[No. 231] Hiroki Nagashima

I am grateful for this opportunity to write for the Keio University alumni relay column. I hope to convey, even if just a little, how the things I learned during my student life are being put to use today.

When I was in elementary school, humanoid robots were starting to gain attention in the media. Feeling a sense of fulfillment in helping those around me, I dreamed of an era where there would be "a housework robot for every home." This dream was especially supported by my father, who specialized in mechanical engineering, and my grandfather, who specialized in electronic engineering. I am still grateful to them for advising me that robots require a combination of a wide range of knowledge. This dream from that time remained unchanged, and I naturally aspired to enter the Faculty of Science and Technology at university.

When choosing a department, I selected the "Department of System Design Engineering" to broadly learn the specialized knowledge necessary for robots. For my laboratory, I applied to the Katsura Laboratory because of its culture of respecting student autonomy and the way the professor spoke about research with such enjoyment. I chose the research theme of robots that are as dexterous as humans. For example, regarding the tasks of "grasping" and "carrying" objects by humans, I analyzed data on movement and force adjustment to find characteristics from relative relationships. I summarized these discussions by mapping them to mathematical and engineering concepts such as "hard" position control (moving toward a fixed location regardless of situational changes), "soft" force control (flexibly following situational changes), "coordinate transformation," and "modes."

Regarding extracurricular activities, I belonged to an orchestra club called the Keio University Mandolin Club. The ensemble centered on the mandolin, an Italian string instrument, and I played the classical guitar. We performed classical music at concerts, and at training camps, we played various songs in voluntary groups or by grade level. Since I had no prior experience with the guitar, I struggled at first, but the joy of performing a solo at a camp or creating music in a concert hall in sync with my peers remains a fond memory.

A turning point during my graduate school years was participating in the Program for Leading Graduate Schools. I was attracted to the concept of fostering doctoral talent who would be active in companies and government agencies. A feature of the research side was aiming for two master's degrees and one doctoral degree to broaden my expertise. After completing the master's program at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, I obtained a master's degree at the Graduate School of Economics. Under the guidance of Professor Nakatsuma, I estimated economic indicators considering the temporal and spatial characteristics of economic data. Based on this experience, in my doctoral program, I came to handle the spatio-temporal structures of phenomena broadly, not just physical phenomena.

In our daily activities, students and mentors from companies gathered weekly to discuss policy proposals for the common theme of a "super-mature society." The experience of building discussions while expanding common understanding with diverse participants is still useful today.

As an overseas activity during my master's program, I volunteered at a kindergarten in Thailand. There were difficulties because we didn't speak the same language, but we gradually closed the distance through play. At my homestay, I talked about Japanese food and education. I clearly remember being surprised that when I shared my own experiences, it was received as a representative opinion of Japan.

For my overseas activity during the doctoral program, I studied abroad at the California Institute of Technology in the United States. There, I worked on optimization problems for robots to move efficiently to their destinations. It was a difficult theme, but I felt a sense of accomplishment when the program finally ran successfully after repeated discussions with students and professors. In the lab, I also talked about research and culture in Japan, and here too, I reaffirmed that once you cross national borders, your words represent your country. Looking back, these were the formative experiences that made me conscious of the nation in my career.

I was able to get through this study abroad life thanks to the support of Keio University alumni. They guided me through unfamiliar lands and supported me mentally. During our interactions, it was suggested that since the Los Angeles Marathon was happening toward the end of my stay, I should run it as a memento. I had no experience with marathons, but I took the plunge and managed to finish. While enjoying the scenery of Los Angeles, I gained a great sense of accomplishment above all else.

I aspired to work at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to realize my two original goals from a more long-term perspective. Since joining, I have been in charge of government statistics, robot policy, and research analysis, and I am currently involved in operational reform. I am doing work that "helps those close to me" through the simplification, standardization, and efficiency of operations. Recently, the evolution of AI has been remarkable, and roles are shifting toward AI handling tasks while humans handle the orchestration of optimal AI. I strive to ensure the organization can evolve sustainably by conveying these initiatives and environmental changes to staff as a training instructor.

Operational reform involves major changes, so it is easy for opinions to be divided. In such cases, one is required to accept the other party's arguments while maintaining a strong will in some aspects to build consensus. This is similar to combining "force control" to follow the other party and "position control" to not yield to situational changes by changing the viewpoint through "coordinate transformation," making it a job with an interesting structure.

Precisely because we are in an era overflowing with information and where AI is evolving rapidly, I continue to learn, viewing it as an opportunity. Recently, I have been learning about quantum science in the microscopic world, meteorology in the vast world, and philosophy where I can directly learn various perspectives.

It is often said that issues in modern society are becoming more complex, but depending on how you look at it, this state can be seen as viewing the same issue from different cross-sections, a situation where we can move forward by cooperating together. In such an environment, the Faculty of Science and Technology allows you to acquire knowledge, accumulate experience, and refine your perspective in order to structure problems, grasp their essence, and embody solutions. I will also move forward one step at a time. Why don't we move forward together?

《 Previous Article [No. 230] Yasushi Onda (Co-founder, cocotrek Co., Ltd. / Part-time Lecturer, Keio University)

[No. 232] Takeyuki Nagasawa (Vice President, Saitama University) Next Article 》