaken on drones and their potential for autonomously transporting objects. The One-Cable-Two-Drones (OCTD) composition involves connecting two drones with a cable. We adopted an approach focusing on the implementation of the T-hook to achieve stable and autonomous suspension. Winding the cable around this T-hook increases friction, which is anticipated to improve stability against external disturbances, thereby ensuring safer transportation. Initially, we considered winding the cable around the T-hook in a line-symmetrical manner. However, due to the positional relationship between the cable and the T-hook, there was a possibility that this would cause the object to tilt. We implemented a point-symmetrical winding method, designed a collision-preventive flight path, and confirmed validity of the proposed method through T-hook winding experiments.

Conventional path-generating regulator (PGR), a control method for four-wheeled vehicles, does not take into account terrain specific to uneven ground that may cause tipping over or getting stuck. In this study, a mapping method called Terrain Traversability Mapping is used to create a map that expresses the traversability of the terrain, and the target attitude angle of the PGR is modified to an angle that takes the terrain into account. Then, the traversability of the PGR is verified by the simulation using the software, CoppeliaSim.

In a newly proposed method for resetting the origin in Frenet-Serret coordinates, the restrictions on applicable curve paths have been relaxed. Therefore, an experiment on following a clothoid curve to verify the effectiveness of the control method was conducted. The results of the driving experiment showed that the vehicle passed inside the target curve, influenced by the accumulation of negative errors in the posture angle sensor. Upon verifying the Lyapunov stability for straight path following, it was found that if negative errors accumulate, the y-coordinate takes a positive steady-state deviation.

Currently, the reduction of wetland area is a serious problem in Japanese wetlands. To support wetland survey, a hybrid wetland mobile robot using a spiral and deployable legs has been proposed. The spiral rotation mechanism to rotate the spiral and the leg turning mechanism to move the deployment legs back and forth are essential for the movement. In this study, the mechanisms are designed and prototyped of a spiral rotation mechanism and leg rotation mechanism, which are part of a hybrid wetland mobile robot, and evaluate their performance.

Marine microplastics are plastic products that are crushed while drifting through the ocean and washed up on beaches. The presence of these garbage threatens the safety of beaches and marine ecosystems seriously. However, it is difficult to manually collect small microplastics scattered on beaches. Therefore, this study aims to develop a cleaning robot that automatically collects marine microplastics scattered on beaches and eliminates the workload from people. In this paper, we first explain the concept of the cleaning robot, then describe the configuration of the robot (conveyor belt and transfer mechanism) for effective microplastics collection, and the integration experiment conducted on a beach.

Unmanned and automated surveillance is required to reduce the risk and burden on researchers who are tasked with long-term surveys using methods that carry a high risk of infection. In this study, we developed an automatic sampling machine that can survey and exterminate outbreaks of infectious disease-carrying mosquitoes using mechatronics. Furthermore, the machine has been applied to attract and eliminate mosquitoes, flies, and flies, which are natural enemies of dairy cows and pigs. We proposed and disseminated the introduction of this sampling machine from Tochigi Prefecture, which protects human lives from infectious diseases and has the second largest livestock industry in Japan for dairy cattle.

Japan has many geothermal resources with a very high potential for utilization. However, geothermal power generation currently accounts for only 0.3% of total power generation in Japan. This is because although geothermal power generation using high-temperature heat sources is mainstream, development has not progressed due to the limited amount of land available for new development. Medium- and low-temperature heat sources exist throughout Japan; however, their use for power generation has not progressed because they are distributed and small-scale. In this study, we developed a small-scale binary power generation system that can utilize medium- and low-temperature heat sources and can be used for small-scale heat sources and confirmed its operation.

In this paper, we introduce a traveling strategy that enables smooth movement on leveled ground using Active Mecanum Wheels(AMW) suitable for uneven terrain. The AMW, previously introduced, facilitates omnidirectional driving with two degrees of freedom, enhancing the mobility over rough terrain when employed in a mobile unit. However, this mechanism experiences fluctuations in the ground contact vector angles of its sub-wheels. We demonstrate that by deliberately leveraging these deviations, smooth movement can be achieved.

Robots are making inroads into society and are expected to play an active role in different fields than in the past. In Japan, which is promoting tourism, robots are expected to play an active role as a tourism resource. This paper aims to show the interpretation and positioning of robots as tourism resources based on the robot exhibits at three events held in Kobe City. The results suggested that the robot functions as a tourism component that exhibits extraordinarity when it is emphasized and exhibits difference from daily life when it is integrated into the environment.

