[No. 101] Dai Tsubone

Hello. My name is Dai Tsubone, a graduate of the Hotta Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. I am honored to have been given this opportunity to contribute to this column.

I currently work in the Research Division of Komatsu Ltd. It has been almost five years since I joined the company, and I often realize that the foundation of who I am today as a working professional was built during my university years. In this column, I would like to reflect on my journey from my time at university to the present.

I have loved making things since I was a child, and my father often took me to various factory open house events. Because of this, I had no hesitation in choosing the Faculty of Science and Technology, and then the Department of Mechanical Engineering. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that my grades weren't the best, so when it came time to choose my department, I spent many anxious days waiting to see if my preference would be accepted. Fortunately, I was able to proceed on my desired path.

When it was time for laboratory assignments, I was assigned to the Tetsuya Suzuki Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. There, Professor Suzuki asked me, "Would you like to study under a new professor, Dr. Hotta, and research the functional enhancement of polymers?" I was not good at chemistry and knew nothing about plastics, but after some hesitation, I accepted and became one of the first members of the Hotta Laboratory. With the help of the professors, my peers, and senior students in the Suzuki Lab, I worked with Professor Hotta to establish the new laboratory. At the time, it just seemed like a lot of hard work, but looking back, it was an incredibly valuable experience. We brought a hot press and a tensile testing machine into a lab that had no equipment, sometimes went to factories to build our own experimental apparatuses, and were involved not only in the research itself but also in its management. This has been beneficial to my current work as a researcher.

Also, from my laboratory life spanning from my fourth year of undergraduate studies to my second year of my master's program, what remains most memorable are the academic presentations I gave both in Japan and abroad. The professors would stay with me until late the night before, helping me practice my presentation. I can still remember the sense of relief I felt after finishing the presentation and the Q&A session. It is because of this experience that I believe I can now speak up and say what needs to be said without hesitation when reporting in company meetings.

Motivated by a still-vague desire at the time to build large machinery, I joined Komatsu, a construction equipment manufacturer, through a school recommendation. After a year of training, I was assigned to the Research Division, where I now work on tasks related to the "safety" of construction equipment.

In recent years, safety technologies for automobiles known as "active safety," such as automatic driving control and the display of surrounding information, have become a major feature that defines products. The same is true for construction equipment. You might wonder, "Do accidents really happen on sites where construction machinery is operating?" However, the behavior of construction equipment, which are work machines, is complex—though it varies by model—and is heavily influenced by the skill level of the operator. Accidents are particularly likely to occur on sites where people and construction equipment work in close proximity. Once an accident happens, the scale of the machinery means it becomes a major incident, resulting in the loss of precious lives and a complete halt to all work on site. Therefore, all approaches to safety are crucial, including hazard prediction and the strict enforcement of work rules on site. I feel a great sense of purpose in being involved in the research of safety technology as one of these approaches.

When it comes to the actual work, a wide range of knowledge of science and technology is required, regardless of the field. For example, this could involve devising a camera system to experimentally monitor the surroundings, prototyping a program to integrate and display information, and designing brackets to actually mount it on the vehicle body. While I don't handle all the tasks mentioned in the example above by myself, collaboration between team members becomes difficult without a certain level of understanding of each other's work. As I work, I realize how the knowledge and experience I gained from lectures on the four mechanics, experiments, and design practicums during my university days are useful, and I often wish I had taken them more seriously. Even fields I had avoided because I was aiming for a career in manufacturing have appeared as challenges at various times in my job, leading me to reminisce about my student days and think, "No study was ever wasted," as I escape from reality for a moment. This may sound preachy, but to all of you who are about to enter university and those who are currently there, I hope you will approach all fields with interest and without being a picky eater.

Ever since I bought a hybrid bike for commuting when I entered university, cycling has been my hobby. During the joint training camps of the Yamada, Suzuki, and Hotta laboratories, I even did something as reckless as cycling a round trip between Hiyoshi and Izu with my peers and junior students. After joining the company, I bought a proper road bike and have been training myself to keep up with its performance. I currently live in Hiratsuka City, and when I go to the Hakone area to practice, I still often recall those lab training camps.

To conclude with a common phrase, I hope that all of you who are about to enroll will create many wonderful memories—not just in your studies—that you can look back on throughout your long lives.