This is a collaborative project between KYOTO Design Lab, Department of Bio-Based Materials, Department of Macromolecular Science, and Engineering at Kyoto Institute of Technology. Taking inspiration from bamboo bio-microstructures, a new 3D structural growth algorithm was created and used for the development of new products, which used only a third of the anticipated material. The core aim of the project was to bring advanced design together with Kyoto Institute of Technology’s expertise in materials and life sciences and explore new avenues of innovation. (Design: Assa Ashuach | Photo: Masaharu Okuda)

This project focused on a very rare, intractable disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). Because there are so few sufferers of this disease and it is not widely known, it has not been commercially feasible for pharmaceutical companies to develop therapeutic drugs to treat it. Our innovative proposal for CMT treatment research developed a home-use therapeutic drug screening kit, which sufferers themselves can use, with the aid of fruit flies, to discover potential therapeutic substances in the home and participate in the investigation of those substances.（Photo : Juuke Schoorl）

In this educational program designed to stimulate “Mutual Encounters of Science and Art,” students gain a hands-on feel for the potential of engineering sensibilities through modules such as “Build and Take Photographs with a Pinhole Camera,” “Bio Art Created with E. coli Ink,” and “Mobile with Motifs from Nature.” They join in discussion with KIT and non-KIT lecturers who are at the cutting edge of their respective fields, to acquire new engineering sensibilities.

One of our university’s major strengths lies in the area of smart grid research. We are excited to announce we are now taking our research outcomes to the next level, commercialization. To accomplish this, we have upgraded our facilities by constructing a first for a Japanese national university, an electromagnetic anechoic chamber complied with international standard.* This space is now available to joint research projects with regional industries and will enable the repeated trial and error necessary to the research and development of revolutionary new and innovative power devices and arrays under the guidance of an iNARTE-EMC (The International Association for Radio, Telecommunications and Electromagnetics) certified engineer.

*a test room designed to sufficiently absorb the reflections of electromagnetic waves

In recent years, developing the ability to mutually respect and cooperate with the world’s many diverse languages and cultures has taken on even greater importance. In this initiative, making the most of KIT’s Kyoto locale, Japanese and international students learn about traditional culture and crafts together, transcending language and cultural barriers to pool their knowledge, discuss issues, build theories, and propose them to the region to contribute to revitalization.

This joint research project held between KYOTO Design Lab and the Landscape Research Laboratory of ETH Zürich aims to reveal Kyoto’s urban structure through the reexamination of gardens. This is done by recording various gardens in Kyoto as digital data and archiving the relationship between the gardens, buildings and the city. (Photo: Tomomi Takano)

Washi, or Japanese paper, is made with traditional methods, but regular washi paper is constrained by size limitations. Now, the use of an innovative spray-on washi that makes use of medical radiation technology, has given rise to a diverse range of possibilities. Use the link below to see some creations made with this strong, yet easy to apply, spray-on washi.(Photo : Tomomi Takano)