We are building a system that can automatically determine the bow movement including the bow speed and the bowing direction from the musical score for the violin playing robot we built using the reinforcement learning. This report describes the effects of parameters including the number of hidden layers, the number of units in the layers, and the target sound pressure of each note in a musical score. We adopted Q-learning as the learning strategy and a neural network as the value function. We conducted simulation experiments and analyzed the effects of the parameters on the output bow movement. As a result, we found better parameter values. We also confirmed that the system output the bow movement using different sound pressure pattern.

We focused on juggling as one of entertainer robots. Juggling has numetical notations called siteswap. There are a great many juggling behaviors defined by siteswap, all of which are continuous. The goal of this study is to reproduce the continuous juggling behavior defined by siteswap. In this study, a jugling robot system based on an upper body humanoid robot and an RGB-D camera is developed. The humanoid robot performed the motions of throwing and grabbing the ball. the RGB-D camera captured the trajectory of the ball. Some experiments indicates that the down throw of the ball by the humanoid robot can obgtain enough stable ball trajectories for juggling.

New media art uses new technology as media. New media make artworks interactive and immersive. Now, there is extensive research in HRI, but there are few robot-mediated art performances comparing with new media art performances. And there is few research that focuses on robot as media. Therefore, our goal is to realize robot-mediated art performances and develop a method of the artworks. In this study, we focus on the whole process from robot prototyping with dancers to dance performances with robots. In this paper, we discuss the visualization tool with dancers called prototyping support system.

We are building a system to automatically determine the bowing motion of a violin-playing robot using reinforcement learning. Currently, we use the sound pressure, which is calculated only from the bow speed, as a parameter for the performance evaluation in the simulation, because it is difficult to use the real sound in the learning process. However, the bow force changes with the position of the bow attached to the string, resulting in the change of the sound pressure. Thus, we must take the bow position in to consideration when calculating the sound pressure in addition to the bow speed. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the effect of the bow position on the sound pressure through experiments. The experimental results show that the sound pressure increase when the bow position approaching the bridge.

The purpose of this study is to develop a guidance robot that can solve the manpower shortage problem at the facility and increase the number of visitors by providing explanations using this system as one of the new attractions. Since the guidance robot needs to run autonomously in the museum and explain the exhibits, we verified the autonomous running and the guidance system that plays video and audio along with the robot's movements. In the autonomous driving verification, it was confirmed that the robot could drive inside the Kurohone Museum of History and Folklore. In the verification of the guidance system, the robot and Raspberry Pi were able to communicate and play video and audio.

We are studying the cooperative performance between a human and a robot as a highly cooperative work. We have been working on a system that estimates the timing of a human player playing a recorder, and performs a cooperative performance on a stringed instrument. Currently, we are constructing a system that automatically plays a trombone in accordance with the trombone player’s timing to start playing. In this report, we attempted to extend the range of the trombone by introducing an aperture control mechanism using aperture blades to a part of the artificial mouth for artificial blowing of the trombone. As a result, we succeeded in producing an overtone shift by controlling the aperture size.

In this study, we employ parametric design and a 3D food printer to innovate in the exploration of new food textures. By manipulating parameters such as the thickness and shape of noodles, we can create unique 3D printed noodle designs. The texture of these noodles is then learned through an oral cavity-mimicking piezoelectric sensing device, facilitating the discovery of novel textures. This approach merges advanced manufacturing techniques with sensory analysis, offering a new pathway for culinary innovation. By precisely controlling noodle parameters, we unlock a wide array of textures previously unattainable in traditional food preparation methods. This research aims to broaden the spectrum of food textures available, enhancing the culinary experience through technology and design

The advancements in 3D printing, specifically the emerging field of 4D printing, represent an additive manufacturing (AM) process with transformative potential. The focus is on 4D food printing, still in its initial stages but accumulating significant interest from academia and industry. This study explores the controlled volume change facilitated by the composition of food ink, considering both the lower limit of viscosity and the upper limit of hardness. Notably, cricket powder is incorporated for its high protein content. The sizes are compared before and after heating using CT scan data. The interaction between cricket powder and baking powder is examined, highlighting the influence of cricket powder’s moisture content on the leavening process, which is crucial for product development.

