Practical Wisdom for Freedom] Special Prize and Progressive Weather Prize: "Medical and Welfare Robot Development / Professor ISHII Chiharu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Reasons for Nomination and Summary of Activities

As one of the measures to cope with Japan's declining birthrate and aging population, the realization of a new industrial revolution using robots in the medical and welfare fields is mentioned in the government's "Revitalization Strategy for Japan".

Professor Ishii's laboratory is researching and developing a single hole laparoscopic surgery-assist robot. This is a so-called endoscopic surgery support robot in which instruments are inserted through small holes drilled in the body by remote control by a doctor. The "single hole type" developed by Dr. Ishii is expected to further reduce the number of holes, and only one hole is needed for the navel, which is expected to be more cosmetic than ever and reduce the burden on the patient and the risk of complications.

The laparoscopic surgery robot is a master-slave system consisting of two devices, one for the doctor and the other for the patient, and Professor Ishii's laboratory is developing a slave robot for the patient side of the surgery. In particular, the development of a single-pore laparoscopic surgery-assist robot with a force feedback function is a novel idea. Force is the sensory information corresponding to the sense of touch among the five senses, and the robot uses a 6-axis force sensor to measure the elasticity from up and down, left and right, and front and back, and reproduces the sense of force on the doctor's side.

Comments from the President on the reason for the selection

The scope of application of robot technology is wide, ranging from military operations as a national strategy to support for people's daily lives, but this development is highly evaluated because it was developed to support life-threatening surgeries in the medical and welfare fields.

It will serve as a guideline for considering for whom and in what direction robot technology should be directed in the future, and will fulfill the ethical nature of Practical wisdom.

Comments from the Award Winners

I am very honored to receive this special award at the first annual Practical Wisdom for Freedom Awards. As I mentioned at the award ceremony, I would like to thank the many people who supported me in receiving this award. First of all, we could not have produced the surgical robot without the skillful work of Dr. Hashimoto and Dr. Isesaki in our workshop.

We would also like to thank Mr. Yamaoka, Mr. Maeda, and other graduates who were engaged in the design and development of this robot until their master's course in this laboratory; Mr. Shimoduchi, an engineer from THK Corporation, for his advice on the robot's mechanism; Dr. Kawamura of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Yamaoka, Mr. Maeda, and other graduates; Mr. Shimodo, an engineer of THK Corporation, for his advice on the mechanism of the robot; Dr. Kawamura of the Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine for his cooperation in evaluation experiments using the robot; and all faculty and staff involved in this project and in the selection process for the "Practical Wisdom for Freedom Award.

We will continue to promote solution-oriented research and education on actual problems in the field.

ISHII Chiharu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering