Here, we present a cross-talk between Associate Professor Kazuyuki Kuroyama and Lecturer Takamasa Tsukamoto, both of whom are from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo. Both researchers also work with nano-materials, but how did they feel about each other's work upon looking into it? In this discussion, they share their candid thoughts, including about their approaches and philosophies as scientists.

Research on nanoparticles has advanced rapidly since the 2000s. However, most studies to date have focused on particles 5 nanometers or larger in size. Against this backdrop, in recent years, increasing attention has been given to atomic clusters—structures approximately 1 nanometer in size, consisting of anywhere from several up to a few dozen atoms. Lecturer Takamasa Tsukamoto, at #UTokyo_IIS , is pioneering a groundbreaking method for synthesizing these atomic clusters, which hold untapped potential. At the same time, he is also working to identify the periodicity (i.e., the recurring regularity) of atomic clusters and delve deeper into their fundamental nature. We spoke with Tsukamoto to find out what has been discovered and what new possibilities lie ahead.

Quantum computers are developing rapidly in countries around the world. They are believed to have the potential to achieve computation speeds up to 100 million times faster than conventional computers. As an example, this would allow calculations that currently take over three years on a supercomputer to be completed in a single second. Quantum bits are a critical and foundational component of quantum computers, and Associate Professor Kazuyuki Kuroyama of the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, has achieved noteworthy results in his research aimed at expanding their potential. His research focuses on enabling the transfer of information between different types of quantum bits. What does this entail, and what possibilities does this research open up? We asked Kuroyama.

The government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, provided support for the development of the new campus of IIT Hyderabad in the form of design work for six complexes. This work was done by experts from #UTokyo_IIS. The work commenced in 2011 and was completed earlier this year.

In recent years, gaze estimation technology, which interprets the direction of a person’s gaze from camera images, has made significant progress and is anticipated to be applied in various fields, such as autonomous driving, robotics, and medical applications. However, a significant challenge has been the bias in the training data necessary for AI to learn gaze estimation. For instance, many existing research datasets are collected in university laboratories, predominantly featuring student participants, resulting in a significant age bias.

Patches seem to be all the rage these days. There are birth control patches, nicotine patches, and transdermal medicinal patches, just to name a few. Now, a team of researchers led by Beomjoon Kim at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have developed a patch of needles connected to a paper sensor for diagnosing conditions such as prediabetes. Luckily, this patch doesn't multiply the pain and discomfort of a single hypodermic needle. In fact, these microneedles are painless and biodegradable.

Fujitsu-led industry-academia consortium commences development of world's first disinformation countermeasure platform.

In April 2024, we interviewed Lecturer Yuki Tokumoto and Professor Kazuo Goda of Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, and published articles introducing their respective research in June and July. This time, we are treating our readers to a cross-talk featuring Tokumoto and Goda. What did Tokumoto and Goda, two researchers involved in the completely different fields of solid state physics and computers, learn about the other’s work and what were their respective impressions? Join us for their in-depth and energetic dialogue.

Typically speaking, computers use a combination of hardware and software to operate. Connecting these two elements is the system software. System software is an unseen element that supports the computer at its core. Professor Kazuo Goda, of Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, considers himself a computer lover down to his very core. Over his many years working with computers, Professor Goda found himself drawn to the workings of system software, and has dedicated himself to research activities in that field. System software developed by Professor Goda today serves a major role in various fields, including health care and social infrastructure. We spoke with Professor Goda about how system software operates and what he sees as the future of computers.