We examine the use of workshops as a method to determine the first "empathy" target in design thinking for new technologies. An idea sheet was developed as a material for defining the "empathy" target, and its effectiveness was confirmed through a trial workshop. As a result, in addition to the new index of "concreteness," we found the possibility of determining the object of "empathy" from the participants' behavior during the workshop.

Wearable assistive devices have now been developed to reduce various work burdens. However, wearable assistive devices have problems such as low mobility, complicated mounting and dismounting, dead weight of the device, comfort, high installation costs and low ease of use. In addition, most arm assistive devices during upward work assist the horizontal upper arm, and there are few devices that assist the upper arm near the vertical axis, and none that solve the above problems. This study proposes an exoskeleton-type assistive device using an inflatable structure that is supported by an inflatable pouch structure by injecting fluid, to solve the problems of handling and cost, which are problems of wearable assistive devices for vertical work.

This paper describes fan breezing appliance for relaxation applying the structural principle of bird wing. The purpose of this paper is to apply the structure of the remiges to switch the air flow, and to provide relaxation through the physical sensation of wind with periodic strength and the visual sensation of organic movement. The research and development include the selection of the mechanism that realizes the movement, verification of the selected locking mechanism and offset crank mechanism, the shape of the wing and counterweights that smooth the movement, and the exterior of the design.

In recent years, the aging society and the information society have progressed, and digital divide has become a social problem. In order to solve the social problem, this study proposes an SNS with support functions for specific users, aiming to improve the digital utilization skills of the elderly and to expand the range of their use.

As the first step of this study, questionnaire survey about use of SNS and ICT devices in senior people was conducted. Through the analysis of the results using text mining, it was confirmed the tendency and interest in ICT devices and SNS use among seniors. Based on these results, that an experimental SNS for seniors is designed and implemented to share their information skills with each other through ICT devices and SNS. Using this system, it has been planned an experiment about SNS usage with seniors as the second step of this study.

This paper describes a novel 1-DOF controlled magnetic bearing for compact centrifugal blood pumps. Firstly, structure of the magnetic bearing is introduced. The magnetic bearing passively supports the radial and tilt motion of the rotor by a combination of permanent magnets. The axial movement of the rotor is controlled by three electromagnets. Then, based on the numerical analysis, using static magnetic field simulation, the magnetic bearing is designed, and the geometrical dimensions are optimized.

This paper describes the development of a motor that can be mounted on a compact, energy-efficient, one-degree-of-freedom controlled magnetic bearing. First, the motor is designed. The motor consists of 12 coils attached the stator and a Halbach permanent magnet array attached the rotor. When a three-phase pulse current is applied to the coils, the repulsive or attractive forces with each permanent magnet in the rotor can be generated, and the rotor can be rotated. Next, the dimensions of the coil and, permanent magnet are optimized using magnetic field analysis. Then, the motor is prototyped and, the performance is evaluated.

In this study, we developed an automatic gel application mechanism that can maintain the clarity of ultrasound (US) images by detecting body surface irregularities and applying an appropriate amount of gel during echocardiographic examinations using a robot. The gel application mechanism consists of two parts: (i) a gel ejection part and (ii) a body surface detection part. In (i), two injection ports are provided to apply gel in the direction the probe travels. In (ii), a three-layered linkage device with a built-in spring that expands and contracts according to the unevenness of the body surface is mounted to detect the unevenness of the body surface. Evaluation tests were conducted using a phantom with the proposed mechanism. The results suggest that the proposed mechanism can detect irregularities and apply an appropriate amount of gel according to the detection results to ensure the sharpness of the US images.

This research aimed to develop a device used to fix the anastomotic site in coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG). In the previous paper, our team developed a flexible suction cup to prevent invasion and proposed a "Semi-indirect suction" system that generates suction forces on individual suction cups. Based on these results, this paper describes the development of an automatic suction function using the semi-indirect suction system, a proposal for the configuration of the device, and an evaluation of its fixation performance based on prototypes and experiments.

Human capillaries are closely related to physical condition. In order to accurately assess changes in physical condition, we have developed a small, flexible capillary microscope that can be worn on the fingertip. Vertical adjustment made it possible to focus the microscope. An angle-adjustable illumination device was fabricated, and the surface in contact with the finger was made flexible. By analyzing the captured images, changes in physical condition can be estimated. Image processing will be used to analyze capillary shapes and individual differences to find associations. In the future, we aim to propose a more rational physical condition management method that can easily grasp a person's health condition.

