Enrollments in 2017

Kang Sunhwi

Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences Frontier Bioscience Major

Osaka University, School of Engineering Science

The first step toward achieving my dream!

Q What was your motivation for joining the program, and what about the program appeals to you?

I had already secured a place in graduate school and started thinking about my future, but couldn’t decide whether to be satisfied with a master’s degree or to go on to a Doctoral program. I became aware of this program, thanks to the recommendation of a senior student in the same research lab. The financial support to undertake a doctoral degree was obviously appealing, but I was also attracted by the lively interaction with researchers from other fields through lectures, events and other activities, the system of mentoring by advisors from some of Japan’s top companies, and the support for internships within and outside Japan. Convinced that I would find no other opportunity so well-suited to my future plans, I decided to apply for the program.

Q What is your expertise and who do you want to develop it with the program?

While I am affiliated with the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, my research focuses on areas such as robotic engineering and machine learning. Prior to this year I was developing a general-purpose robot arm for use in industrial settings, but this year my focus is on human movement: I’m developing a control algorithm for use in human simulation robots. Unlike my previous work, this task requires me to extend my understanding of human beings from a variety of perspectives including brain science and bioscience. Through interaction with students and researchers in other fields, I hope to start developing robots capable of human-like movement.

Q What are your future dreams and goals?

My dream, and my goal, is the realization of a robotized society of the type envisaged in the movie Big Hero 6, in which robots are not simply pets but reliable partners for humans, present in our home environment and providing us with mutual support. I want to develop cutting-edge robots that sweep away the common negative image of robots and awkward, inflexible, and possibly dangerous, and engage with people in a way that makes them say, “I didn’t realize that robots could be such a help!” To achieve this dream, after finishing my studies I hope to continue my research in a corporate setting, working in healthy competition with top engineers from around the world.

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