Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Office. This time, I would like to write about the Engineering Design IIB final presentation held on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025.

 The Engineering Design IIB class, worked on problem-solving projects on the social, natural, and industrial environments of the HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) region. Students were divided into two teams, the Agribusiness Team and the Tech Team. I will introduce the activities that both teams have been working on.

Activities of the Agribusiness Team

 The Agribusiness Team has been working on regional revitalization activities in HAKUSANROKU, including the Asagimadara (Chestnut Tiger Butterfly) marking event, roasted Kosen Beniharuka sweet potato sales, and traditional Ningyo Joruri (Puppet Theater).

Asagimadara (Chestnut Tiger Butterfly) Marking Event

 In a fallow field in front of the Hakusanroku campus, Fujibakama flowers (boneset) are being cultivated to attract Asagimadara. The Agribusiness Team is working on a project to revitalize the community by making the migrating Asagimadara a valuable local resource.
 This year, the Asagimadara Marking Event, organized by the Oguchi Community Development Council, the Hakusanroku Satoyama Revitalization Council, and the Asagimadara Fan Club, was held again. The Agribusiness Team participated in the event in a supporting role. The marking experience was limited to 30 participants by advance reservation, and in addition to assisting with the marking activity, the students planned events to ensure that the 30 participants could have a fuller experience. Their goal was to promote the charm of HAKUSANROKU while creating an opportunity for interaction between local residents and visitors.
 To attract participants to the event, the students created promotional posters for the Asagimadara Marking Event and displayed them at Hakusan Himenoyu Onsen, Oguchi Community Center and Sena Roadside Station. 
 Additionally, they set up photo spots, observation areas, and rest areas, in order to promote the event on social media. They also organized various activities such as selling Asagimadara-themed merchandise, hosting a keychain-making experience using a laser cutter, and setting up a capsule toy machine. The capsule toy machine, in particular, was more popular than expected and made many visitors happy.
 For more details, Arihiro Kodaka sensei, who is in charge of Engineering Design, has written about the Asagimadara Marking Event

Kosen Beniharuka Sweet Potatoes Sales

 The Agribusiness Team, with the cooperation of the Hakusanroku Satoyama Revitalization Council, has been cultivating Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes since first semester, utilizing a fallow field in front of the Hakusanroku campus. The students collaborated with the Kijitora Coffee Laboratory and Sena Road Station, aimed at revitalizing the local community by selling Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes that the students grew by themselves.

 This year, as part of a collaboration with ICT, Kijitora Coffee Laboratory sold "Chips Benya Soft" and "Benya Soft" made with Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes, while Sena Road Station offered "Beniharuka Sundae" and fresh Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes for sale. 

 Additionally, on Sunday, November 3rd and Monday, November 4th, 2024, the Agribusiness Team sold roasted Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes at the Sena Road Station store. Last year, with the aim of promoting the Kosen Beniharuka brand and building a fan base, original merchandise such as keychains and magnets featuring four mascot characters of Kosen Beniharuka were created. These were distributed for free as capsule toys to customers who purchased roasted Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes of a certain amount. This year, while inheriting the character goods created by last year's students, new acrylic standing figures were added to the collection.
 This year, the Kosen Beniharuka sweet potato harvest was excellent, with the harvest volume approximately 1.6 times greater than last year. As a result, more Kosen Beniharuka sweet potatoes had to be sold. To promote the brand more widely and boost sales at both the Kijitora Coffee Laboratory and Sena Road Station, a campaign was implemented. Customers who purchased a certain amount of Kosen Beniharuka related products at each store were given a free exchange voucher for a capsule toy.

 Last year, about 30 capsule toys were distributed, but this year, thanks to the many customers who visited the roasted Kosen Beniharuka sweet potato stand from the Kijitora Coffee Laboratory and Sena Road Station, 100 capsule toys were given out. Some customers even returned to buy other products just to get another capsule toy. Others, continuing from last year, mentioned, "We came to enjoy Kosen Beniharuka roasted sweet potatoes again this year." Ultimately, the sales were approximately 1.4 times higher than last year, and the students were able to achieve their goal of surpassing last year's sales.

