{"result":true,"data":"{\"articles\":[{\"id\":3994,\"title\":\"New Analysis Framework for Developing Stronger Foundations During Urban Redevelopment\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260630_001.png\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"
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Researchers present a comprehensive framework for evaluating and alleviating drilling instability during replacement of piles in building foundations

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Urban redevelopment in densely populated areas often involves removing existing piles, backfilling boreholes, and installing new piles. Strength differences between backfilled soil and original ground can lead to drilling deviations, compromising building integrity and leading to economic losses. However, current countermeasures are based on experience-based judgements. In a new study, researchers present a new quantitative framework for evaluating drilling instability induced by backfilling, offering practical guidelines for improving resource efficiency, resilience, and sustainability.

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Urban redevelopment in densely populated areas often requires demolition and replacement of aging buildings. As buildings are replaced, existing foundation piles must be removed, leaving cylindrical voids that must be backfilled prior to installation of new cast-in piles. However, with backfilled soil, it is difficult to achieve the same ground properties as the undisturbed original ground due to limited space, depth constraints, and compaction issues. Strict construction schedules further limit sufficient backfill consolidation.

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These differences between the backfilled and native ground can create significant geotechnical challenges during subsequent pile installation. When drilling for new piles occurs  near or partially through backfill zones, inadequate consolidation can lead to inclined drilling. This arises from the strength differences between the backfilled soil and the original ground, resulting in unbalanced force application at pin joints in drilling equipment. As a result, piles can become inclined, with field observations reporting deviations exceeding 10 millimeters per meter of depth.

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Such deviations have severe structural and economic consequences: inclined piles do not have required bearing capacity, posing safety concerns and necessitating costly corrective measures. Corrective actions, including re-drilling and pile re-installation, can shift schedules by weeks and months and generate additional material costs. In congested urban sites, remediation may be difficult or impossible, necessitating redesign of the entire foundation system. Despite the significance of this issue, current preventive measures remain largely empirical and may result in either overly conservative or insufficiently robust specifications.

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To address this gap, a research team led by Professor Shinya Inazumi from the College of Engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan developed the first quantitative framework to predict drilling stability in backfilled ground during urban redevelopment. “Our framework transforms what was previously an experience-based judgment into a measurable design problem,” explains Prof. Inazumi. “By employing finite element analysis integrated with the shear strength reduction method, our approach clearly reveals how strength differences in backfilled soil and surrounding native soil can misalign drilling equipment.” Their study was made available online on May 12, 2026, and published in Volume 30 of the journal Results in Engineering in June 01, 2026.

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The proposed framework includes three main components. The first component involves parametric analysis with systematic variation of backfilled ground strength. Specifically, the researchers considered five parametric cases where the backfilled-to-native soil strength ratio was set at 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2. In addition, they considered both sandy and clayey soils for the original ground.

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Second, the team adopted an advanced numerical methodology combining three-dimensional elastoplastic finite element analysis (FEA) and shear strength reduction  method (SRM). In SRM, soil shear strength parameters are reduced by a strength reduction factor until failure occurs within the finite element model. Finally, the framework enables analytical evaluation of heterogeneous ground conditions by considering vertical drilling loads in scenarios where the drilling equipment penetrates both backfilled and original ground.

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The analysis revealed key mechanisms responsible for inclined drilling. Inclined drilling was found to occur when asymmetric shear failure develops in weaker ground. For backfilled-to-native soil strength ratios below 0.9, the plastic strain and surface displacement on the weaker side were significantly larger than on the weaker side, indicating a high likelihood of drilling deviation. Strength ratios above 0.9 reduced this asymmetry to acceptable levels. Furthermore, clayey soils were more susceptible to drilling instability than sandy soils for the same strength ratios when backfilled ground strength was weaker.

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Based on these results, and considering additional safety margins, the researchers propose the design criterion for backfilled ground strength to be at least 1.1 times the original ground strength. They also presented target friction angles and backfilling material properties for both sandy and clayey original ground. Additionally, they also outlined alternative mitigation strategies, including drilling procedure modifications and ground improvement techniques, for scenarios where increasing strength ratios might be technically challenging or economically infeasible.

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“While the design criterion proposed in our study serves as a general guideline, the proposed integrated FEA-SRM approach can be effectively applied as a site-specific evaluation tool for redevelopment projects in dense cities,” remarks Prof. Inazumi. “This study offers clear targets for material selection, quality control, and a scientific basis for updating engineering guidelines and construction practices, which will ultimately reduce the need for re-drilling, remedial work, and delays.”

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By helping engineers better manage the risks associated with pile replacement and foundation reconstruction, the findings in this study could contribute to safer, more efficient, and sustainable urban renewal practices.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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Quantitative assessment of drilling stability in backfilled soils for

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sustainable urban building redevelopment

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Journal:

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Results in Engineering

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DOI:

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10.1016/j.rineng.2026.110978 

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Additional information for EurekAlert

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Latest Article Publication Date:

\\n		01 June  2026
Method of Research:\\n

Computational simulation/modelling

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Subject of Research: AnimalsNA
Conflicts of Interest Statement:\\n

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Authors

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About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

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Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

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Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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About Professor Shinya Inazumi from SIT, Japan

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Prof. Shinya Inazumi is a distinguished Professor at the College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan. He earned his Ph.D. degree from Kyoto University in 2003. Renowned for his contributions to geotechnical and geo-disaster engineering, his research spans social infrastructure engineering, geo-information studies, and disaster mitigation. Prof. Inazumi has authored over 300 scholarly publications and actively serves on numerous academic and professional committees. His pioneering work has earned him multiple awards, recognizing his leadership and innovation in the field. Prof. Inazumi remains at the forefront of advancing resilient infrastructure and sustainable engineering practices in Japan and beyond.

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Funding Information

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Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

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E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　

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Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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Title: How strength differences between backfilled and original ground affect pile installation
Caption: Strenght differences between backfilled soil and original ground can lead to inlined drilling and unserviceable piles. The framework proposed in the study offers practical guidelines to develop backfill specifications, improve resilience, and sustainability during foundation renewal programs.
Credit: Professor Shinya Inazumi from Shibaura Institute of Technology
Source Link: NA
License Type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be reused without permission

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\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/7/8 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/7/8 12:00:06\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260703-7070-001.html\"},{\"id\":4011,\"title\":\"New Field-Tested Design Framework Improves Bored Pile Foundations in Weathered Rock\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260705_001.png\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"
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Analysis of 20 instrumented pile load tests shows that weathering-adjusted rock strength enables more reliable bored pile foundation design

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Large bored piles are widely used to support bridges, high-rise buildings, and transport infrastructure, but estimating their capacity in weathered rock remains uncertain. Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology analyzed 20 instrumented static load tests on piles socketed in weathered siltstone and sandstone. Their findings provide field-calibrated adhesion factors and weathering-adjusted shaft-resistance correlations, enabling safer, more economical foundation designs while reducing unnecessary concrete and steel use.

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Large-diameter bored piles are essential for major infrastructure, from elevated railways and long-span bridges to high-rise buildings. Yet, when these piles extend into weak, weathered sedimentary rocks such as siltstone and sandstone, engineers face a persistent design challenge: the rock behaves neither like conventional soil nor like strong, intact rock. Instead, its load-bearing capacity depends heavily on in-situ weathering, fracturing, and the interaction between the pile and the surrounding rock. Many current design methods estimate shaft resistance using the uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock. However, intact rock strength alone does not accurately represent the weaker, weathered rock mass surrounding a pile socket. As a result, engineers may adopt overly conservative designs, leading to larger pile diameters, greater pile lengths, increased material use, and higher construction costs.

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To address this gap, a research team led by Professor Shinya Inazumi from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, developed empirical design correlations for bored piles installed in weathered siltstone and sandstone. The study was made available online on June 15, 2026, and will be published in Volume 31 of the Results in Engineering journal on September 1, 2026. The team analyzed data from 20 instrumented static axial load tests on bored piles with diameters of 1.2–1.5 m and lengths of 9.3–36.0 m. “The combined effects of rock weathering, in-situ rock strength, and adhesion factor (α) on the shaft resistance of bored piles in weak rock remain poorly understood, motivating the need for further site-specific empirical studies,” said Prof. Inazumi.

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All piles were constructed using the wet-process method and equipped with strain gauges and extensometers, allowing the researchers to measure unit shaft resistance and layer displacement along the pile depth. For weak rock layers where the measured displacement did not reach 5 mm, the team used hyperbolic fitting to estimate shaft resistance at this representative working displacement. A key aspect of the study was the explicit incorporation of rock weathering. The researchers adjusted the intact rock strength using a weathering-based reduction factor to calculate an equivalent in-situ rock strength. This enabled them to compare conventional estimates based on intact rock strength with weathering-adjusted estimates that more accurately reflected field conditions at the pile-rock interface.