In this paper, oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the blood of the brain was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) when performing palpation using a surgical robot under feedback of the haptic force, tactile force and both haptic and tactile forces. Then, brain fatigue of the operator under difference of the feedback method was evaluated. As a result, both haptic and tactile forces feedback showed that the brain fatigue was smallest.

Understanding the detailed mechanisms of food bolus formation during chewing remains challenging due to the complexity of neuromuscular coordination. This study aims to elucidate these mechanisms by developing a mastication robot capable of replicating the movements of soft tissues, including the tongue and cheek muscles, involved in food bolus formation. The research involves analyzing the masticatory movements of a subject using 4DCT data, designing and constructing a robot to reproduce the movements of these soft tissues. Then, the experiment was conducted to validate the robot's ability to recreate tongue and cheek deformations in addition to the measurement of togue pressure. The result suggests that the mechanism and control method need to be improved, since the robot did not adequately reproduce the deformation of the tongue and cheeks.

Surgical robots have greatly advanced minimally invasive surgery, yet their evaluation typically focuses on mechanical performance and the robot operator, and simulators are needed to experiment under a variety of conditions. This study aims to develop a surgical simulator with force feedback, replicating real surgical conditions. First, the surgical environment and surgical procedures to be reproduced by the surgical simulator were determined Second, an approximate equation representing the relationship between stress and strain was obtained from the stress-strain diagram of the tissue. Finally, the frictional force between the forceps and the needle was calculated based on the balance of forces applied to the needle, and force feedback was returned.

It is necessary to reduce the large burden on caregivers pushing wheelchairs. A spring handle has been proposed as a solution to reduce burden on caregiver ’s upper limb. A spring handle consists of a spring built into the handle. By using this handle, the integral value of the pushing force can be reduced at a steady velocity. However, during acceleration, the integral value of the pushing force may become large because of the large contraction of the spring. Therefore, it is considered effective to reduce the burden by increasing the spring constant during acceleration and decreasing it at steady velocity. The objective of this study was to develop a variable stiffness handle that can switch the spring constant between the acceleration and steady velocity sections. Experimental results suggest the effectiveness of the variable stiffness handle.

We have been studying walking assistance support systems for the visually impaired. In the present study, experiments were conducted on the walking movements of visually impaired people using a white cane, which are important for the estimation of the direction of travel of pedestrians. As a result, it was found that in walking with a white cane, the direction of the body constantly changes due to the swinging motion of the cane, and that the direction of the body shifts from the frontal direction depending on the position of objects that serve as cues for walking. Therefore, the method of combining GNSS trajectory and geomagnetic sensor in this system was discussed.

This paper discussed the anomaly detection of robot arm using autoencoder. In our system, the current of joint motor are measured by the current sensor. We adapted the autoencoder to detect the anomalous value in the motor’s current. The autoencorder is the one method of the unsupervised machine learnings. The effectiveness of our system is demonstrated by several experiments.

This paper describes a method for recognizing people using machine learning model trained from thermal images of people captured by a low-resolution temperature sensor. We used Darknet, a neural network framework with YOLOv7 implemented. As a result of conducting an experiment to recognize people using a learning model built using only temperature images, we succeeded in recognizing people with a detection rate of around 90% using a learning model trained with 10,000 iterations.

In this study, we developed some support functions for robot teleoperation by merging multi-view images to aid the social participation of persons with motor dysfunctions, specifically employment tasks. Throughout the experiment, we analyzed each process of an object-carrying task separately to determine the optimal balance between efficiency and workload for task motivation. The study found that the impact of each support function differs in each process, and we hypothesized that a function that automatically manages these switching operations would be effective in supporting. After evaluation, some indices suggested that work efficiency increased and workload reduced, while others suggested an increase in workload. In the future, we will examine the effects on task motivation in detail from the perspectives of a sense of agency and satisfaction.

One of the indicators that affects the comfort of a wheelchair is tire pressure. However, since the English valve which is most frequently used for a wheelchair has a structure that it can not put out air even if it can be arbitrarily inserted, how much the tire pressure of the wheelchair will affect the vibration Has not been revealed yet. The purpose of this study was to measure the vibration generated in the wheelchair due to the difference in tire pressure using the pneumatic pressure indicator dedicated to the English valve and the influence of the road surface and vibration of the manual attendant-controlled wheelchairs.