Ningyo Joruri (Puppet Theater)

 The Higashi Futakuchi Bunya Ningyo Joruri is a traditional form of puppet theater that draws from the Joruri and Bunyabushi, which were popular before the emergence of Bunraku (puppetry). Currently, there are only four places in Japan where Bunyabushi is still being preserved, one of which exists in the Higashi futakuchi area of Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture. 350 years ago, local residents went to Kyoto, studied Ningyo Joruri and brought it back to HAKUSANROKU. Even today, it remains much the same as it was back then.
 With the goal of introducing this unique cultural heritage to more people and providing an opportunity for them to enjoy it, the Agribusiness Team visited the Higashi futakuchi Local History Museum, the venue for the Ningyo Joruri performances. Through interviews with them, they gathered impressions and identified challenges, using these insights to further their activities.

 

Ningyo Joruri paper crafts

 The students planned two events to help promote and revitalize the Ningyo Joruri tradition.
 The first aimed to show the appeal of Ningyo Joruri through the use of paper crafts. Students proposed offering papercraft models as souvenirs for visitors attending performances and making them available for download on a website, allowing people to enjoy them at home.
 The second initiative involved expanding the distribution of promotional flyers beyond public facilities in Hakusan City and promoting the event through posters. As a result, flyers could also be distributed at Sena Road Station and the Ichirino area, which attract many tourists during the winter season for winter sports. Additionally, based on discussions with members of the preservation society, the students created a Current Status Analysis Map, summarizing the ongoing efforts to preserve and promote the tradition.

 In this activity, students explored new experience possibilities with paper crafts and visualized the current state of Higashi Futakuchi Bunya Ningyo Joruri, and I believe that students were able to create opportunities for themselves to become aware of issues from a variety of perspectives. Although it was difficult to secure sufficient time for this activity at the end of the semester, students felt it was important to work together with the preservation society to think about the future of the project.

Activities of the Tech Team

 The Tech Team is engaged in technological development focused on utilizing AI and IoT for wildlife monitoring and notification systems, as well as controlling drones to deter harmful animals as part of pest control measures.
 In HAKUSANROKU, damage to crops by monkeys has become increasingly severe each year. To address this issue, the Tech Team has improved the accuracy of an AI-powered monkey surveillance system to over 90%, developed a function that sends notifications to farmers via LINE when monkeys are detected, and tested the effectiveness of drones in deterring them.
 This year, the team was divided into three groups to explore new ways to protect farmland: the Rover Team, which developed a patrol robot capable of navigating rough terrain; the Drone Team, which tested the precision of automatic takeoff and landing for drones; and the IoT Team, which developed a system to monitor rainfall and wind speed for drone operation.

Rover Team

 Newly active this year, the Rover Team worked to develop a rover that could patrol the farmland in bad weather and intimidate monkeys when drones are unable to fly because of weather conditions. The final goal is to have a rover move around the farmland automatically, but the first step is to develop a rover that can move around the uneven terrain of the farmland. The students proceeded with a detailed design based on their ideas of “what kind of rover” they wanted, such as how fast they wanted the rover to move around the field and how big and heavy they wanted it to be.
 The completed rover was to be tested on farmland, but the farmland was covered with snow, so the test was conducted on campus over concrete, asphalt, and grass with a light dusting of snow on campus.
 How to intimidate monkeys and how to automate the rover to travel over farmland are the next challenges.

Drone Team

 The goals of the Drone Team this year were to investigate the accuracy of a drone’s GPS takeoff and landing and confirmation of system operation. Furthermore, the drone storage box was made and installed on the farmland to enable takeoff, landing, and storage of the drone.

The operation of the developed system is as follows.
1. When the AI monkey detection system recognizes the monkeys, a notification is sent to the user via LINE.
2. The user remotely opens the door of the drone storage box.
3. Under user remote control, the drone automatically takes off and circles the farmland to intimidate the monkeys.
4. After the drone circles the farmland, the drone lands on the storage box.
5. The user remotely closes the door of the storage box.

 The confirmation tests were conducted on campus and confirmed the drone’s takeoff and landing accuracy. The drone storage box was controlled remotely from the cafeteria.

