Hi, I am Michihiro Hayashi, the advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club.
On Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, 2024, I took a business trip with the participating students to the Tokai-Hokuriku Regional ROBOCON 2024 held in Numazu City. Numazu City is located in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture and is the furthest regional competition site from ICT. The students and their faculty advisors traveled there by chartered bus. The one-way trip was about 8 hours long. The students bought a lots of snacks and fast food at the rest area and ate them on the bus. Perhaps the souvenir shops on the highway were a rarity to them, especially since there are few stores around the Hakusanroku Campus.

The theme of this year's ROBOCON is “Return of the Robots,” and the rules call for a robot to launch an another robot, retrieve objects, and return. When the robot is launched, it inevitably receives a shock when it lands, which can cause the robot to break or malfunction, so a mechanism to absorb the shock is necessary. Also, when the robot returns after retrieving an object, some obstacles must be jumped over, so each team needs to be creative in their robot design.

Two teams from our school participated: Team A from Kanazawa Campus, “ХАЙРТАЙ ШҮҮ 3k”, and Team B from Hakusanroku Campus “Tobihoudai”. The captain of Team A was Sansar Sergelen, a 4th year student from Mongolia. Therefore, the team’s name is in Mongolian. If you are interested in the name of Team A, please look up the meaning and pronunciation.

Team A's robot was designed with airbags for shock absorption and an arm that extends like a crane when returning. With only three members, various tasks took time, and they couldn't fully adjust the robot by the final date. On the day of the competition, they continued making adjustments at the venue but unfortunately couldn't demonstrate the soft landing with the airbags. As a result, they lost both matches in the preliminary league. However, despite the small team, their innovative efforts were recognized, and they received the "DENSO Special Award."

Team B's robot was constructed so that it could continue to operate even if it was upside down on landing. They also built a robot that uses a rotating roller like a pitching machine to retrieve objects. The members gathered after school until just before the competition to continue adjusting the robot. However, they struggled to reduce the weight of the robot and were forced to bring the improved parts to the venue by bus. As a result, the robot was able to successfully pass the weighing and measuring inspection for the competition. In the competition, the students showed off how they flew and landed their robots and achieved one win and one loss in the preliminary league. The efforts of the younger students were also recognized, and they received the “Mabuchi Motor Special Award.”

Although neither team was able to advance to the final tournament or be nominated for the national tournament, I believe that they were able to fully demonstrate the results of their activities. Some students may have felt that they “failed” or “felt frustrated,” but I hope that these feelings will become rich nourishment for their future.

Michihiro Hayashi

Hello, this is Hitomi Nanto from ICT Kanazawa Office. Today, I am introducing our facility,” The Learning Commons”.
The Learning Commons was launched on the first floor of the Kanazawa Campus in September 2023. This room is a large learning space for independent learning activities such as self-learning, group studying, preparation of presentations, and discussion. It is mainly used by 4th and 5th year students who commute to the Kanazawa Campus and is designed to help them spend their precious free time after school.
Students at ICT can use this room freely which contains interactive and movable whiteboards and multi-purpose outlets on the tables. After school, I often see students sitting in the box seats by the window, enjoying self-study and conversation with their classmates. It is exciting to think that we can spend time with our friends and create new possibilities together in a place like this.

Tables and chairs in the middle of this room can be used not only for self-study but also for group work by rearranging the tables. Movable whiteboards and projectors can be used for seminars, workshops, and group brainstorming sessions.

These are booth seats like those in a diner. Some students can be seen relaxing with their classmates, spreading out their lunch boxes and snacks, or engaging in self-study. The center of the table is equipped with an electrical multi-purpose outlet, which is very convenient for charging computers and tablets.

This is the counter area and a casual space for learning and discussion. Large displays and whiteboards on the walls can be used for effective group study and discussion by displaying images from PCs.

　Hitomi Nanto