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The results revealed clear differences between the two rock types. For siltstone, 11 layers yielded adhesion factors ranging from 0.08 to 0.42, whereas six sandstone layers showed adhesion factors between 0.04 and 0.10. In practical terms, siltstone mobilized adhesion factors roughly twice those of sandstone under comparable conditions. Moreover, the weathering-adjusted correlations reduced prediction bias and variability compared with estimates based solely on intact rock strength. The proposed framework can be applied in two stages. During preliminary design, engineers can estimate shaft resistance using intact rock strength and rock type. During detailed design, they can incorporate the degree of weathering along the pile socket, calculate weathering-adjusted rock strength, and apply the proposed adhesion-factor correlations. This provides a more field-calibrated pathway from subsurface investigation to foundation design.

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The findings are especially relevant for bridges, high-rise buildings, retaining structures, quay walls, transportation hubs, water-treatment plants, and energy facilities built on weak sedimentary rock profiles. By improving confidence in shaft-resistance estimates, the approach can help reduce unnecessary overdesign while maintaining safety and serviceability. “The proposed empirical correlations provide a field-based framework for estimating the shaft resistance of large-diameter bored piles in weak sedimentary rock formations, highlighting the importance of explicitly accounting for rock weathering in pile design,” notes Prof. Inazumi.

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The authors caution that the proposed correlations should be applied only within the tested geological conditions and parameter ranges, and that additional validation is needed for other weak rock types such as mudstone and shale. Nevertheless, the study offers a practical, field-based framework for improving foundation design in weathered sedimentary rock formations. By enabling more reliable estimates of pile capacity, it has the potential to support safer infrastructure while reducing unnecessary material use and construction costs.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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Adhesion factors for bored piles in weathered siltstone and sandstone based on instrumented load tests

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Journal:

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Results in Engineering

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DOI:

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10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111565

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Additional information for EurekAlert

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Latest Article Publication Date:

\\n		01 September 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Experimental study

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Subject of Research: AnimalsNot applicable
Conflicts of Interest Statement:\\n

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
 

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Authors

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About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

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Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

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Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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About Professor Shinya Inazumi from SIT, Japan

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Dr. Shinya Inazumi is a Professor at the College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, where he leads the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory. He obtained his Master’s and PhD degrees in Engineering from Kyoto University in 2000 and 2003, respectively. With over two decades of academic and research experience, he has authored more than 250 journal papers. His research focuses on geotechnical engineering, geo-disaster mitigation, sustainable social infrastructure, soil and ground improvement, numerical simulations, and AI applications in infrastructure planning. His notable achievements include best paper recognition at GEOMATE 2023 and editorial board honors.

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Funding Information

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NA

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Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

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E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　

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Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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 image

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Title: Data-driven adhesion factors for safer and more efficient bored pile design in weathered siltstone and sandstone
Caption: Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology analyzed instrumented load-test data from large-diameter bored piles in weathered siltstone and sandstone to develop practical adhesion factors and shaft-resistance correlations for foundation design.
Credit: Professor Shinya Inazumi from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
Source link: N/A
License Type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator.

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\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/7/7 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/7/7 12:00:06\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260705-7070-001.html\"},{\"id\":4004,\"title\":\"Winged Composite Pile System for Better Waste Management and Enhanced Uplift Resistance\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260704_001.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"
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Researchers develop a winged composite pile system that recycles excavated soil while improving foundation uplift resistance

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Contemporary civil engineering practices highlight the need for safer, more reliable, uplift-resistant foundations for lifeline infrastructure and also seek solutions for environmental and social problems associated with surplus soil from construction projects. Using surplus construction soil, researchers have developed a winged composite pile system that can enhance uplift resistance. This approach supports cleaner and safer construction practices, helping projects achieve environmental goals without sacrificing structural integrity.

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Management of surplus soil, often produced in large volumes at construction projects, represents a significant challenge in Japan. National statistics and recent incidents revealed that the utilization of surplus soil on-site lags far behind that of other construction byproducts. Improper disposal of surplus has resulted in slope failures, groundwater contamination, and land subsidence in residential areas, underscoring soil waste as a real environmental concern rather than a simple logistical issue.

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Contemporary civil engineering practices also highlight the need for safer, more reliable, uplift-resistant foundations for lifeline infrastructure to mitigate natural disasters and high-wind events. However, current technical guidance for expanded-base piles under uplift is highly limited, particularly when low-strength recycled backfill is utilized.

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To address these two pressing challenges, a research team led by Professor Shinya Inazumi from the College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, developed a winged composite pile system using construction surplus soil. “Our concept emerged from discussions with industry partners who sought structural reliability and sustainable site management. Additionally, rather than using ad hoc solutions, we also wanted to provide engineers with quantitative, mechanism-based design guidance,” mentioned Prof. Inazumi, explaining the motivation behind this study. The study was published in Volume 33 of the journal Cleaner Engineering and Technology on June 5, 2026.

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The proposed system consists of a winged steel pipe pile installed inside a permanent steel casing. Instead of filling the space around the pile with newly supplied material, the annular gap is backfilled with construction surplus soil generated during excavation.

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To test the concept, the researchers conducted 224 three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element analyses. They varied pile length, shaft diameter, and expanded wing diameter to understand how each factor influenced uplift resistance. The surrounding ground was modelled as dense sandy soil, while the surplus soil backfill was modelled as loose sandy soil, representing typical site soil condition and excavated soil characteristics, respectively.

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The analysis revealed the optimal wing diameter for different pile lengths. For 10 m piles, the optimal wing diameter was approximately 1.6–1.7 m, shifted to 1.9–2.0 m for 15–20 m piles. Beyond the optimal wing diameter, the uplift resistance decreased as the gap between the wing and casing became too narrow, limiting the soil shear zone that provides resistance.

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Surprisingly, shaft diameter had little effect on uplift resistance. Across shaft diameters from 0.2 m to 0.6 m, the variation in maximum uplift resistance remained within 10%. This has important design as well as recycling implications. Because uplift resistance is controlled mainly by the wing rather than the shaft, engineers may be able to reduce shaft diameter, lower steel use, and increase the volume of surplus soil that can be reused inside the casing without significantly compromising uplift capacity.

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The findings of this study facilitate the design and construction of foundations for transmission towers and similar structures affected by wind uplift and overturning moments. Utilizing winged composite pile systems will allow engineers to substitute imported materials with surplus on-site soil, optimizing uplift resistance while meeting recycling goals. This system is particularly suited for greenfield infrastructure developments and upgrades to aging power and telecommunications networks with limited land. Additionally, it can also be applied to renewable energy facilities.

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This technology supports circular economy concepts through on-site soil management and reducing transport waste, helping projects achieve environmental goals without sacrificing structural integrity.

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Prof. Inazumi highlights, “Our research demonstrates that high-performance foundations and responsible soil management can coexist, countering the trend of off-site surplus soil disposal that harms the environment.”

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Overall, the study proposes a system that can tackle two challenges observed in modern construction projects. By reusing excavated soil directly within the foundation system, winged composite piles can reduce off-site soil transport, minimize waste, and support cleaner and safer construction practices.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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On-site recycling of construction surplus soil in winged composite piles for enhanced uplift resistance

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Journal:

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Cleaner Engineering and Technology

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DOI:

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10.1016/j.clet.2026.101244

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Additional information for EurekAlert

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Latest Article Publication Date:

\\n		5 June 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Experimental Study

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Subject of Research: AnimalsNot applicable
Conflicts of Interest Statement:\\n

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 

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Authors

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About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

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Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

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Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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About Professor Shinya Inazumi from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

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Professor Shinya Inazumi is a Professor at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan. He graduated from Kyoto University in 2003. His laboratory, the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory, focuses on the development and management of sustainable soil-based social infrastructure in harmony with the natural and social environment. His laboratory utilizes simulation techniques, along with data science and artificial intelligence, for its research. He has more than 200 publications and is a recipient of multiple awards. He is a member of multiple academic societies, including the Japan Society of Civil Engineers and the Geotechnical Society of Japan.

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Funding Information

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N/A

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Media contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

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E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　

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Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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Title: Recycled winged composite pile system to reduce soil waste and enhance uplift strength
Caption: Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology developed a winged composite pile system, utiliizng construction surplus soil that can improve uplift resistance, support cleaner and safer construction practices.
Credit: Professor Shinya Inazumi from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
Source link: N/A
License type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator.

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\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/7/6 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/7/6 12:00:06\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260704-7070-001.html\"},{\"id\":3967,\"title\":\"Scientists Devise New Method for Tracing Environmental PFAS Contamination Better\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/SITNG_137_3_Research_News_Story_Image.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"The new approach uses high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry to enable stable carbon isotope analysis of PFAS contaminants found in the environment

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Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants whose sources can be difficult to identify using standard analysis techniques. In a recent study, scientists demonstrated that Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry can measure the stable carbon isotope ratios of PFAS compounds, such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid. This analytical approach provides a promising tool for tracing PFAS pollution and improving understanding of the environmental behavior of these widely distributed fluorinated compounds.

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Title: Comparison of carbon isotope ratios of PFOA and PFOS measured using Orbitrap and EA-IRMS.
Caption: The figure shows δ¹³C values of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) measured using Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry and elemental analyzer–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS). The close agreement between the two methods demonstrates that Orbitrap-based analysis can reliably determine stable carbon isotope ratios of PFAS compounds, which may help researchers trace the sources of PFAS pollution in the environment.
Credit: Professor Hiroto Kawashima from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
License Type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be reused without permission.
 
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial processes and consumer products because of their resistance to heat, water, and oil. However, these same properties also make them highly resistant to environmental degradation. As a result, PFAS, such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been detected in various environmental matrices, including soil, drinking water, and the atmosphere. Identifying the sources of these contaminants is an important step toward understanding and managing PFAS pollution. One such approach for identifying pollution sources is stable isotope analysis, a technique that measures small variations in the ratios of naturally occurring isotopes within chemical compounds. However, applying this technique to non-volatile PFAS compounds, such as PFOS and PFOA, has remained a challenge.

In a recent study led by Professor Hiroto Kawashima from the Department of Bioscience and Engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, researchers investigated whether Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry could be used to measure the stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) of PFAS compounds. Joining him in this collaboration were Tomoha Iezumi, a student from the Department of Bioscience and Engineering at SIT, and Momoka Suto and Dr. Sachi Taniyasu from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan. Their findings were published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters on March 03, 2026.

Explaining the motivation behind the work, Prof. Kawashima says, “PFAS contamination has become a serious environmental issue worldwide, but identifying their sources remains challenging. We were interested in whether high-resolution mass spectrometry, such as Orbitrap, could be used for stable isotope analysis to address this challenge.”

Traditionally, compound-specific isotope analysis relies on isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), which often requires chemical conversion steps such as combustion before isotope ratios can be measured. These additional procedures can complicate analysis, particularly for chemically stable compounds such as PFAS. To address this limitation, the researchers explored whether Orbitrap mass spectrometry, known for its extremely high mass resolution and accuracy, could directly measure isotopic variations in PFAS molecules. Describing the key advance of the study, Prof. Kawashima explains, “This study demonstrates a new analytical approach to measure the stable carbon isotope ratios of PFAS compounds such as PFOA and PFOS using Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The method enables high-precision isotope analysis without the need for conventional isotope ratio mass spectrometry. This opens a new pathway for identifying the sources and environmental behavior of PFAS contamination.”

To test the method, the researchers analyzed standard samples of PFOS and PFOA using Orbitrap mass spectrometry and compared the results with measurements obtained using elemental analysis–IRMS (EA-IRMS), a widely used reference method. The Orbitrap instrument detects molecular variants known as isotopologues, which differ slightly in mass depending on their isotopic composition. The results showed that the isotope ratios obtained using Orbitrap measurements closely matched those measured by EA-IRMS. The differences between the two methods were no more than ±2.0‰ (per mile), indicating that the Orbitrap-based approach can provide reliable compound-specific isotope data. Importantly, the method allows isotope measurements without the combustion steps typically required in conventional isotope ratio analysis.

The researchers also evaluated whether the technique could work in real water samples. For this purpose, they analyzed three river water samples spiked with PFAS compounds at nanomolar concentrations. The Orbitrap system successfully measured the isotopic signatures of the compounds in these samples, suggesting that the approach could potentially be used in environmental monitoring studies.

“One important application is identifying the sources of PFAS contamination in rivers, groundwater, and drinking water. By analyzing isotope signatures, it could help distinguish between different industrial sources of PFAS pollution,” says Prof. Kawashima, highlighting the practical implications of their work. 

Overall, this study represents a step toward developing new analytical tools for tracing PFAS pollution in the environment. By demonstrating that Orbitrap mass spectrometry can measure the stable carbon isotope ratios of PFAS compounds, such as PFOS and PFOA, the findings open new possibilities for investigating the sources and environmental behavior of these persistent contaminants.


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Reference

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Title of original paper:
\\nStable Carbon Isotope Analysis of PFOA and PFOS Using Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry
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Journal:
\\nEnvironmental Science & Technology Letters
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DOI:    
\\n10.1021/acs.estlett.6c00075
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Additional information for EurekAlert  

\\nLatest Article Publication Date:    03 March 2026
Method of Research:                           Experimental study 
Subject of Research:                           Not applicable 
Conflicts of Interest Statement:    The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

\\nShibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world. 

Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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About Professor Hiroto Kawashima from SIT, Japan

\\nDr. Hiroto Kawashima is a Professor in the Department of Bioscience and Engineering at the College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, and collaborates with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. from Yokohama National University and has over 20 years of research experience in environmental and analytical chemistry. His research focuses on stable isotope analysis and pollutant source identification using mass spectrometry. He has authored 45 papers with 728 citations to his credit and received the Best Poster Award from the Japan Society for Atmospheric Environment in September 2022.

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Funding Information

\\nThis work was supported by the Environmental Research and Technology Development Fund (5MF-2403) of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan (ERCA) and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (No. 21H04929) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan.
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Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

\\nE-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/ 
 \",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/7/1 0:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/7/1 0:00:06\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260624-7070-001.html\"},{\"id\":3968,\"title\":\"Beyond Balance: Smart Bicycle Understands Rider Intent\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/Image%203.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

 

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A machine-learning-based steer-by-wire bicycle system recognizes intentional turns and instability, providing support only when necessary

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Two-wheeled vehicles naturally lean during turns, making it challenging for rider-assistance systems to tell if the rider is making a planned turn or losing balance. In a recent study, scientists from Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan created a machine-learning-based steer-by-wire bicycle that can differentiate between these situations. This innovation could make electric bicycles and motorcycles safer without disrupting the riders’ intended movements.

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Two-wheeled vehicles with conventional stability-control systems must lean to change direction, making it difficult for rider-assistance systems to determine whether a rider is intentionally cornering or experiencing instability that could lead to a fall. To address this challenge, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, have developed a rider-intent-aware control system that can distinguish between the two and provide stabilization support only when needed.

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The study was led by Associate Professor Hiroaki Kuwahara from the Department of Machinery and Control Systems, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, together with Shota Tsukase, a second-year master's student in the Graduate School of Systems Engineering and Science at the same institution. The researchers sought to overcome a key limitation of conventional stability-control systems, which often respond to vehicle motion alone and may interfere with a rider's intended maneuvers. Their findings were published online on June 21, 2026, in the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics journal.

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“We believed that haptic technology could do more than providing force feedback—it could help us understand a rider’s intentions,” says Prof. Kuwahara. “By analyzing the interaction between the rider and the vehicle, we aimed to create a mobility system that provides support only when it is truly needed.”

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To achieve this, the team developed a steer-by-wire bicycle. Unlike a conventional bicycle, where the handlebars are mechanically connected to the front wheel, the steer-by-wire system electronically links the two. This configuration allows the system to measure steering behavior and rider–vehicle interactions while maintaining realistic steering sensations through haptic feedback or force-based feedback that lets riders feel how the vehicle is responding.

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The steer-by-wire platform was integrated with a machine-learning-based rider-intent classification system.  At its core is a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network, a type of machine-learning model designed to identify patterns in time-dependent data. Before training the model, the researchers used K-means clustering, an unsupervised learning technique, to categorize riding data into three scenarios: straight riding, cornering, and instability.

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Using data collected from riding experiments, the LSTM model analyzed variables such as steering angle, vehicle speed, roll angle, lateral acceleration, and reaction torque. These measurements enabled the system to capture both the state of the bicycle and the interaction between the rider and the vehicle. By combining these sources of information, the model learned to recognize riding conditions in real time.

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The results demonstrated that the system could accurately classify different riding scenarios and, importantly, distinguish intentional cornering from unstable riding conditions—even though both involve leaning motions. This distinction is crucial because unnecessary intervention during a turn can disrupt the riding experience, while timely intervention during instability can help prevent loss of control.

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“Because two-wheeled vehicles naturally lean during turns, it is essential to distinguish between intentional maneuvers and instability that could lead to a fall,” explains Prof. Kuwahara. “Our system uses information from the vehicle and rider interactions to make that distinction and provide stabilization support only when necessary.”

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Once a riding condition was identified, the control system responded accordingly. During intentional steering and cornering, the stabilization controller remained inactive, preserving the rider’s control of the vehicle. When instability was detected, however, the system automatically activated stabilization control to help restore balance. Experiments showed that the approach could recognize riding situations and provide support at appropriate moments without disrupting natural handling.

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The researchers believe the technology could eventually be applied to electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, bike-sharing services, and delivery vehicles. It may also prove beneficial for older riders and less experienced users who could benefit from additional stability support while retaining a natural riding experience.

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“Our goal is to move beyond conventional automated control toward human-cooperative control,” says Prof. Kuwahara. “Rather than replacing the rider, the system interprets the rider’s intentions and provides assistance only when instability occurs. We hope this approach will contribute to safer and easier-to-use next-generation mobility.”

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Looking ahead, the team plans to expand the system’s ability to recognize a wider range of riding situations and environmental conditions, including different road surfaces. Ultimately, the researchers hope to develop intelligent rider-assistance technologies that work alongside riders, enhancing safety without compromising manoeuvrability or rider control.