IoT Team

 The IoT Team is the bridge link between the user, the AI monkey detection system, and the drone or rover. When the system detects the monkeys in the farmland, the system sends information such as rainfall, windspeed, and images of the monkey to the user, and the user decides if the drone or rover is ready to operate in the farmland. These enhancements help robots avoid making decisions too quickly. Additionally, for quick maintenance, the software has also been improved to check if the system is offline, whether the internet is connected, and which camera is offline.

Yuri Makada

  Hello everyone, it's your friendly teacher Hayato Ogawa unrelated to the Japanese drama, Extremely Inappropriate! It’s been a gray and dark winter here in Hakusanroku campus but the light at the end of the school year is upon us and it’s filled with new adventures and goals for the next school year! My background is in electrical engineering with programming and telecommunications. I enjoy designing, creating, fixing and tinkering.

 On Thursday, January 23rd, 2025, Tossa Mebusaya sensei and I held the final class in the Fundamentals of Business Management course. In the class students made their final business proposals. The proposals were a 3 to 5 minute pitch of an idea that would help develop a new awareness and help others have a better student life. The students have been working in teams from week 5 to bring awareness and resolve issues they have faced around and in school life.


The first group wanted to revise the process for requesting, acquiring and using the student discount for Japan Rail (JR) ticketing system. The target would help JR, students and the academic office staff who prepare the paperwork for this process. The current process is to acquire a student travel discount which is time consuming and frustrating. The students proposed a more direct and app-based solution and check system, all maintained in the JR ticket system. The app and check system has good security and user id confirmation checks to assure correct use by both student user and JR. This solution adds a new feature to the existing ticketing system and gates at JR by updating the check in check out system and creating a web application in conjunction with schools for ID checks and clearance for discount acquisitions. The students also proposed a strong revenue model and sustainable life cycle for the solution.

The second group brought awareness to the large amount of stink bugs in the area and on campus. This group’s proposed solution was a small robot that would incinerate the specific bug identified as a stink bug with a laser light source. With an interesting payment method where every time a stink bug is removed the user must pay per bug. With this revenue model it allows the homeowner or users to rent the robot from the company to in order to maintain a peaceful and stink free living space without the worry of stink bugs. 

The third group wanted to have more interaction with the cafeteria staff and the food preparation and consumption process. This group wanted to use the Gordon Ramsay tv show called Kitchen Nightmares show concept and have a culinary coach to come in to shake up the school menu. The students wanted to see how they could be involved in communicating interest, curiosity and familiar tastes to cafeteria staff and share ideas through food. What kind of new creations would be made. The students offered a workshop like experience to update and collaborate with the current kitchen staff of different offerings and themes. The revenue model is a onetime fee dependent on catering size of the school/company facility and cafeteria.

The fourth group wanted to tackle the issue of noise in the living areas or dormitories to alert and give friendly reminders to other tenants, of loud behavior or disruptive noises being generated accidentally. They came up with a small device to keep track of peak noise levels in individual rooms and let a central system know of issues and patterns while alerting the noise maker. The system and dataset are sold to the facility management company as a subscription service and as a rental for the sensor and monitoring system.

The fifth group wanted to resolve the issues on difficulty of reading blackboard notes, how to digitize them and, with the help of AI, decipher hard to read handwritten notes. Target users were the students and people who may have a disadvantage of seeing the blackboard due to seat position or eye condition. This business would sell a subscription to the academic facility and would be included in the digital media cost to students to aid everyone and have ease of access to tools to help with studying.

This type of business proposal is similar to the American tv show Shark Tank where contestants have a very limited time to concisely hit attractive and informative points to stakeholders and investors so they gain interest and confidence in investing in a product or service. It is important to hit key points and have an open area for investors to come back to schedule another meeting to discuss more details. 

Hayato Ogawa

From left, 2nd year students, Ruuna Nakazawa, Hiroko Takeda, Rinse Okiyama, and Kaya Yasuda左から、2年生 中澤 琉月さん、武田 洋子さん、沖山 琳世さん、安田 萱さん

Meguru Ito sensei and Michihiro Hayashi sensei, who are in charge of Physics and Engineering Design classes, would like to introduce the ICT 3D Modeling Contest 2024.

