Haruka MATSUKURA (松倉 悠)

Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, System Name: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Fund Type: -, Overall Grant Amount: - (direct: 3200000, indirect: 960000)
Toward establishment of olfactory augmentation technologies as a new modality of human augmentation, we have developed several types of olfactory modulators in this research project. By collecting odor molecules wafting in the air onto the adsorbent, we can increase the concentration of the odor vapor. By presenting this concentrated odor vapor, we can make the user feel as if their olfactory sensitivity is enhanced. The mixing ratio of odor molecules can be modulated by using adsorbents having affinities to different classes of odor molecules. Olfactory perception can be also modulated by presenting thermal and/or wind stimuli to the user even if the same odor is presented. We have fabricated the prototype systems of these olfactory modulators and have experimentally shown their feasibility.

Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, System Name: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Fund Type: -, Overall Grant Amount: - (direct: 13400000, indirect: 4020000)
Landfill sites are large sources of greenhouse gases including methane produced through biological decomposition of organic waste. In this research project, we have developed elemental technologies toward realizing drones that can detect such greenhouse gases and autonomously locate their sources. In order to detect a gas source on the ground, we have proposed to utilize the airflow field produced by a multi-rotor drone hovering at a low altitude. Experimental results have shown that gas puffs wafting near the ground can be effectively collected to the gas sensor onboard the drone using the airflow produced by its rotors. To realize small infrared gas sensors that fit on a drone, we have developed a miniaturized infrared light emitter by using MEMS technologies. We also have succeeded in high-precision gas-source localization using particle filters and super-resolution gas-distribution measurement using deep learning.

Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, System Name: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory), Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory), Fund Type: -, Overall Grant Amount: - (direct: 4900000, indirect: 1470000)
In this research project, fundamental investigations have been conducted toward the development of devices that can reproduce arbitrarily specified smells and present them to the user. In the proposed system, a mixture of various odorant vapors is generated, and its smell is examined by using an electronic nose system. Thus, the process of exploring the appropriate vapor mixing ratios to reproduce the desired smell is automated. When odorants with low volatility are used, sufficiently strong smell cannot always be generated. Therefore, an odor concentrator device has also been developed.