Case studies and problem-solving steps are more important than new-technology transfer when collaborative studies are conducted between a small and medium enterprise and AIST. Detecting causes and issues takes considerable time, however, experiences obtained during collaborative research can decrease barriers and speedup progress. This report presents a case study on a collaborative project between Komatsuseiki Kosakusho Co.,Ltd. and AIST to find a way to increase the life span of micro piercing tools. The solution, indirectly obtained by overcoming another problem is cost effective and easily applicable to factories, though it was not the surface coating technique considered at the beginning of the study. Through such experiences, it is possible to continue collaborative R&D on this as well as other projects, e.g., within the “Projects to support the advancement of strategic core technologies” framework of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

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Natural gas engines have been attracting a lot of attention recently due to the development of unconventional natural gas sources. Achieving lean burn with supercharging is necessary to attain high thermal efficiency. Conventional spark plugs face difficulties with ignition because of the high pressure and lean air/fuel mixture. This paper describes studies on laser spark ignition which has been investigated at AIST as an alternative method for the achievement of stable ignition under such conditions. The extension of lean limit and improvement in thermal efficiency are demonstrated, and the possibilities of advanced laser ignition are also discussed.

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Conducting glycan analysis requires expertise. This requirement has been a major bottleneck in the progress of glycomics. If glycan analysis can be done easily and rapidly without specialist knowledge, then the development of glycan functional analysis and associated applications is expected to accelerate. Here, we describe the construction of a multistage tandem mass spectral database, and a system for rapid glycan analysis that utilizes this database, as examples of infrastructure development for the advancement of glycoscience.

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For the research goal of exhaled breath detection system in human health care or medical application, gas-selective and sensitive gas sensors have been developed. High performance sensors satisfying the boundary conditions, such as fast response and highly sensitive and selective detection, were developed with three essential components of a novel working principle, nanoparticle technology, and a ceramic integration process of sensing materials.

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