Local national universities are expected to contribute to their local region. To meet these requirements, in addition to researching fundamental topics such as strength and damage in conventional mechanical parts and design methods, we also develop new machinery needed by local companies and industries. The picture here shows a fishing machine our laboratory developed for trawling. The aims of development are to reduce the labor of fishermen, boost catches, and spur new entry to fisheries. We are also developing a wide variety of other machines and tools, including a root vegetable harvester, an automatic skewering machine for yakitori skewers, and fruit harvesting shears.

Professor Gang DENG

Weighing livestock is important for tracking animal growth and for shipping guidelines. However, because of labor costs, many farmers and ranchers only estimate weight visually without actually weighing the animals. For this reason, we are developing an automatic screening system that uses AI to automatically estimate the pig’s weight so that only pigs that have reached the proper weight will be shipped.

Professor Kikuhito KAWASUE

The Southern Kyushu region has a thriving livestock industry but also faces serious problems during the summer due to heat damage, and technological cooling solutions are thus in high demand. Radiant barrier paint is a functional coating that reflects sunlight to a high degree and can reduce increases in temperature of the coated object. Coating the outside of feed tanks with radiant barrier paint evidently reduces feed loss from condensation and mold; however, the challenge is to reduce the risks due to working at height, and execution costs. In our research, we are developing prototype animal feed tank cleaning and thermal coating robots, and also aim to develop new methods for cleaning feed tanks and thermal coatings. The benefits of progress in this research are threefold: (1) remote operation, which reduces the frequency of working at height and thus reduces worker hazards; (2) cost reductions by reducing temporary scaffolding, personnel and installation; and (3) low-cost execution, which is expected to increase the number of executions and help the livestock industry cope more effectively with summer heat.

Professor Ryusuke KAWAMURA

Aircraft, spacecraft, automobiles, ships—we are surrounded by machinery and equipment that utilize the properties of fluid dynamics. In this field, we conduct numerical simulations and tests in water tanks and wind tunnels to investigate fluid dynamics and flow phenomena. Our research seeks to find engineering applications of fluid physics with the aim of designing advanced machinery and equipment. The picture here shows our multifan wind tunnel: the world’s first true turbulence wind tunnel. We use the multifan wind tunnel, in which 99 independently controlled fans are installed, to create varied flows that allow for highly sophisticated research on flow phenomena.

Professor Byeongrog SHIN

The beam-down solar concentrator installed at the University of Miyazaki achieves world-class concentration levels of light intensity. By concentrating sunlight to a single point and converting it to heat (known as solar heat), energy can be stored inexpensively for use even at night. We are developing a device that can store and use the solar heat generated by a beam-down solar concentrator.

Professor Yoshinori NAGASE

With the aim of creating never-before-seen robots and mechatronics, we are devising and designing mechanisms and developing mechanism control methods. In recent years, we have been investigating the flight and swimming mechanisms of insects and aquatic creatures with the goal of producing bio-inspired robots that can fly and swim. In robotics research and applied technologies, we are also developing robots to provide aid for human well-being.

Associate Professor Geunho LEE

The need for high-precision micro-machining of various products and parts has increased in recent years. Our work concerns developing the tools to achieve both high precision and high efficiency micro-machining. To this end, we conduct investigations on both machining and applied technologies using micro-tools.

Associate Professor Osamu OHNISHI

In machinery, vibration is an issue that can arise from many different causes. In our research, we appropriately model and analyze machinery to determine the causes and mechanisms behind vibrations. We are also working to mitigate vibration issues through optimized anti-vibration measures. The picture here shows an experiment with vibrating tools. Various hand-held vibrating tools see daily use in the construction industry, and workers continuously exposed to vibration can develop serious health complications in their hands and arms. Thus, we are developing worker-friendly vibrating tools that minimize the vibration that propagates to the human body.

Associate Professor Yasuhiro BONKOBARA

Despite growing concerns about environmental pollution, most unwanted glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) wind up in landfills. Therefore, in the interest of recycling GFRP, we are producing glass fiber reinforced porous ceramics by mixing and firing crushed GFRP with clay, targeting applications in areas such as turbid water filtration materials, permeable block sidewalks, and NOx adsorbents.

Associate Professor Hiroyuki KINOSHITA

Cardiovascular diseases, such as aneurysms, are reported to develop and spread due to irregularities in blood flow. To clarify the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, we are working to develop new simulation techniques. Additionally, we aim to use computational fluid dynamics to understand the phenomena of material transport in the body and the dynamic interactions between blood flow and vascular walls.

Associate Professor Suguru MIYAUCHI

For implants such as artificial joints, there have been reports of post-operative defects, including loosening and breaking of the implant and bone fractures. Thus, it is desirable for clinical practice to enhance the function of implants and extend their serviceable life. Our labs are conducting experiments and simulations based on the dynamic interactions between implant and bone to develop personalized implants that are shaped for and that use materials optimized for individual patients. (The picture shows an experiment measuring the mechanical status of a femur after artificial joint replacement.)

Associate Professor Go YAMAKO

Recently, wearable robots are beginning to employ in the actual field such as the manufacturing or nursing field. When putting on or taking off those robots, the misalignment of attachment often happens, making the user feel pain or discomfort. To resolve this problem, we tackle the development of wearable robots allowing the misalignment and designing its controller.

Associate Professor Ken MASUYA

We are developing a system that can generate electricity at relatively low temperatures for advanced heat utilization in solar thermal power generation and waste heat utilization in factories. This clean system makes effective use of thermal energy, a mostly untapped resource to date, without emitting CO2. This relates to SDG. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and energy for all.

Assistant Professor Shigeki TOMOMATSU

In special environments where lubricants cannot be used, such as clean environments, marine environments, steam environments, and chemical environments, there are currently situations where steel mechanical parts cannot be used for safety reasons. In sliding parts, such as bearings, the contact surface will develop cracks and wear due to cyclic loading. After that, the bearings will separate (i.e., crack or break) and reach the end of their service life. In this field, we aim to improve the service life of mechanical parts to answer the demand for environmentally friendly sliding part materials.

Assistant Professor Hitonobu KOIKE