Don't Give Up Just Because It's Invisible: Learning from the Micro World

Yohei Sato (Senior Assistant Professor, Department of System Design Engineering)

Although science and technology have advanced rapidly, for us humans, "space," "the deep sea," and "the micro world" remain unexplored frontiers. I was fascinated by the "micro world"—that is, research on the micro and nano scales—because I could never forget the movie "Fantastic Voyage" that I saw as a child. I suppose I had a strong desire to one day see the unseen. This was the starting point of my academic journey...

Large-scale electrochemical experimental devices of the past have now been miniaturized to a size that fits easily in the palm of your hand. Chemicals—that is, liquids—flow within them. In our laboratory, we are engaged in ambitious research that seeks to uncover the unknown world of liquids at the micro- to nanometer level and to control them at will. For example, we are developing a system to measure the velocity of liquids using Brownian motion, which was formulated by Einstein about 100 years ago, and a control system to separate invisibly small particles by rapidly changing the ion concentration in a liquid. Both of these are phenomena that occur unnoticed within living organisms.

I believe that every academic pursuit has a starting point and an ending point. As I have already mentioned my starting point, my ultimate goal is to reveal the true nature (shape and size) of ions in liquids and to manipulate them freely. The driving force that guides me toward this goal is an indomitable spirit that never gives up just because something is invisible, a principle I remind myself of every day.