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Reference

\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n
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Title of original paper:

\\n		\\n

Rider-Intent-Aware Scenario-Adaptive Stabilization Control for a Steer-by-Wire Bike

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Journal:

\\n		\\n

IEEE/ASME Transaction on Mechatronics

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DOI:

\\n		10.1109/TMECH.2026.3699418
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Additional information for EurekAlert

\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n
\\n

Latest Article Publication Date:

\\n		21 June 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Experimental study

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Subject of Research: AnimalsNot applicable
Conflicts of Interest Statement:None
\\n

Authors

\\n

About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

\\n

Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

\\n

 Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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About Associate Professor Hiroaki Kuwahara from SIT, Japan

\\n

Hiroaki Kuwahara (Member, IEEE) received the B.E. degree in System Design Engineering and the M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in Integrated Design Engineering from Keio University, Yokohama, Japan, in 2008, 2010, and 2022, respectively. From 2010 to 2023, he was with the Corporate Manufacturing Engineering Center, Toshiba Corporation, Yokohama, where he was a Researcher. From 2014 to 2015, he was also a Visiting Researcher with the Dynamic Legged Systems Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Technologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy. He is currently with Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, as an Associate Professor. His research interests include robotics, automation, and motion control.

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\\\"Image
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Title: Steer-by-Wire Experimental Bicycle 
Caption: The steer-by-wire bicycle platform developed in this study uses haptic feedback and a machine-learning-based control framework to estimate rider intent and distinguish intentional turning maneuvers from unintended instability. By recognizing riding conditions in real time, it provides stabilization support only when necessary, helping improve safety while preserving natural vehicle handling.
Credit: Associate Professor Hiroaki Kuwahara from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
Source Link: Not applicable
License Type: Original content 
Usage restrictions: Cannot be used without permission. 

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Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

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E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　

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Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/30 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/30 12:00:05\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260626-7070-001.html\"},{\"id\":3989,\"title\":\"Undergraduate and Graduate School Classes on Saturday, June 27, due to the Approaching Typhoon No. 7,No. 8\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260602_img_1.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"As Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8 approach, heavy rain, strong winds, and disruptions to public transportation may affect the Kanto region on Saturday, June 27.
To ensure the safety of our students, the University will implement the following measures regarding classes and campus operations on Saturday, June 27.
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1. Classes

\\n
As a general rule, all classes will be conducted online.
Please attend classes from your home or another safe location.
However, courses such as laboratory classes, practical training, and seminars that cannot be conducted online due to their nature may be canceled or handled separately.
Please check ScombZ and other official communication channels for announcements from your instructors and for class cancellation information.
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2. Extracurricular Activities

\\n
All extracurricular activities are canceled.
All classrooms and facilities reserved for extracurricular activities on Saturday, June 27, will be canceled. Those who have made reservations will be notified separately.
Please prioritize your safety and refrain from unnecessary or non-essential travel.
\\n

3. Late-Night Work and Campus Closing Time

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Late-night work on Friday, June 26, is prohibited.
The campus will close at 10:00 p.m. All students, faculty, staff, and visitors must leave the campus by that time.
\\n

4. Administrative Offices

\\n
All administrative offices will be closed throughout the day on Saturday, June 27. Telephone services will also be unavailable.
\\n

5. Facilities and Services

\\nUniversity Co-op and Campus Store: Closed
Gymnasium and Athletic Gym: Closed (Unavailable)
Library: Closed
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6. Shuttle Bus Service

\\n
The shuttle buses will operate on the \\\"Suspended Classes Schedule.\\\"
For the detailed timetable, please visit:
http://bus.shibaura-it.ac.jp/
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7. Campus tours

\\n
To ensure the safety of all visitors, individual campus tours scheduled for Saturday, June 27, are canceled at both the Toyosu and Omiya campuses.
Visitors will not be permitted to enter the campuses, and reservations for campus visits will not be accepted.

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Contact
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Student Affairs Section
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Graduate School Section
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Toyosu Campus
3-7-5 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8548, Japan (2F Classroom and Administration Building Toyosu campus)
Student Affairs Section
TEL03-5859-7370／ FAX 03-5859-7371
E-mail：tgakusei@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Graduate School Section 
TEL03-5859-7420／ FAX 03-5859-7421
E-mail：daigakuin@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp

Omiya Campus
307 Fukasaku, Minuma-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 337-8570, Japan (1F 2 Building Omiya campus)
Academic and Student Affairs Section 
TEL048-687-5105／ FAX 048-687-5573
E-mail：ogakusei@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Graduate School Section 
TEL048-720-6460／ FAX 048-720-6461
E-mail：daigakuin@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
\\n
\\n
\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/26 11:36:04\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/26 12:43:23\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260626-7370-001.html\"},{\"id\":3976,\"title\":\"AGH–SIT Master’s Double Degree Diplomas Conferred at the Degree Conferment Ceremony of AGH University of Krakow (Poland)\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-4\",\"label\":\"Global\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/AGH%204.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

On June 12, 2026, AGH University of Krakow, Poland, held its degree conferment ceremony for doctoral graduates.

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As a special part of the ceremony, diplomas were also conferred upon the 11 graduates of the master’s double degree program jointly implemented by AGH University of Krakow and Shibaura Institute of Technology. The graduates received diplomas from both universities.

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Prior to the diploma conferment, Prof. Janusz Szmyd, the Rector's Proxy for Cooperation with Japan of AGH University of Krakow, introduced the 22-year history of cooperation between the two universities.

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The AGH master’s diplomas were then conferred by Prof. Monika Motak, Dean of the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering at AGH University of Krakow. This was followed by the conferment of SIT master’s diplomas by Prof. Masaomi Kimura, Director of Center for International Programs.

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In addition, Ms. Zofia Pizon, who was selected as the valedictorian of the Global Course of Engineering and Science, received a commemorative plaque from Masakazu Kimura, the Deputy Chairman, Shibaura Institute of Technology.

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The double degree program is designed to foster internationally minded professionals equipped with advanced expertise and global perspectives. The program is implemented through a joint research and supervision system between the two universities.

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SIT will continue to promote international education and research through its strong partnership with AGH University of Krakow, while remaining committed to developing highly skilled professionals who can contribute to the global community.

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\\\"AGHProf. Janusz Szmyd, the Rector's Proxy for Cooperation with Japan of AGH University of Krakow
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\\\"AGHProf. Monika Motak and Professor Masaomi Kimura conferring the diplomas
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\\\"AGHMs. Zofia Pizon receiving the commemorative plaque as valedictorian
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\\\"AGHGroup photo
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\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/25 15:03:01\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/25 16:55:59\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260625-7140-002.html\"},{\"id\":3978,\"title\":\"Measures Regarding the Approaching Typhoon\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260602_img_1.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"The University will determine its response based on the Japan Meteorological Agency's typhoon information and railway operation updates available by the morning of Friday, June 26. An announcement regarding measures for classes and other academic activities on Saturday, June 27, will be posted around noon on Friday, June 26, on the University website and ScombZ.

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\\n
\\n
\\n
Contact
\\n
\\n
\\n
Student Affairs Section
\\n
Graduate School Section
\\n
Toyosu Campus
3-7-5 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8548, Japan (2F Classroom and Administration Building Toyosu campus)
Student Affairs Section
TEL03-5859-7370／ FAX 03-5859-7371
E-mail：tgakusei@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Graduate School Section 
TEL03-5859-7420／ FAX 03-5859-7421
E-mail：daigakuin@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp

Omiya Campus
307 Fukasaku, Minuma-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 337-8570, Japan (1F 2 Building Omiya campus)
Academic and Student Affairs Section 
TEL048-687-5105／ FAX 048-687-5573
E-mail：ogakusei@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Graduate School Section 
TEL048-720-6460／ FAX 048-720-6461
E-mail：daigakuin@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
\\n
\\n
\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/25 10:30:04\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/26 10:31:50\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260625-7370-001.html\"},{\"id\":3734,\"title\":\"Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Visits Toyosu Campus\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"},{\"basename\":\"news-4\",\"label\":\"Global\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/%E3%80%876D7A8919.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"
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\\\"〇6D7A8919\\\"
(Left) Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau　(Right) Chairman of the Board of Directors Takeo Suzumi
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On June 9, 2026, Shibaura Institute of Technology (Koto City, Tokyo / Takeo Suzumi, Chairman of the Board of Directors) welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and his delegation to the Toyosu Campus of Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT). During the visit, the delegation held discussions with the Institute's Chairman of the Board of Directors, members of the Board of Directors, and Vice President, among others, and toured a laboratory to which a Vietnamese international student belongs, among other facilities.

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The delegation included H.E. Mr. Pham Quang Hieu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to Japan; H.E. Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Vice Chairman of the Government Office of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; H.E. Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; H.E. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tu, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; H.E. Prof. Dr. Le Quan, Deputy Minister of Education and Training of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; and H.E. Prof. Dr. Bui The Duy, President, Viet Nam National University, Hanoi, among other distinguished figures from the government and academic sectors.