 The ICT 3D Modeling Contest is a 3D CAD-themed contest for 1st and 2nd year students at the Hakusanroku Campus. ICT students begin using Autodesk Fusion 3D CAD software in their 1st year, and use 3D CAD modeling and 3D printers to output parts for use in classes and projects to improve student 3D CAD modeling skills. ICT holds a yearly competition called the ICT 3D Modeling Contest.
 The theme of this year's contest was “What You Want to Bring to an Evacuation Shelter.” Many victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1st, 2024 were forced to live in evacuation centers for a long time. We chose this theme because we wanted students to think about what they need while imagining such a situation and creating their models. Students at Hakusanroku Campus completed and submitted their models as their summer vacation homework. After being reviewed by several judges, four students were selected as Excellence Award winners.
The following are the comments of the four students.

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2nd year student, Hiroko Takeda
Title: Hardtack and Sugar Shimaenaga (a bird called Long-Tailed Tit) Candies

Production time: about 4 hours for the package, about 8 hours for modeling
Points of particularity: package
I created a shimaenaga version of the packaging to resemble the hardtack packaging that I remember from when I was a child. (The product information on the back of the package was faithfully reproduced down to the line breaks.)
Another key point is that I drew the Striped Shimaenaga to resemble the color scheme of the character on the original hardtack.

Modeling:
・When I creating the lid part of the can, I utilized both surface(*1) modeling and sheet metal(*2) techniques. (I didn't know how to do this, so I asked a question on the forum where I learned about it during the Fusion workshop last year, and they gave me detailed instructions.)
・I created the design for the hardtack package pattern myself and applied it to achieve a more realistic texture, striving to make it as authentic as possible.
・I tried to apply the decals to the package, but the image was cut off because of the curved surface. As a solution, I enclosed the solid (*3) with a surface, and then applied the package in two parts on top of the solid.

Judges’ Comments:
The modeling closely resembles the actual can shape, including how the lid bends when opened. The textures have also been meticulously created, making the overall work very impressive. The contents, the hardtack, have been designed in the style of Shimaenaga, showcasing creative attention to detail. However, the arrangement of the hardtack appears somewhat unnatural. Next time, you could try using features like physics simulations to calculate a more realistic stacking arrangement.

(*1) Surfaces: Function to make objects without thickness exist and express shapes in software.
(*2) Sheet metal: Function to bend, cut and change the thickness of plate-like objects.
(*3) Solid: Function to express a three-dimensional object as if it were packed inside.

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2nd year student, Rinse Okiyama
Title: Bag

Production time: 2 days
Points of particularity:
The theme of this modeling contest was “What You Want to Bring to an Evacuation Shelter,” so I aimed to create a backpack that would be fun to prepare in everyday life. Therefore, I decided to add a unique face design to the front of the backpack while keeping in mind its need for a simple structure and portability. I spent about two days in the production process, paying particular attention to the backpack's three-dimensional shape, cloth-like texture, and easy-to-use zipper. I carefully adjusted the thickness and roundness of each part to give it a three-dimensional feel and to pursue realism. Since, I am a Fusion beginner, I faced many challenges during the production. Each time, I utilized the well-known forum function and quickly solved the problems that I did not understand. By referring to the advice of other users, I was able to learn as I went along. I am very happy that my work won an award for my persistence.

Judges’ Comments:
I think the soft impression of curved surfaces, which is a weakness of mechanical CAD, was well modeled. The fasteners are modeled a little larger than usual, but this may have contributed to the prettier impression. Whenever there was something unclear in the operation, she was able to ask a question to the forum and solve the problem, and I felt that it showed her willingness to learn independently. It would have been even better if the zipper was slightly opened to show the inside.

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2nd year student, Ruuna Nakazawa
Title: Slim Compact Fan

Production time: about 5 hours
Points of particularity: The focus of my work is the shape of the internal propeller. I adjusted the direction, angle, and length of the propeller from a three-dimensional perspective in order to express the propeller's unique bend. I also tried to make the design as patterned as possible so that it would be close to the actual product I used as a reference.

