JRM Editor’s Choice 2010 (Vol.22)

Vol.22 No.5 pp. 623-630 (October 2010)

2DOF Magnetically Driven Microtool for Soft Peeling of Zona Pellucida

Yoko Yamanishi, Tomohiro Kawahara, Tomohiro Iyanagi,
Masaya Hagiwara, Takehito Mizunuma, Naoki Inomata,
Shogo Kudo, and Fumihito Arai

Abstract: We automated removal of the swine oocyte zona pellucida using a 2DOF magnetically driven microtool (MMT) on a microfluidic chip. Multiple oocytes can be manipulated simultaneously highly stably, providing strong advantages over conventional manual manipulation using pipetting. We propose automating this process by activating a soft polymer microtool on a dis...<more>

Vol.22 No.5 pp. 644-650 (October 2010)

Nanoliters Discharge/Suction by Thermoresponsive Polymer Actuated Probe and Applied for Single Cell Manipulation

Masaru Takeuchi, Masahiro Nakajima, Masaru Kojima,
and Toshio Fukuda

Abstract: We propose the Thermoresponsive Polymer Actuated (TPA) probe which uses thermoresponsive polymer poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) volume change as an actuator. The proposed probe is applicable to single cell analysis, especially single cell manipulation. The TPA probe can discharge and suck solution in several nanoliters (nl) using the volume change. N...<more>

Vol.22 No.4 pp. 439-446 (August 2010)

Electric Wheelchair Controlled by Human Body Motion -Classification of Body Motion and Improvement of Control Method-

Sho Yokota, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Yasuhiro Ohyama,
and Jinhua She

Abstract: This paper classifies human body movements when an electric wheelchair was controlled using a Human Body Motion Interface (HBMI) by a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) and proposes control based on classification results. The Human Body Motion Interface (HBMI) uses body movement following voluntary motion. This study focuses on electric wheelchair control as an appl...<more>

Vol.22 No.4 pp. 506-513 (August 2010)

Automatic Counting Robot Development Supporting Qualitative Asbestos Analysis -Asbestos, Air Bubbles, and Particles Classification Using Machine Learning-

Kenichi Ishizu, Hiroshi Takemura, Kuniaki Kawabata,
Hajime Asama, Taketoshi Mishima,
and Hiroshi Mizoguchi

Abstract: Asbestos, particle, and air bubble counting generally supports qualitative asbestos analysis, using such procedures as dispersion staining. Operators conventionally check and count asbestos fibers visually using a microscope - a difficult, time-consuming process. The microscopic observation robot we are automating to support qualitative asbestos analysis ima...<more>

Vol.22 No.4 pp. 514-525 (August 2010)

Adaptive Division-of-Labor Control Algorithm for Multi-Robot Systems

Yusuke Ikemoto, Toru Miura, and Hajime Asama

Abstract: An advanced function for multi-robot systems is the division of labor. There are some studies proposing a multi-agent reinforcement learning method for a division of labor. However, it often requires much time to converge. Many studies focusing on division-of-labor control inspired biological phenomenon have been reported. In those methods, whether heterogen...<more>

Vol.22 No.3 pp. 348-355 (June 2010)

Development of a Robot Balanced on a Ball - First Report, Implementation of the Robot and Basic Control -

Masaaki Kumagai and Takaya Ochiai

Abstract: This paper proposes the implementation and control scheme of a robot balanced on a ball. Unlike a twowheeled inverted pendulum, such as the Segway Human Transporter, an inverted pendulum using a ball moves in any direction without changing orientation, enabling isotropic movement and stabilization. The robot on the ball can be used in place of the twowheeled...<more>

Vol.22 No.3 pp. 371-379 (June 2010)

Design and Fabrication of All-in-One Unified Microfluidic Chip for Automation of Embryonic Cell Manipulation

Yoko Yamanishi, Shinya Sakuma, Tomohiro Iyanagi,
Fumihito Arai, Tatsuo Arai, Akiyuki Hasegawa,
Tamio Tanikawa, Akihiko Ichikawa, Osamu Satoh,
Akihiro Nakayama, Hiroshi Aso, Mitsuhiro Goto,
Seiya Takahashi, and Kazutsugu Matsukawa

Abstract: We developed a microfluidic chip for automation of cloning process based on a new protocol. The protocol is based on removal of the zona pellucida outside the chip which contributes to simplify on-chip automation of cloning. Then, the oocytes are put into the chip. The design concept of the chip is summarized as follows. (1) The oocyte is cut into two parts....<more>

Vol.22 No.2 pp. 179-188 (April 2010)

Development of a Pneumatic Surgical Manipulator IBIS IV

Kotaro Tadano, Kenji Kawashima, Kazuyuki Kojima,
and Naofumi Tanaka

Abstract: In teleoperated, minimally invasive surgery systems, the measurement and conveyance of a sense of force to the operator is problematic. In order to carry out safer and more precise operations using robotic manipulators, force measurement and operator feedback are very important factors. We previously proposed a pneumatic surgical manipulator that is capable ...<more>

Vol.22 No.2 pp. 204-211 (April 2010)

Development of Dismantling Robot for Ceiling Boards - Human-Robot Cooperative System and System Design of the Robot -

Satoshi Ashizawa, Yusuke Kuromiya, Toshiya Watanabe,
Takeo Oomichi, and Junichiro Maeda

Abstract: We have developed a dismantling robot for ceiling boards. The system design of the dismantling robot actually includes a cooperative system between humans and robots. It has a hierarchical system of the independent robot. Indeed, we carried out the dismantlement of ceiling boards by a new method of cutting ceiling boards, and verified the effectiveness of th...<more>

Vol.22 No.1 pp. 65-75 (February 2010)

Automatic ROI Detection and Evaluation in Video Sequences Based on Human Interest

Mohammad Rokunuzzaman, Kosuke Sekiyama, and Toshio Fukuda

Abstract: This paper describes an approach for automatic detection and evaluation of Region of Interest (ROI) based on human psychology of interest and relevance. It is very challenging to determine the cognitive boundary of the scene in real time due to its complexity in decision making. We have proposed a novel method to solve this problem by using human cognitive p...<more>

Vol.22 No.1 pp. 76-81 (February 2010)

Facial-Expression-Based Arousal Evaluation by NST

Hirotoshi Asano and Hideto Ide

Abstract: Fatigue accumulation and poor attention could cause accidents in situations such as flight control, and automobile operation. This has contributed to international interest in intelligent transport system (ITS) research and development. We evaluated human sleepiness arousal based on facial thermal image analysis, in doing so based on nasal skin temperature f...<more>