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Since its founding in 1927,SIT has built a strong record of education and research in the fields of engineering, information technology, robotics, and AI. As an institution selected for the Top Global University Project of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Institute partners with some 200 universities around the world. With Viet Nam, it has developed wide-ranging cooperation—including student exchange, joint research, and the development of human resources in fields such as AI, IoT, robotics, and digital transformation—with universities and institutions such as Viet Nam National University, Hanoi; Hanoi University of Science and Technology; and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

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At the meeting, Chairman of the Board of Directors Takeo Suzumi delivered welcome remarks and spoke on the importance of the Japan–Viet Nam partnership. Vice President Hitoshi Nakamura introduced the Institute's record of exchange with Viet Nam. Placing importance on cooperation with the ASEAN region, the Institute has established a scholarship program for the region; in particular, he explained that 52 outstanding Vietnamese students have been awarded doctoral degrees by the Institute, many of whom are now active as university faculty members and researchers at the Institute and at universities in Viet Nam. In addition, Chairman Suzumi conveyed to the Deputy Prime Minister the Institute's intention to further expand its scholarship quotas in order to help nurture Vietnamese researchers.

\\n

During the subsequent tour of research facilities, the delegation visited the laboratory of Associate Professor Gabriele Trovato—home to Pham Gia Hung, a second-year student enrolled in the Innovative Global Program (IGP) of the School of Engineering, where students can earn a bachelor's degree in engineering entirely in English—as well as \\\"Techno Plaza,\\\" a facility that brings together the Institute's advanced research equipment. The delegation listened with keen interest to an explanation of the conversational robot that Pham Gia Hung is researching.

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SIT has long maintained extensive exchange with Vietnamese universities and research institutions, as well as with the Vietnamese community in Japan. This visit by the Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation served as an occasion for the Institute's education and research activities to attract international attention. The Institute will continue to deepen educational and research cooperation between Japan and Viet Nam, and remains committed to nurturing global science and engineering professionals who will thrive on the international stage.

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\\\"〇6D7A9135\\\"
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Group photo of the attendees at the event

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\\\"6D7A8978\\\"
Scene from the meeting
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\\\"6D7A9088\\\"
Associate Professor Phan Xuan Tan explaining the current state of Japan–Vietnam cooperation
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\\\"6D7A8992\\\"
Remarks by Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau
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\\\"6D7A9227\\\"
Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau (center right) touring Techno Plaza
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\\n \",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/10 14:05:40\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/11 16:05:16\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260610_7140_002.html\"},{\"id\":3944,\"title\":\"New Sensory Evaluation Method Reveals How Polyphenol Structures Shape Taste Perception\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/SITNG_140_2_Press_Release_Image.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

Researchers developed a sensory evaluation system linking polyphenol chemical structures with bitterness, acidity, and astringency

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A pilot study has developed a new sensory evaluation method that links the chemical structures of polyphenols with their distinct taste properties. Using trained human panelists, researchers showed that different polyphenols produce unique sensory effects, including bitterness, acidity, and astringency. The findings may help improve functional food design and food processing technologies while advancing understanding of how taste-related sensory pathways contribute to digestion, metabolism, and health-related responses.

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\\\"SITNG_140_2_Press_Release_Image\\\"
Title: Sensory evaluation system reveals how polyphenol structures shape taste perception
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Caption: Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology developed a trained sensory evaluation system that links the chemical structures of polyphenols with bitterness, acidity, and astringency, helping improve functional food design and understanding of taste-related health effects. 
\\n
Credit : Professor Naomi Osakabe from SIT, Japan
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Source Link : https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081409
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License Type : CC BY-4.0
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Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator.
 
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\\n Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds widely found in tea, cocoa, fruits, vegetables, and other foods. They are well known for their potential health benefits, including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and age-related disorders. However, despite decades of research on their physiological effects, scientists still understand relatively little about how the specific chemical structures of polyphenols influence their taste sensations, such as bitterness and astringency. These sensory properties strongly affect food preferences and may also influence biological responses in the digestive system.

To address this challenge, a research team led by Professor Naomi Osakabe from the Department of Functional Control Systems, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, along with Ms. Hitomi Nakamura and Ms. Moeka Ogata from the same institute, developed a structured sensory evaluation system using trained human panelists to quantitatively analyze the taste characteristics of polyphenols and connect them with their chemical structures. Their findings were published in Volume 15, Issue 8 of the journal Foods on April 17, 2026.

The study focused on four representative polyphenols with different chemical structures: gallic acid, quercetin hydrate, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and a procyanidin-rich fraction derived from cocoa. Before testing, seven carefully selected panelists underwent four months of intensive sensory training designed to improve their ability to distinguish acidity, bitterness, and astringency. The researchers combined multiple sensory evaluation approaches, including flavor profile analysis, quantitative descriptive analysis, and three-alternative forced-choice testing, to ensure reliable results.

The experiments revealed clear sensory differences between the compounds. Gallic acid produced strong acidity similar to citric acid, while EGCG, a major compound in green tea, generated pronounced bitterness and mild astringency. The procyanidin-rich fraction showed intense astringency, likely due to its polymerized structure interacting with salivary proteins. In contrast, quercetin hydrate displayed little detectable taste, mainly because of its low water solubility.

Prof. Osakabe explained, “While polyphenols are known to produce bitter and astringent sensations, very few studies have objectively evaluated these properties using trained human panels. We wanted to establish a reliable system that could scientifically connect sensory perception with chemical structure.”

The researchers believe these findings could significantly benefit the food industry, particularly in the development of functional foods and beverages. By understanding how molecular structures influence taste, manufacturers may be able to improve food palatability while preserving beneficial health properties. The study may also contribute to designing products with targeted sensory effects that encourage healthier dietary habits.

Another important aspect of the research involves the growing recognition that taste receptors are not limited to the mouth. Recent studies suggest that bitter and astringent compounds can interact with receptors in the digestive system, influencing hormone release, glucose regulation, and gastrointestinal function. Understanding the sensory characteristics of polyphenols may therefore help explain some of their health-promoting effects.

Prof. Osakabe noted, “Our long-term goal is to create predictive models that can estimate sensory properties directly from chemical structures. This could support the future development of next-generation functional foods tailored for both taste and health benefits.”

Overall, the study provides one of the first systematic frameworks for quantitatively evaluating polyphenol taste characteristics using trained human panels. By linking molecular structure with sensory perception, the research opens new opportunities for food science, nutrition research, and functional food innovation while improving understanding of how taste-related pathways contribute to human health.\\n

Reference

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Title of original paper:

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Development of a Sensory Evaluation Method for Polyphenols
via Analysis of Chemical Structure and Organoleptic Properties:
A Pilot Study

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Journal:

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Foods

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DOI:

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10.3390/foods15081409

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Additional infotmation for EurekAlert

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Latest Article Publication Date:17 April 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Experimental study
 

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Subject of Research:People
 
Conflicts of Interest Statement:Kenta Aso and Chika Tagata report a relationship with ITO EN Ltd. that includes employment. They declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
 
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Authors

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About Professor Naomi Osakabe from SIT, Japan

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Dr. Naomi Osakabe is a Professor at the Department of Bioscience and Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan. Her research focuses on nutrition and health science, particularly the chemistry, sensory properties, and physiological effects of polyphenols. She studies free radicals, taste mechanisms, and electrochemical analysis of food compounds to better understand their health benefits. Professor Osakabe has authored 163 scientific publications with more than 6,437 citations. Her work contributes to advancing functional food research and clarifying the relationship between food-derived compounds, sensory perception, and human health through interdisciplinary approaches in agricultural and food chemistry research globally.

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Funding Information

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This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Number: 23KJ1922).

\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/4 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/4 12:00:06\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260604_7070_51.html\"},{\"id\":3955,\"title\":\"[Important Update] Campus Facilities and Student Services due to Typhoon No. 6\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"}],\"output\":[],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260602_img_1.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

Due to the approaching Typhoon No. 6, please note the following measures for today (June 2) and Wednesday, June 3.

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1. Today (June 2)

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  1. Late-night work is not permitted.
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  2. All students must leave campus by 10:00 PM.
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2. Office Closures (June 3)

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The following offices will be closed for the entire day at both Toyosu and Omiya campuses.

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・Student Affairs / Academic & Student Affairs Offices
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・Graduate School Office
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・Scholarship Office
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・Career Support Office
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・International Affairs Office
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・Information Innovation Center Service Desk
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・Library
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3. Facilities and Services (June 3)

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  1. The university co-op will be completely closed.
    2. \\n
  2. The gymnasium and athletic gym will be closed (not available for use).
    3. \\n
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4. Extracurricular Activities (June 3)

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● All classrooms and facilities reserved for extracurricular activities will be cancelled.

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Students are advised to prioritize their safety and refrain from unnecessary outings or coming to campus.

