[Event Report] Our First Japan–Vietnam Online Workshop: “Design a Robot Together with Researchers!”

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shinjuku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shuichiro Takahashi; hereinafter “Leave a Nest”), in partnership with Focus Systems Corporation, held the “Entrepreneurship Workshop: Design a Robot Together with Researchers!” on Saturday, January 23. A total of 12 elementary, junior high, and high school students participated in the online program.

With the mission of “Becoming a Fellow Researcher Who Solves Social Issues through Science and Technology!”, the first half of the program featured talks by entrepreneurs from Japan and Vietnam. In the second half, participants took on the challenge of designing robots that could solve problems at school. During the design discussions, participants also experienced Hylable’s technology for visualizing and analyzing group communication.

Guest Speaker: Takeshi Mizumoto, CEO of Hylable Inc.

Dr. Takeshi Mizumoto is a researcher who has been studying sound for more than 14 years. He received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University for his research on frog calls.

In his research, he developed technology that converts sound into light to analyze the mechanisms behind the chorusing behavior of Japanese tree frogs. Seeking to apply this technology for the benefit of society, he founded Hylable Inc.

Hylable develops technologies and devices that visualize and support communication among participants in group discussions.

Guest Speaker: Truong Vo Huu Thien, CEO of GaraSTEM JSC

As a student in Vietnam, Mr. Truong Vo Huu Thien experienced an educational environment that largely focused on memorizing information from textbooks. While studying in Japan, he conducted research on artificial intelligence and was inspired by the practical, hands-on learning environment he encountered there.

After returning to Vietnam, he recognized that Southeast Asia, where STEM education was only beginning to be introduced, faced challenges including a shortage of educational materials and teachers with sufficient STEM teaching skills. He therefore founded GaraSTEM.

GaraSTEM develops robotics kits that enable students to learn engineering and programming concepts in an integrated manner. Through collaboration with local governments and the organization of robotics competitions, the company delivers its educational programs and products to schools in Vietnam and overseas.

Students Designed Robots to Solve Problems at School

In the second half of the program, Kimura from Leave a Nest served as the facilitator and challenged participants to design “robots that solve problems at school.”

Following group discussions, the students presented their robot concepts in English.

Despite the limited time, the participants generated a variety of creative ideas, including a robot that monitors and refills hand sanitizer bottles in classrooms and a robot that collects homework on behalf of teachers.

At the end of the workshop, participants reviewed the analysis generated by Hylable’s cloud-based meeting system, which had been used during the group discussions. The results enabled participants to see how actively the students and teaching assistants communicated with one another in the online environment.

Feedback from Participants

One participating student commented:

“It was a very meaningful experience because I was able to discuss ideas with students from other schools and people from companies whom I would not normally have the opportunity to meet.”

A parent of an elementary school student also commented:

“Thank you for allowing my child to participate even though they are still in elementary school. Although my child kept saying, ‘I don’t understand English!’ they were smiling and working hard in front of the computer throughout the program.”

Leave a Nest will continue to develop and implement educational programs that provide young people with opportunities to experience cutting-edge science and technology and interact directly with researchers.

We also welcome inquiries from organizations interested in developing educational programs that utilize communication-analysis tools or connect students with entrepreneurs across national borders.

Event Overview

Date & Time:
Saturday, January 23, 1:30 PM–3:30 PM

Venue:
Online

Participants:
12 elementary, junior high, and high school students

Theme:
Entrepreneurship Workshop: Design a Robot Together with Researchers!

For details of the original event announcement, please see the recruitment release.

Contact

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.
Attn: Nami Akinaga

Tel: +81-3-5227-4198
Email: [email protected]

 

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If you are interested in these projects and platform, feel free to contact to us!

>> Dr. Takumi Jindo, Managing Director, Leave a Nest Vietnam Co., Ltd.
[email protected] / +813-5227-4198