Nowadays, the number of people facing mobility difficulties is growing. While these individuals can use assistive tools like wheelchairs for daily activities, participating in sports alongside individuals with typical abilities remains a challenge. In this paper, we propose a robotic system to facilitate Inclusive Sports, allowing people to enjoy sports and compete together regardless of age and disabilities. The system employs pedaling mechanisms, such as cycling wheelchairs and tricycles, as personal mobility tools. These machines, equipped with at least three wheels, aim to reduce the risk of users falling. Additionally, a power assist function is integrated to enable users with limited leg mobility to independently operate the tools. We also introduce control policies for the robots to navigate during sports competitions for people with visual impairment. Through experiments, we confirm the feasibility of the proposed system, demonstrating its potential for use in Inclusive Sports.

Recently, many tele-operated robot systems have been developed in the social environments. Such a robot system should be required for easy operation. So far, we have developed the seamless control system for tele-operated robots. Here we discuss the object avoidance function at the manual control of the robot.

Tools will assist people and bring out their abilities. However, some tools require training, and they cannot fully perform when the human input isn’t appropriate. In this case, if the performance of a tool is severely degraded by input error, it loses its main purpose as a tool. In this research, focusing on a hopping machine, we develop semi-optimization of tool and control. The design variables are the spring constant of the hopping machine and the time to jump. In the optimization, the input that minimizes the human motion, velocity, acceleration, and jerk is obtained. In the semi-optimization, the sensitivity of the jumping height with respect to input deviations is added. This reduces the performance loss in the presence of input errors, although the performance is slightly lower than that of the optimal solution. Experiments using the proposed method will be conducted to verify the effectiveness of the sensitivity.

Following the enactment of the new barrier-free law in 2006, several barriers to passage have been improved in many public facilities and transportation systems such as railroad stations and trains. According to these improvements, the number of wheelchair users who use railroads have been increasing for the past 15 years. However, they still have many problems to be solved to realize the environment in which wheelchair users can move around independently and freely. As one of solution, a system that guides wheelchair users on barrier-free routes is proposed in this study.

In this report, an application for smartphones using augmented reality with Unity has been developed. This application can be used regardless of the operating system and functions installed in the smartphone, and can navigate seamlessly both indoors and outdoors. Finally, the status of reaching the target specification was evaluated for the implemented functions.

Product accidents among the elderly often result from poorly designed items that overlook age-related functional changes. This study focuses on the deficiency in the ”body-supporting ability” of everyday products, recognizing it as a key factor that influences independent living and fall prevention in the elderly. To address this issue, we developed a portable system that measures and visualizes body-support vector fields in living spaces. 13 elderly participants in 9 homes were involved in the experiments, which demonstrated the system’s effectiveness in analyzing body-supporting movements related to daily activities in various living spaces, such as entrances, living rooms, and bedrooms. This research highlights the significance of taking into account body supporting forces in everyday environments for the elderly, providing valuable insights for future design enhancements.

Recently, COVID-19 disaster has changed the lifestyle in the society and the role of the robot has been reconsidered. To cope with complicated social problems, several types of robots including sensors should be networked and managed by collaborative control system. So far, we have developed a teleoperated robot system for networking different types of robots and combining different types of an autonomous control and a teleoperated control with robot service network protocol (RSNP), and common operation GUI. Here, we verified the validity of the multi-site teleoperated robot system among KISTEC-SIT-RSi at iREX2023.

We have been discussing information gathering system using mobile robots in closed space after disaster. However, when the wireless LAN connecting the operator and the mobile robot is disconnected, tele-operation by the operator becomes impossible and the mobile robot is in distress. Therefore, we have proposed distress prevention method using LoRaWAN as backup communication infrastructure. In this study, we discuss an operation method using a gamepad as a tele-operation method when using backup communication infrastructure. However, when communication quality degraded and communication delays such as packet loss, operability is degraded. Therefore, this paper proposes a system that detect degradation of communication quality and reduce operability degradation by using tele-operation protocol that changes mobile robot movement.

In this study, we verified the communication coverage area by installing LoRaWAN gateways in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture. We confirmed that the LoRaWAN gateways (antenna base stations) installed in elementary schools in Ota City have good signal conditions. In addition, by installing LoRaWAN-compatible temperature and humidity sensors in the gymnasiums of elementary and junior high schools, we constructed a system that enables stable measurement. The discomfort index was calculated and made available to each elementary and junior high school, and the system was also constructed so that the Ota City Board of Education could view and manage it all together.