\\n \",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/2 17:01:20\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/2 17:03:31\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260602-7070-999.html\"},{\"id\":3950,\"title\":\"Undergraduate and Graduate School Classes on Wednesday, June 3, due to the Approaching Typhoon No. 6\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260602_img_1.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"To all undergraduate and graduate students,

Due to the approaching Typhoon No. 6, heavy rain, strong winds, and possible disruptions to public transportation are expected in the Kanto region on Wednesday, June 3.
To ensure the safety of students, classes on Wednesday, June 3, will, in principle, be conducted online.

Please attend classes from home or another safe location.
However, some classes, such as laboratory work, practical training, or exercises that are difficult to conduct online, may be cancelled or handled separately. Please check ScombZ and class cancellation information for instructions from your course instructors.

If you need to come to campus, please check the latest weather and public transportation information and place your safety first. Do not come to campus if it is unsafe to do so.

June 2, 2026
Shibaura Institute of Technology

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Contact
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Student Affairs Section
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Graduate School Section
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Toyosu Campus
3-7-5 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8548, Japan (2F Classroom and Administration Building Toyosu campus)
Student Affairs Section
TEL03-5859-7370／ FAX 03-5859-7371
E-mail：tgakusei@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Graduate School Section 
TEL03-5859-7420／ FAX 03-5859-7421
E-mail：daigakuin@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp

Omiya Campus
307 Fukasaku, Minuma-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 337-8570, Japan (1F 2 Building Omiya campus)
Academic and Student Affairs Section 
TEL048-687-5105／ FAX 048-687-5573
E-mail：ogakusei@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
Graduate School Section 
TEL048-720-6460／ FAX 048-720-6461
E-mail：daigakuin@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
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\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/2 11:36:04\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/2 12:30:49\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260602-7370-001.html\"},{\"id\":3938,\"title\":\"New Low-Cost Tool Reveals Hidden Molecular Switch Points Under Light\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/SITNG_139_2_Image.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"
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A Shibaura Institute of Technology researcher has developed a quantum chemistry method to predict the behavior of molecules under light

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Conical intersections are crucial molecular switching points in light-driven reactions, but accurately predicting them usually requires computations. A researcher from Shibaura Institute of Technology has developed a new low-cost quantum chemistry method that can simultaneously describe ground and excited molecular states while efficiently locating these elusive structures. The approach reproduces benchmark geometries with strong accuracy and enables practical simulations of photochemical processes, making it promising for applications in photocatalysis, solar cells, and biological light-response studies.

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Light-driven molecular reactions are essential to many technologies and natural processes, from solar energy conversion and photocatalysis to vision and DNA repair. After absorbing light, molecules can rapidly rearrange their electrons and change chemical pathways within trillionths of a second. These transformations often pass through conical intersections, special points where two electronic states meet and molecules can switch states almost instantly. Although these intersections are central to photochemistry, accurately predicting them has traditionally required computationally expensive methods, limiting routine studies of larger and more realistic molecular systems.

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Professor Takashi Tsuchimochi of the College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan, has proposed a new solution to this challenge. He has developed a low-cost quantum chemistry method that can simultaneously describe stable ground states and unstable excited states of molecules while efficiently locating conical intersections. By redesigning one of the simplest excited-state theories, the researcher created a practical framework for exploring difficult reaction pathways with much lower computational cost than conventional approaches. The study was published online on April 21, 2026, in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation.

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The new method extends configuration interaction singles, a widely known but limited theoretical model that has long been considered unable to treat conical intersections reliably. The approach enables molecules to change structure smoothly even in regions where electronic states nearly overlap. This allows researchers to optimize molecular geometries, trace excited-state pathways, and identify crossing points that standard low-cost methods often fail to capture. It also improves numerical stability during optimization steps. This makes repeated calculations more dependable for complex molecules and demanding reaction pathway scans across larger systems, routinely.

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“Our motivation came from a long-standing challenge in computational photochemistry,” said Prof. Tsuchimochi. “Highly accurate methods exist, but they are often too expensive for realistic applications. We wanted a simpler approach that still captures the essential physics of conical intersections.”

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Extensive benchmark tests demonstrated the effectiveness of the approach. In simulations of twelve minimum-energy conical intersections and the classic ethylene benchmark system, the method reproduced key molecular geometries with strong agreement to established high-level reference calculations. It also successfully captured the characteristic topology of conical intersections that conventional approaches miss. These results suggest that reliable excited-state reaction analysis can be achieved without the heavy computational burden normally associated with multireference quantum chemistry.

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Prof. Tsuchimochi emphasized the broader significance of these findings. “Our goal is to make advanced excited-state simulations accessible for larger and more complex systems,” he said. “That could accelerate the discovery of next-generation materials and deepen our understanding of how molecules behave under light.”

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Overall, the study highlights wide-ranging scientific and industrial relevance. In photocatalysis and light-driven synthesis, the method can help explain how absorbed light initiates chemical transformations. In materials science, it can support the design of solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, and other light-responsive devices. In biology and medicine, it may improve understanding of DNA damage, repair pathways, and related photochemical effects. By reducing computational cost while maintaining reliable performance, the new method addresses a long-standing bottleneck in predictive molecular design.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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Analytical Nuclear Gradients for State-Averaged Configuration

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Interaction Singles Variants: Application to Conical Intersections

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Journal:

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Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation

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DOI:

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10.1021/acs.jctc.6c00308

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Additional information for EurekAlert

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Latest Article Publication Date:

\\n		21 April 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Computational simulation/modeling

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Subject of Research: AnimalsNot Applicable
Conflicts of Interest Statement:The author declares no competing financial interest
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Authors

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About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

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Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

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Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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About Professor Takashi Tsuchimochi from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

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Prof. Takashi Tsuchimochi is a Professor at the College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Molecular Science, Okazaki, Japan, and a FOREST researcher of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. He earned his PhD from Rice University in 2012. His research interests include quantum chemistry, theoretical chemistry, and computational chemistry. He has published 42 peer-reviewed articles, received over 5156 citations, and currently holds an h-index of 21, focusing on electronic structure methods, excited states, photochemistry, molecular dynamics, algorithm development, education, collaboration, and mentoring students worldwide through impactful research and teaching leadership today.

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Funding Information

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This work was supported by the JST FOREST Program, Grant No. JPMJFR223U, and JSPS KAKENHI, Grant No. 25K01733 and 25K22247.

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 image

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\\\"SITNG_139_2_Image\\\"
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Title: Computational mapping of conical intersections in light-driven molecular reactions and benchmark simulation of ethylene energy surfaces
Caption: A researcher from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, developed a low-cost quantum chemistry method that accurately predicts conical intersections, helping simulate light-driven molecular reactions for energy, materials, and biological applications.
Credit: Prof. Takashi Tsuchimochi from SIT, Japan
Source Link: NA
License Type:  Original content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be used without permission 

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Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

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E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　

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Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

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\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/6/1 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/6/1 12:00:07\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260529-7070-001.html\"},{\"id\":3935,\"title\":\"Improved Omnidirectional Small Moving Object Detection with an Enhanced YOLO Model\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/Image_8.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

A new enhanced YOLO framework improves the detection accuracy of distant and small moving objects in omnidirectional videos

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While omnidirectional cameras can provide a 360-degree field of view, they often struggle to detect small moving objects, as important visual details are lost due to distortion and low resolution, even when distortion reduction methods are applied. A new study addresses this problem by building an annotated training dataset and refining a You Only Look Once (YOLO)-based detection model through transfer learning. The method substantially outperformed standard YOLO models, especially for small and distant objects.

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\\\"Image\\\"Title:A newly trained YOLO model with improved small moving object detection can enhance road safety
Caption:Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, developed a newly trained You Only Look Once (YOLO) model using transfer learning that can detect small moving objects with improved accuracy compared to standard models. The proposed method maintains high accuracy even at 50 meters, whereas standard YOLO models showed a steep drop in accuracy beyond 40 meters. The graph in the figure shows the accuracy comparison with respect to distance.
Credit:Professor Chinthaka Premachandra from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
Source Link:N/A
License Type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. 

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Omnidirectional cameras are widely popular as they capture a full 360-degree view. They are often utilized for surveillance, traffic analysis, and autonomous systems. But the same wide-angle vision also leads to a technical problem. Objects far from the camera often appear distorted and tiny, making it difficult for computer vision systems to accurately recognize them. The challenge is especially serious for moving objects such as pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, and cars in outdoor scenes like road intersections.  

You Only Look Once (YOLO) is a popular, high-speed, and accurate real-time object detection algorithm. Although YOLO is known for speed and strong general performance, it struggles with small object detection/classification in omnidirectional videos, as it divides an image into grid cells. When several tiny objects fall within the same grid, some of their visual information can be lost. In omnidirectional footage, this weakness becomes even more pronounced because distant objects already suffer from low resolution.    

To address this issue, a team of researchers led by Professor Chinthaka Premachandra from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, designed an enhanced framework that combined a custom-built training dataset with transfer learning. “In many countries, including Japan, road intersections are extremely accident-prone areas due to the complex interactions of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists moving from multiple directions. Some of these road users may suddenly appear from blind spots at intersections, further increasing the likelihood of accidents. Our research was initiated to solve this particular issue,” mentions Dr. Premachandra, while talking about the motivation behind this study. The paper was published in Volume 7 of the journal IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems on March 4, 2026.

