Sano, Tomohiko

My research interests are centered in the field of physics and mechanics of thin and slender structures, focusing on their tunable mechanical functionalities. As their deformation relies primarily on geometric nonlinearities, studies of specific structures would provide common knowledge in seemingly different physical phenomena. The goal of my research is to clarify how and why the complex mechanical functions emerge resulting from physics and mechanics, embracing instabilities of structures. The methodologies of the study are analytical calculus and computational modeling, combined with desktop-scale experiments.

薄くしなやかな材料の不安定性を介した力学的機能を研究している．従来は回避されてきた座屈やスナップ座屈を積極的に活用し，実験・数値シミュレーション・理論を組み合わせたアプローチで不安定性を予測・制御する枠組みを確立することを目指している．特に力学的機能が発揮される仕組みを解明し，新たな工業デザインの発見に取り組んでいる．

After seeing its foundations, the field of mechanics diverges as several branches, such as structural mechanics, material science, biomechanics, and earthquake physics. Despite its long history of research, mechanics remains an active field of research through the paradigm shift. Instead of avoiding the failure of slender structures, we harness their instabilities to predict new forms and functionalities.