On Sunday, July 24, we will hold the Molecular Robotics Research Group meeting as follows.

Venue: Large Conference Room, Building No. 1, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagasaki University (Bunkyo Campus)
Access: From Nagasaki Airport, take the limousine bus toward Nagasaki Station (via Showa-machi – Nagasaki University East Gate) and get off at “Nagasaki Daigaku Higashi-mon Mae.” Enter the East Gate directly in front of the stop, go straight ahead, and walk about 3 minutes.
From JR Nagasaki Station or JR Urakami Station, take the streetcar bound for “Akasako” and get off at “Nagasaki Daigaku Mae.” Enter the Main Gate directly in front of the stop, go straight ahead, and walk about 2 minutes.

[Purpose]
We will invite researchers in electrochemistry-related fields (protein molecules on electrodes, biological batteries, neural conduction systems, etc.) and in metal-material actuator-related fields as speakers, and ask them to provide topics from their respective areas of expertise. We hope this will lead to broad discussions on practical applications and development toward hybrid molecular robots.

13:30–14:00
Akihiko Konagaya (Tokyo Institute of Technology, School of Computing)
“Current Status of Amoeba-Type Molecular Robots and Expectations for Hybrid Molecular Robots”
The Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas project “Molecular Robotics,” which started in FY2012, is now in its final year, and the initial targets—the first-generation amoeba-type molecular robot and the second-generation slime-mold-type molecular robot—are now largely taking shape. To further advance molecular robotics, it is essential to begin work on third-generation multicellular molecular robots and fourth-generation hybrid molecular robots. In this talk, I will summarize our activities in the Amoeba Team to date and describe our expectations for hybrid molecular robots, one possible approach to overcoming current limitations.

14:00–14:40
Masato Tominaga (Saga University, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Circulating Material Chemistry)
“Extensions from Bioelectrochemistry—From Enzyme Power to Mud Batteries”
Enzymes can be regarded as molecular robots with catalytic functionality. Their operation requires electron transfer reactions with the external environment (exchange of electronic energy). I will introduce electrode interfaces that enable fast electron transfer with oxygen, as well as “mud batteries” that utilize microorganisms.

15:00–15:40
Kan Shoji (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Kawano Lab)
“Thinking About Hybrid Molecular Robots”
A final goal of molecular robotics is the creation of hybrid molecular robots integrated with electronic circuits. Our laboratory has pursued research aimed at creating biohybrid robots that fuse biology and machines. In this meeting, we will present on applying technologies related to biohybrid robots to molecular robots.

15:40–16:20
Satoshi Shirai (Kyoto University, Graduate School of Agriculture, Division of Applied Life Sciences)
“A Model System for Neural Conduction: Proposing a New Model for Propagation of Membrane Potential Changes and Charge Transfer”
We fabricated cells that mimic the function of ion channels and constructed a model cell-membrane system by connecting multiple cells in parallel. When switching connections between cells showing different membrane potentials, changes in membrane potential propagate to other cells while generating a circulating current; we found that conventional cable theory cannot accurately describe the propagation behavior. We will also explain, from a new perspective, why there is a threshold membrane potential for firing an action potential in neural conduction, why after-hyperpolarization appears after propagation, and why propagation is unidirectional.

16:30–17:10
Akio Kagawa (Professor Emeritus, Nagasaki University; formerly with the Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagasaki University until last fiscal year)
“Actuators Using Hydrogen Storage Alloys”
Hydrogen storage alloys undergo a huge volume expansion when absorbing hydrogen. We will introduce the behavior of bending and rotational actuators that utilize this expansion, as well as applications in the medical field such as cancer-treatment devices.

(17:10–17:30 Discussion on development toward hybrid molecular robots)

18:00 (or 18:30) – about 2 hours
A research networking reception (social gathering) is planned at Nagasaki squid-specialty restaurant “Hanaoka” (tentative; the venue may change depending on the number of participants. We aim for within about 5,000 JPY (students within 3,000 JPY); details will be announced later).
≪About a 12-minute walk from the lecture venue≫

※If you wish to participate in the networking reception (social gathering), please apply via the form below by July 15.