Device and Material Design for Convivial Tools: Wireless Power Transfer and Soft Robots

摘要

Incessant performance improvements in semiconductor, also called Moore's Law, have contributed to the development of information and communications technology over the past 50 years. However, the epoch-making innovation of information and communication technology has not been made possible by simply improving the performance of devices. Instead, it is important to think about the new software technologies and business models that takes advantage of the new capabilities of the hardware devices. ERATO Kawahara Universal Information Network project seeks for new capabilities enabled by a next-generation Internet of Things as“Convivial”tool that works with people in harmony with the environment in a sustainable manner. The project aims to create discontinuous innovation by bringing together members with diverse expertise and combining them to redefine the new relationship between artifacts, people and the environment. In this lecture, I will introduce the recent results of the project using wireless power supply and soft robots as examples.