PI and Collaborators
“Molecular robotics” has been selected as one of the prestigious Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan, for the fiscal years 2012-2016. The program consists of four research groups: molecular-sensor group, molecular-intelligence group, amoeba group, and slime mold group. The program started in July, 2012, and is organized by 4 principal investigators, 25 co-investigators, and 33 selected researchers.
The main objective of the molecular robotics program is to establish a methodology to construct molecular robots with sensors, information processing circuits, and actuators as well as bodies which distinguish molecular robots from their environments. The action of a molecular robot is autonomously determined by the information processing circuit which controls the actuators according to the signal molecules acquired by the sensors.
It should be noted that molecular robots are autonomous molecular systems in which all components are made of molecular devices and switches, just like in living organisms. We focus on technologies for molecular system integration as well as the development of sensors, control circuits, actuators, and bodies. The reason is that the bottom-up self-assembling and self-organization of molecular devices play an important role in the construction of molecular robots.
The planned research teams consist of the molecular sensor team (A01), molecular intelligence team (B01), molecular amoeba team (C01) and molecular slime mold team (D01). Both the molecular amoeba team and the slime mold team aim at system integration of prototype molecular robots that make use of the basic technologies developed by the molecular sensor team and the molecular intelligence team.
On the other hand, the principal investigators are expected to exploit both fundamental research of elementary technologies and application of molecular robots, thereby complementing the research planned by the individual teams.
In order to coordinate the planned research teams and the selected principal investigators, a planning and promotion team was established. The team also supports the human resource development that is necessary for promoting molecular robotics, especially for younger researchers and students.
In order to get more feedback from related scientific areas, we organize symposiums and outreach activities for citizens and high-school students.
X01 Planning and Promotion Team
- Masami Hagiya
- Principal Investigator; Professor, The University of Tokyo
- slime-type molecular robot, gellular automata
- Akihiko Konagaya
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Model and Simulation of Amoeba Type Robots
- Satoshi Kobayashi
- Collaborator; Professor, UEC Tokyo
- (1) Mathematical information modelling and numerical simulation of chemical reaction circuits used in molecular robots, (2) design method of reaction circuits which, when the inputs change, the output is re-computed to reflect the new inputs.
- Hirohide Saito
- Collaborator; Professor, Kyoto University
- Bioengineering
- Masahiro Yasunaga
- Collaborator; National Cancer Center
- The member of the steering committee (Medical advisor)
- Masayuki Yokoyama
- Collaborator; Professor, The Jikei University School of Medicine
- Drug Delivery System
- Masayuki Yamato
- Collaborator; Profesor, Tokyo Women’s Medical University
- Biomedical Engineering
A01 Molecular Sensor Team
- Hirohide Saito
- Principal Investigator; Professor, Kyoto University
- Bioengineering
- Masahiro Takinoue
- Co-Investigator; Associate Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Construction of cell-type molecular robots
- Masayuki Endo
- Co-Investigator; Associate Professor, Kyoto University
- Development of artificial receptor for sencing and transmitting molecular information / Development of molecular transformation system for single-molecule sensing / Construction of membrane-penetrating DNA channel / Visualization of interaction of DNA nanostructures on a a lipid membrane
- Koh-ichiroh Shohda
- Co-Investigator; Assistant Professor, The University of Tokyo
- A molecular sensor on liposomal membrane. A switching system for molecular motor.
B01 Molecular Intelligence Team
- Satoshi Kobayashi
- Principal Investigator; Professor, UEC Tokyo
- (1) Mathematical information modelling and numerical simulation of chemical reaction circuits used in molecular robots, (2) design method of reaction circuits which, when the inputs change, the output is re-computed to reflect the new inputs.
- Kenzo Fujimoto
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Construction of chemical reaction circuits by using photochemical DNA manipulation
- Masafumi Yamashita
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Kyushu University
- Distributed control of swarm of molecular robots
- Yasuhiro Suzuki
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Nagoya University
- Noise reduction chamical reaction systems, built in intelligence
- Ken Komiya
- Co-Investigator; Assistant Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Construction of reaction circuitry for enabling a molecular robot to behave intelligently according to its own memory
- Takashi Yokomori
- Collaborator; Professor, Waseda University
- Discrete models based on reactions and their applications to molecular learning mechanisms
- Jun-ichi Imura
- Collaborator; Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Chemical reaction circuit design based on Control Theory
- Rondelez Yannick
- Collaborator; Associate Professor, The University of Tokyo
- Physical Chemistry
- Ken Hayami
- Collaborator; Professor, National Institute of Informatics
- Applied Mathematics and Physics, Numerical Analysis
- Yukiko Yamauchi
- Collaborator; Assistant Professor, Kyushu University
- Computer Science
C01 Molecular Amoeba Team
- Akihiko Konagaya
- Principal Investigator; Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Biomedical Informatics
- Akira Kakugo
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Hokkaido University
- Polymer Science, Biophysics
- Yuichi Hiratsuka
- Co-Investigator; Associate Professor, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- NanoBio
- Shin-ichiro Nomura
- Co-Investigator; Associate Professor, Tohoku University
- Artificial Cell, Molecular Robotics
- Akinori Kuzuya
- Co-Investigator; Associate Professor, Kansai University
- Bio-related Supramolecular Chemistry
- Kazunori Matsuura
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Tottori University
- Biopolymer Chemistry
- Kingo Takiguchi
- Co-Investigator; Assistant Professor, Nagoya University
- Biophysics
- Taro Toyota
- Collaborator; Associate Professor, The University of Tokyo
- Colloid and Interface Chemistry
D01 Molecular Slime Mold Team
- Masami Hagiya
- Principal Investigator; Professor, The University of Tokyo
- Computer Science
- Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Nagoya University
- Bioorganic Chemistry
- Satoshi Murata
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Tohoku University
- Molecular Robotics, Emergent System
- Takashi Arimura
- Co-Investigator; Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Ken Sugawara
- Co-Investigator; Professor, Tohoku Gakuin Universit
y - Swarm Intelligence
- Nobuyoshi Miyamato
- Co-Investigator; Associate Professor, Fukuoka Institute of Technology
- Inorganic Functional Soft Materials, Colloid Chemistry
- Yusuke Hara
- Co-Investigator; National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Polymer Gel, Soft Actuator, Polymer Chemistry, Colloid and Surface Chemistry
Recent posts
- The research results were published in ‘Science Robotics’ 03/02/2017
- The 1st International Symposium on Molecular Robot Ethics 02/15/2017
- Prize-winning: Ms. M. Hiratani, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 10/19/2016
- Prize-winning: Yukiko Yamauchi, Assistant professor, Kyushu University 04/25/2016
- Prize-winning: Akinori Kuzuya, Associate Professor, Kansai University 04/13/2016