Report of 4th International Robotics Forum for High School Students (IRH 2018)

Nobember 11, 2018 The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)

The report of IRH2018 (pdf) is here.

Overview

Sponsored by: The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)

Cosponsored by: Japan Robot Association and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Ltd.

Supported by: ROBOCON MAGAZINE，Ohmsha, Ltd. , Toyota Motor Co.,
Mitsubishi Electric Co., Yaskawa Electric Co., RT Corporation

Date: Friday October 19 and Saturday October 20, 2018

Venue: Tokyo International Exhibition Center, room 607 and room 608

Executive committee of IRH 2018:

Award Committee of IRH 2018

Sponsor：

Cosponsor：

Supporter:

Purpose

Robotics educational project of RSJ for high school students in the world

Study and report of the World Robot Summit 2018 (WRS 2018) and Japan Robot Week 2018 (JRW 2018)

Awards for outstanding presentations

Information sharing of robotics educational trial on each school and experience of international communication

Encourage of future robotics researcher and engineer

Performance

”Robot high school” that was an educational program for Japanese high school students using real industrial robot as learning resource were hold in 2009 and 2011. These were corroboration with iREX 2009 and 2011.

1st International Robotics Forum for High School Students (IRH 2013) was held as one of globalization actions in 2013 when IROS 2013 was hold at Tokyo. Since IRH 2013, series of IRH have been held in every odd year that is the year of iREX until 2019. In this year, IRH 2018 was held as collaboration event with WRS 2018 and JRW 2018. Performances of each IRH are as follows. So many participants and schools have joined in every time, and IRH is growing up as an international education event.

Entrant school

Report

1. Schedule: Detail of schedule is here.

Investigation and Study of WRS 2018 and JRW 2018

Presentation; Study report of the exhibition and competition

Award ceremony

2. Study of the exhibition and themes of the study

All schools had done the study before IRH 2018 based on one theme that was selected by their self from following study themes. All students investigated real robots exhibited in WRS and JRW 2018 site in the afternoon of the Day One, and completed their study report that are presented at the Day Two open presentation with adding the result of the investigation.

Web site of WRS2018

Web site of JRWS2018

＜Field study at the exhibition site＞

＜Valuations of the study themes＞

Theme 1: Systematization of fundamental technologies in industrial robots for manufacturing use
Aim of this theme is to learn fundamental technologies consisting industrial robots. Please select one category from following three fundamental technologies in industrial robots for manufacturing use.
Please investigate variety of technologies, base principles and etc. included in the selected category, then classify and sort out the investigation results so as to clarify total image of the selected fundamental technology.
< Candidates of category selection>
1) Sensor technologies
2) Mechanical elements; e.g. actuators, reduction gears, structures, mechanisms, materials, and system constructions
3) Robot operating technologies; e.g. safety technologies, and system integration technologies

Theme 2: Relation between applications of robots and their performance
Aim of this theme is to learn design philosophies of robots optimized for its purposes and application environments.
Please select one category from following three robot applications, and investigate relations between robot applications and performances of robots; e.g. special features, functions, structures, constructions, and specifications.
< Candidates of category selection >
1) Manufacturing use; e.g. automobile, electric equipment, electronics components, medicines, cosmetics, foods
2) Service use; e.g. building cleaning, disaster response, infrastructure maintenance, security, medical treatment, care for old persons, agriculture, fisheries industry, amusements, guidance
3) Home use; e.g. floor cleaning, security, watch and guard for old persons, interactive home appliances, information terminals

Theme 3: Most advanced technologies of robots
Aim of this theme is to learn most advanced technologies of robots.
Please investigate the most advanced technologies for robots, and explain novelties, and/or usefulness of the technology, then how robots have been improved by the technology. If it is possible, please picture how the world will be changed by the robot evolution.
Technologies have some phases from basic research level to practical use level and there are individual most advanced technologies in the each phase as shown in following reference materials. First of all, please recognize the phase in which your focusing robot belong to. Then please investigate what is the most advanced technology in that phase.

For a description of novelty, there is a way to state that it is solved the problems by a method which has not been used so far, the combination of principles, law, methods, individual way, or why there is a way to discuss whether now possible to use the way.
For a description of the usefulness, there is a way to argue that it has the same functionality at a lower cost, implementation of more functions at the same cost, functions which could not be realized until now although it cost more.
For changing the world, there is a way to discuss changes in the views of the site, the ways how people works, changes in lifestyle, changes in the common sense, expansion of the work efficiency by the robot, the effect of reducing the programming time and effort of the robot.

3. Presentation

Presentation was held at the room 607 on Saturday October 20, 2018.
Representatives of 9 schools presented their study. The presentation time of each school was 15 minutes, and all schools punctually finished in the limit time. Time of the field study at exhibition site and preparation time for the presentation was limited in short time, however every student made excellent presentation.

4. Awards ceremony

a) Following four schools were selected as outstanding presenter in all 9 presentations of the “Study report” and RSJ presented them “IRH 2018 Best Study Report Award”.

b) We presented temporally an IRH 2018 Special Committee Award to following school that made a unique view point research.

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c) ”Testimonial for Study Report of IRH 2018” was presented to all teachers with regarding their excellent leading of their students.

d) “Certificate of IRH 2018” was presented to all participants.

e) General comment:
We assessed the presentations to select award winners. However, all presentations were excellent and level difference between all presentations was negligible. All speakers were exactly punctual to the presentation limit time with well controlled speaking. Attitude, utterance and manners of presentation might be better than those of university students in many conferences. Though the preparing time of pre-study and investigation time in the exhibition site wasn’t so enough, all study contents were brushed up well and all presentations were well summarized and easy to understand. We believe that these excellent presentations depend on daily student’s effort and good leading of teachers. We would like to give honor to their great activity.

Announcement about next IRH

IRH 2019 will be held in December 2019 at Tokyo!
In IRH 2019, participants will be able to find and study world advanced robots, because it will collaborate with International Robot Exhibition 2019 (iREX 2019) .

以上

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