Mission

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there is a 10-year gap between the average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy of Japanese people. Although Japan is leading the world in entering a super-aging society, similar trends are observed in other developed countries as well. Today, medical and scientific technologies are expected to serve as the foundation for a fulfilling life and as guiding lights toward healthier living.

In the Hijikata Group, under the vision of “Learning from biology, guided by engineering,” we pursue research themes such as integrating mechanical systems with the human body (e.g., artificial hearts, artificial skin) and creating mechanical systems by harnessing biological functions (e.g., skeletal muscle actuators, in-body power generation).

Our ultimate goal is to realize a society where people can live healthily and without anxiety up to the age of 100, and to develop cutting-edge medical and welfare technologies that enable patients to live as if they were healthy, even in the event of illness.

To achieve this mission, we promote medical-engineering collaborations, leveraging the engineering expertise unique to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Institute of Science Tokyo, in partnership with researchers at Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, Asahikawa Medical University Advanced Medical Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and Tohoku University Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, among others.

Furthermore, we are extending our technologies into industrial applications, such as wireless power transfer for mobile robots and actuator development, and we actively promote academia-industry collaboration through joint research with various companies.