Judges’ Comments:
I thought that the designer made good use of CAD functions, such as setting up “joints” for the parts where the handy fan folds up, and modeling “curved surfaces” with twists and turns. Also, she seems to have an excellent ability to carefully and in detail observe the actual objects and express them in CAD. The modeling of propellers, etc., is useful for fluid dynamics analysis, and I hope that she will be able to use even higher level CAD/CAE functions in the future.

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2nd year student, Kaya Yasuda
Title: Home Fire Extinguisher

Production time: 6 hours
Points of particularity:
The main focus of this work is the parts that actually operate the fire extinguisher, such as the handle and pins. In this part, instead of combining the moving elements into a single shape, I separated them into individual parts and later assembled them. By doing this, I was able to create gaps and shadows between the parts and make them look good. I also spent a lot of time on the handles. It was difficult to create not only the shape and size, but also a complicated shape that was not filled in, so I made it little by little, changing the way it was made.

Judges’ Comments: I liked how the model was divided and modeled for each component used in an actual fire extinguisher. I think the model shows how each part is combined and how it moves to perform the function of a fire extinguisher. I also felt that the modeling conveys that the shape of the handle was carefully observed and balanced in terms of size and bend. I think it would be even better if the “joints” were set up to actually simulate movement in the screen, so please give it a try next time.

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Judges' General Comments:
Continuing from last year, the 3D modeling contest was held again, and we received a large number of strong entries from students. Many of the models had curved surfaces, which are difficult to model, or were carefully textured or had rendering settings that made them enjoyable to look at. Among them, we have selected a few works that particularly caught our attention. we hope they will serve as a reference for everyone's future 3D model production.

All student models

 We were surprised again at this year’s students excellent work, and we are looking forward to next year’s contest.

Meguru Ito
Michihiro Hayashi

 Have you ever heard of a "learning mentor"? Many people may not know a lot about this job and I want to share what my day is like.

 My name is Apirak Sang-ngenchai, and I am a learning mentor. My work begins in the afternoon when I join the classes I am assigned to. I usually sit at the back of the classroom to listen to the lecture in order to understand the topics and context, which helps me better support the students later on. If students have questions, I provide explanations. Sometimes, I assist students who feel shy about speaking up in class.

 The evening learning session runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This is the heart of my job. Students come to me for help with their studies during these two hours.

●Homework and Quizzes: During the evening session, many students bring their homework to ask for guidance. Some assignments are straightforward, like math problems or writing exercises, but others can be more complex, like science reports or project research.
●Projects and Activities: Not all students come for help with homework. Some need support for extracurricular activities or personal projects. For students interested in robotics, I help them design, build, and program robots for competitions like Robocon. This includes brainstorming ideas, debugging code, and testing the robot’s performance. Some students have their own goals, like creating a small AI application or programming a game. I guide them by teaching coding techniques, suggesting tools, and troubleshooting their problems. It’s inspiring to see their creativity and determination.
●Life Issues: Some students just want to talk. They share their worries or ask for life advice. Some students need someone to talk to. They might feel stressed about exams, homesick, or unsure about their future plans. I listen without judgment and offer encouragement. Other students ask for advice on balancing school and personal life, building friendships, or setting goals. I try to give them practical tips and share my own experiences to help them feel more confident.

 Learning mentors are like the students' older brother or sister. We play, study, and enjoy time together. It’s not just about schoolwork. It’s about building relationships. Students often feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts with me than with their teachers. For example, some students ask me for help with programming, especially for robots or AI. Then I guide them step by step through the process, and it makes me happy to see their progress.

 Besides helping students with their studies, learning mentors organize events like Halloween parties, Christmas celebrations, or cultural festivals. These events help students feel more connected to each other and the school.

 Being a learning mentor is busy, but it is also very rewarding. The best part of the job is watching students grow, solve problems, and become more confident. We are not just helping them with school; we are helping them with life. Now if you meet a learning mentor, you know what we do!

Apirak Sang-ngenchai

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."

Certificate and Trophy (Team A)賞状とトロフィー(Aチーム)

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