For developing the model, a dataset of about 4,000 annotated images was created, covering four categories—humans, cars, bicycles, and motorcycles. Importantly, the annotations were not generic. Omnidirectional cameras exhibit a rapid decrease in resolution as the distance between the camera and the object increases, and the objects are often misidentified. To mitigate this issue, the team defined characteristic features for each moving object class to help the model learn what to look for under difficult conditions. For example, a human needed at least one arm or leg to be visible, a car needed two or more tires to be visible, and bicycles and motorcycles needed both front and rear wheels to be visible.

The research team also strengthened the dataset by cropping images and including objects viewed from multiple angles so that small and less frequent targets would be better represented. The dataset was used for training via transfer learning, a method that adapts the knowledge of an existing model to a new domain. Finally, the trained model was compared against conventional models for accuracy. 

In direct comparisons, the proposed model reached an overall accuracy of 90%, while YOLOv5 achieved 46% and YOLOv8 achieved 53% for objects larger than 8 × 8 pixels. For small moving objects specifically, ranging from 8 × 8 to 32 × 32 pixels, the proposed model achieved an accuracy of 0.81, which is significantly higher compared to 0.39 for YOLOv5 and 0.42 for YOLOv8. The study also found that while standard YOLO models showed a steep drop in accuracy beyond 40 meters, the new model maintained useful performance up to 50 meters.  

This research addresses a critical limitation in current perception systems by improving the detection of small and distant objects across a full 360° field of view. “This approach can be effectively applied to intelligent transportation systems, autonomous driving, and robotic navigation, where reliable omnidirectional perception is essential. Specifically, it is well-suited for intersection monitoring and safety assistance, where vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists may approach from multiple directions simultaneously,” explains Dr. Premachandra, while talking about the application of this research.

Let us hope the research progresses quickly to develop models with enhanced detection accuracy for objects smaller than 8 × 8 pixels, which can further reduce the risks of accidents and improve road safety.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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E-YOLO to OMOD: An Enhanced YOLO Framework for Small Moving Object Detection in Omnidirectional Videos

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Journal:

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IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems

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DOI:

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10.1109/OJITS.2026.3670217

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Authors

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About Professor Chinthaka Premachandra from SIT, Japan

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Dr. Chinthaka Premachandra is a Professor at the College of Engineering and Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan. He is also currently the Director of the Image Processing and Robotics Laboratory. Prof. Premachandra received his Ph.D. degree from Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, in 2011. His research interests include AI, UAVs, image processing, audio processing, intelligent transport systems (ITS), and mobile robotics. He has published over 200 articles over the years, which have been cited more than 1,500 times. He is currently also serving as an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and IEEE Sensors Journal.

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Funding Information

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Not applicable

\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/5/22 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/5/22 12:00:08\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260522_7070_727.html\"},{\"id\":3918,\"title\":\"Millimeter-Scale Resolution in Fiber-Optic Sensing: Single-Ended Technique Advances Infrastructure Monitoring\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/Press_Release_Image_4.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

Researchers demonstrate that overcoming signal distortions enables record-breaking spatial resolution in single-access distributed fiber-optic sensing

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Distributed fiber-optic sensors are widely used to monitor temperature and strain in infrastructure, but their spatial resolution has long been limited. In a new study, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology and Yokohama National University, Japan, have demonstrated that operating near a previously avoided frequency regime and suppressing signal distortions allows reflection-based sensing to achieve a world-record spatial resolution of 6 mm among single-end-access configurations. This enables precise monitoring of temperature and strain in infrastructure.

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\\\"Press_Release_Image\\\"Title: Conceptual configuration and operating principle of Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR)
Caption: Researchers demonstrate that operating at modulation frequencies close to Brillouin bandwidth and suppressing signal distortions allows BOCDR to achieve a world-record spatial resolution of 6 mm.
Credit: Prof. Yosuke Mizuno from Yokohama National University, Japan
Source Link:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11278604
License Type: CC BY 4.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. 

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Distributed fiber-optic sensing technologies play a crucial role in monitoring temperature and strain across large structures such as bridges, tunnels, pipelines, and buildings. Unlike conventional point sensors, distributed fiber-optic sensors provide continuous measurements along their entire length, allowing early detection of damage or abnormal conditions. However, one persistent challenge has been spatial resolution—the ability to pinpoint exactly where a change occurs. Improving resolution without complicating system design has remained a central goal in fiber-optic sensing research.

One promising technique, known as Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR), enables distributed sensing using light injected from only one end of the fiber. This reflection-based configuration simplifies installation and allows measurements even if the fiber is damaged. BOCDR also offers higher spatial resolution than many other Brillouin-based methods. Yet, its performance has been constrained by a widely accepted assumption: operating near or beyond the Brillouin bandwidth, a frequency range intrinsic to the fiber, was believed to cause unstable signals and unreliable measurements. As a result, this operating regime has largely been avoided, limiting achievable resolution.

In a new study, a team of researchers led by Prof. Heeyoung Lee from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, along with Prof. Yosuke Mizuno from Yokohama National University, Japan, and Mr. Keita Kikuchi from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, experimentally investigated BOCDR operation at modulation frequencies close to the Brillouin bandwidth. Their findings were published in the Journal of Lightwave Technology on April 1, 2026.

“To verify whether the Brillouin bandwidth limitation was truly fundamental or simply not well understood, we examined the origin of the signal distortions and explored ways to control them. Notably, we discovered that this forbidden operating region can be used to significantly enhance spatial resolution,” says Prof. Lee.
The researchers observed that at higher modulation frequencies, periodic distortions appeared in the Brillouin gain spectrum, interfering with the accurate extraction of temperature and strain information. These distortions degrade the linear relationship between temperature/strain and the Brillouin frequency shift, particularly at high spatial resolution.

Rather than treating these distortions as unavoidable, the team carefully analyzed their physical origin and developed a signal-processing method to suppress them. By mapping the measured spectra into the frequency domain and selectively removing the modulation-induced components, they restored the stability and linearity of the Brillouin signal. This approach allowed BOCDR to operate reliably in a frequency regime that had previously been considered impractical.

Using this strategy, the researchers achieved distributed temperature and strain measurements with a spatial resolution of 6 mm—the highest ever reported for single-ended Brillouin sensing. In experimental demonstrations, the system successfully detected temperature changes confined to millimeter-scale fiber sections and resolved abrupt strain-like transitions introduced by short fiber segments with different optical properties.

The implications of this work extend beyond laboratory demonstrations. Aging infrastructure and increasing exposure to natural disasters demand sensing technologies capable of detecting subtle, highly localized changes before they escalate into serious damage to public safety and maintenance efficiency. Achieving millimeter-scale resolution using a simple, single-end-access fiber configuration makes practical deployment of fiber-optic sensors more feasible across civil engineering, energy, transportation, and robotics-related industries.

“Our study addresses the limitations of conventional sensors that miss the detection of subtle changes and proposes an approach that can be used for monitoring the integrity of optical waveguides, sensing the shape of flexible structures, and future robotic systems,” says Prof. Lee.

By overcoming a long-standing performance barrier, this study opens new pathways for distributed sensing systems that function like a “nerve network,” continuously monitoring the health of critical structures.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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BOCDR achieving 6-mm spatial resolution at modulation frequencies close to Brillouin bandwidth

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Journal:

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Journal of Lightwave Technology

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DOI:

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10.1109/JLT.2025.3640608

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Authors

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About Professor Heeyoung Lee from SIT, Japan

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Dr. Heeyoung Lee is a Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan. She received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, in 2019. Her research interests include fiber-optic sensing, polymer optics, and optoelectronics. She has been honored with multiple awards, including the NF Foundation R&D Encouragement Award 2019, the Kashiko Kodate Promotion and Nurturing of Female Researchers Contribution Award 2021, and the SCAT President’s Award 2025.

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Funding Information

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This work was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI under Grant 21H04555 and Grant 22K14272 and by research grants from the Telecommunications Advancement Foundation, and in part by Asahipen Hikari Foundation.

\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/4/20 7:30:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/4/21 9:18:21\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260402_7070_727.html\"},{\"id\":3922,\"title\":\"Simple Synthetic Strategy Converts Blue-Emissive Molecules into Multicolor Luminescent Materials\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/SITNG_133_3.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"
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Researchers demonstrate stimuli-responsive luminescence in dumbbell-shaped Zn(II) complexes with extended terminals

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 Researchers have demonstrated that bridging π-conjugated emissive chromophores with an aromatic fluorinated Zn(II) paddlewheel framework facilitates wide-ranging and reversible luminescence color modulation in the solid state in the presence of mechanical stress and hydrostatic pressure. This step converts a blue-emissive small organic molecule into a multicolor luminescent material. In solution, it behaves as a blue emitter, whereas in the solid state, its emission color changes reversibly over a wide range in response to the environment.

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 Chemistry involves the fundamental interplay between the structures and properties of molecules. Notably, subtle changes in molecular structure and crystal packing can be amplified into macroscopic phenomena such as optical responses.