Inspired by the pump-like function of the jellyfish, an underwater jellyfish-like robot that collects micro-sized debris was proposed. In our previous studies, the intermittent flow drawn into the bell and discharged downwards was manipulated by configuring the installment conditions of the rectifier plates, which mimic the oral arms of the jellyfish. However, thrust vectoring essential for underwater propulsion was not achieved. Therefore, in this study, to investigate the possibility of deflecting the direction of thrust by altering the plates’ installment angle in the same direction, the quasi-2D flow field generated by a pneumatic-driven jellyfish-like robot was evaluated using the PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique, and the characteristic of the generated thrust was investigated.

In this study, a biomimetic underwater robot based on fossil proportions was developed as a new proposal for a reconstruction drawing based on palaeontology. Drepanaspis, an extinct fish species from the Devonian period of the Palaeozoic era, was selected as the model organism because of the abundance of fossil specimens in Japan. The robot was designed and built based on the existing reconstruction of the species and the proportions of each part estimated from the measurement results of the actual fossil specimens. To evaluate the movement of the palaeontological species, the remote control by the radio wave and the autonomous operation were used as control methods, eliminating the need for tethers. Experiments at the simple swimming pool confirmed that the propulsion and the levitation were executed using the caudal fin.

McKibben-type pneumatic artificial muscles, a type of soft actuator, contract like a muscle when compressed air is applied. Pneumatic muscles, which have characteristics similar to biological muscles, have been widely used in robots that imitate endoskeletal systems like humans. However, robots imitating exoskeletons, like crustaceans, mainly use servomotors to drive joints due to the difficulty of placing actuators inside the exoskeleton. In this study, we have developed bipennate muscles employing thin-type McKibben pneumatic muscles. We have also developed an exoskeleton robot imitating the walking legs of a crab. As a result of movement experiments, we confirmed the opening and closing movements of the joints from merus to propodus.

This paper focuses on the feedforward position control of the 2-DOF musculoskeletal system that has two joints and six muscles using the musculoskeletal potential method. This musculoskeletal model is based on OpenSim upper limb model ”arm26”. In this paper, the input internal muscular force is found by solving an optimization problem where the absolute value of generated torque at the target posture is minimized. The results demonstrate that posture control using the musculoskeletal potential method is effective in the model that accurately replicates the muscular arrangement of the real human arm.

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the interesting gait generation mechanism of crocodilians, which exhibit gaits seen in many quadrupedal animals. In our previous studies, we have focused on the passive interlocking mechanism in the crocodilian hindlimb musculoskeletal system. Through robotic validation, we have revealed that standing posture can be achieved through the coordination of the musculotendinous structures. However, because we had only reproduced the right hindlimb in past robotic models, we could not verify motions that lift the body using the hindlimbs during standing or the effects of the tail, which is thought to have a significant impact on locomotion. In this paper, in order to verify those aspects, we present the design and structure of our newly developed experimental platform comprised of a full-scale musculoskeletal robot including the tail and entire hindlimbs.

We investigate the swimming behavior in shear thinning fluid using the monotrichous bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus YM4 and the peritrichous bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SJW1103. In Polyvinylpyrrolidone solution (PVP), which is a Newtonian fluid, the swimming speed of both YM4 and SJW1103 decreases as the viscosity increases. In MC (Methylcellulose) 400 and MC4000, which are shear thinning fluids, the swimming speed does not decrease so much. In MC solution, the swimming speed of SJW1103 does not decrease as the increasing viscosity in MC400 and MC4000. We estimate the shear rate around the cell body and the flagellum of swimming bacterial cells. By applying the estimated shear rate to the measurement of the viscosity of the test fluids, it is found that in the shear thinning fluid, the viscosity around the flagella, where the shear rate is high, is several times lower than that around the bacterial body.

To clarify the locomotive function of living organisms, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that connect the musculoskeletal system to locomotion. Therefore, we developed a frog cyborg that can jump by directly controlling the musculoskeletal structure of living organisms. In this research, we used a cyborg to reproduce the outstanding jumping movements of the Tago’s brown frog. We electrically stimulated sciatic nerves and/or Longissimus dorsi muscle. As a result, we observed that snap-through buckling by trunk extension simultaneously occurred with leg kicking during upward jumping.