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 Zn(II) is an earth-abundant and low-toxicity metal, and paddlewheel-type Zn(II) dimers are well-established structural motifs. They are traditionally regarded as electronically silent structural units. Recently, a study led by Professor Akiko Hori from the Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, including Mr. Yuta Takeuchi from the same institute, and Prof. Yoshiki Ozawa and Prof. Masaaki Abe from the University of Hyogo, Japan, hypothesized that combining this flexible metal-carboxylate scaffold with π-extended emissive ligands and aromatic fluorination could unlock new, adaptive excited-state behavior under external stimuli. Advancing this work, they observed a striking contrast between the fluorinated and non-fluorinated crystals—particularly the much larger and smoother color shifts observed under mechanical grinding and hydrostatic pressure. This motivated them to conduct a deeper exploration of how structural flexibility, intermolecular interactions, and external forces cooperate to control luminescence.

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This curiosity ultimately led to the discovery of wide-range, reversible color modulation in a simple molecular crystal system. The novel findings of the research group were published in the Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers journal as a Front Cover article on January 19, 2026.

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 Prof. Hori highlights the central message of their study: “A key point of this study is that a small blue-emissive molecule can be converted into a multicolor luminescent material in a one-step reaction. The resulting material shows reversible color changes over a wide range, from blue in solution to green and red in the solid state, depending on the environment.”

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 By introducing pentafluorobenzoate bridges into a dumbbell-shaped Zn(II) dimer, the researchers created a molecular crystal that exhibits continuous and nearly reversible emission color changes, spanning from green to orange-red upon gentle grinding or compression. Notably, these changes occur without obvious chemical degradation and are instead attributed to pressure-induced structural flexibility and adaptive intermolecular interactions within a simple Zn₂(μ-carboxylate)₄ framework.

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 The reversible and visually distinct luminescence changes observed in this study demonstrate how mechanical stress and pressure can be directly translated into optical responses in molecular crystals. In particular, the continuous color modulation in the solid state provides insight into how structural flexibility and intermolecular interactions govern stimulus-responsive luminescence. Because the emission color changes in response to mechanical force, pressure, and the surrounding molecular environment, the material may help visualize changes that are otherwise difficult to see. In the future, this concept may lead to luminescent materials that indicate pressure, strain, or molecular interactions through color changes.

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 “This research addresses a fundamental challenge in materials chemistry: how to achieve broad, reversible, and controllable color modulation in solid-state luminescent materials using simple and chemically robust molecular components. By demonstrating that aromatic fluorination markedly enhances structural flexibility and pressure adaptability, this study reveals how subtle modifications to a Zn(II)-based framework can strongly influence excited-state behavior in molecular crystals. These findings deepen our understanding of stimulus-responsive luminescence and structure–property relationships, and may help guide the design of adaptive optical materials,” says Mr. Takeuchi.

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 Overall, this study presents a simple design concept for converting blue-emissive molecules into multicolor luminescent materials and may contribute to the development of new optical materials that communicate environmental and structural changes through light.

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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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Multicolor and reversible stimuli-responsive luminescence of dumbbell-shaped Zn(II) complexes with extended triphenylamine-attached ethynylpyridine terminals

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Journal:

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Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers

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DOI:

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10.1039/D5QI02451J

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 Additional information for EurekAlert

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Latest Article Publication Date:19 January 2026 
Method of Research:Experimental study 
Subject of Research:Not applicable 
Conflicts of Interest Statement:There are no conflicts to declare.
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Authors

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About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

\\n Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.\\n

 

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Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

\\n \\n

About Professor Akiko Hori from SIT, Japan

\\n

Dr. Akiko Hori is a Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering and Science and the Undergraduate School of Engineering, both at Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan. She leads the Laboratory of Molecular Assemblies, which aims to manipulate intermolecular forces to create highly tunable crystal space groups. Specifically, her group explores the creation of dynamic crystal fields using fluorine-substituted metal complexes, the synthesis and functional characterization of molecular nanowire variants with different metals, and the synthesis and investigation of the luminescence behavior of bipyridine derivatives.

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Funding information

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This work was supported by S-SPIRE project of Shibaura Institute of Technology (Akiko Hori). Masaaki Abe acknowledges financial support from Special Research Projects Grant, University of Hyogo (FY2025). Yoshiki Ozawa acknowledges financial support for Grant-in-Aids for Scientific Research C, 22K05147, of JSPS KAKENHI.

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Title: Dumbbell-shaped Zn(II) complexes with extended triphenylamine-attached ethynylpyridine terminals
Caption: Researchers explore the multicolor and reversible stimuli-responsive luminescence behavior of these exciting molecules. 
Credit: Professor Akiko Hori from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
Source link: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2026/QI/D5QI02451J
License type: CC BY 3.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. 

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Media contact: Kohei Tsuchiya

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E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　

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Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

\\n  \",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/4/17 11:30:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/4/17 11:30:04\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260418-7985-001.html\"},{\"id\":3884,\"title\":\"SIT Matriculation Ceremony for the academic year 2026\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/DSC_8686.png\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"The matriculation ceremony for the academic year 2026 will be held as follows. Parents and family members are welcome to attend; however, please note that due to limited seating capacity, you may be directed to a satellite venue within the Tokyo International Forum. Prior registration is not required.
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It will be broadcast live; the URL and more details will be sent to the email address you specify after you complete the form below.

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Live Broadcast Link Request Form

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Dates   Thursday, April 2, 2026
●Time schedule
11:30　Doors open
12:30　Opening ceremony
15:15　Closing ceremony (planned)
Venue Tokyo International Forum, Hall A
Access: Access | Tokyo International Forum Co., Ltd.
\\n
For students enrolling in the Master's and Doctor's programs, the enrollment procedures will be conducted on Wednesday, March 25 and Thursday, March 26.
For undergraduate students, the enrollment procedures will be conducted on Tuesday, March 31.
*Please note that attendance is mandatory for all students.
\\n
◆For enquiries, please contact.
Academic Affairs Section　 tgakuji@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp
\\\"DSC_8686\\\"\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/3/19 14:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/3/19 14:00:05\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/2026Mat_en.html\"},{\"id\":3879,\"title\":\"SIT Commencement for the year 2025\",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-1\",\"label\":\"Information\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/thumbnail_7.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

The commencement for the academic year 2025 will be held as follows. Parents and family members are welcome to attend; however, attendance is limited to up to two family members per graduate. Please note that prior registration is not required.
It will be broadcast live; the URL and more details will be sent to the email address you specify after you complete the form below.

\\n

Live Broadcast Link Request Form

\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n
Dates   Tuesday, 17 March 2026
●Time schedule
12:30　Doors open
13:30　Opening ceremony
15:15　Closing ceremony (planned)
VenueTokyo International Forum, Hall A
Access: Access | Tokyo International Forum Co., Ltd.
\\n
Master's degree graduates and undergraduate graduates will receive their degree certificates at a location designated by their department or faculty after the ceremony. Further details will be available later on the ScombZ.
\\n
◆For enquiries, please contact.
Academic Affairs Section　 tgakuji@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp

\\\"DSC02070.JPG\\\"\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/3/9 16:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/3/9 16:58:19\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/2025Com_en.html\"},{\"id\":3892,\"title\":\"MambaAlign Fusion Framework for Detecting Defects Missed by Inspection Systems \",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/Press_Release_Image_3.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

Researchers develop an efficient system that detects subtle defects missed by existing industrial visual inspection systems

\\n

Industrial inspection systems often miss subtle defects or fail when sensors are slightly misaligned. To address this, researchers have developed MambaAlign, a new multimodal framework that efficiently fuses Red, Green, Blue images with auxiliary sensors such as thermal or depth data. It captures long-range, orientation-aware features, and is more robust to modest misalignment. It significantly improves localization accuracy while sustaining real-time performance, making it suitable for practical, high-throughput inspection environments.

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Industrial quality inspection plays a critical role in manufacturing, from ensuring the reliability of electronics and vehicles to preventing costly failures in aerospace and energy systems. Traditional vision-based inspection systems typically rely on Red, Green, Blue (RGB) cameras, which are fast and inexpensive but often miss defects related to geometry (scratches or dents), material structure, or heat dissipation. While additional sensors, such as thermal cameras or depth scanners, can reveal these hidden anomalies, effectively combining information from multiple sensors remains a major technical challenge. Many existing fusion approaches either lose fine spatial detail, require heavy computation, or fail when sensors are not perfectly aligned—common issues in factory settings.

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To address these, a research team led by Associate Professor Phan Xuan Tan from the Innovative Global Program, College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, along with Dr. Dinh-Cuong Hoang from the FPT University, Vietnam, has proposed a new framework, termed MambaAlign, which enables computationally efficient fusion of multimodal sensor data while remaining robust to modest sensor misregistration. The study was made available online on December 27, 2025, and was published in Volume 13, Issue 1 of the Journal of Computational Design and Engineering  on January 01, 2026.

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“Existing systems miss geometric and material/thermal defects, amplify sensor artifacts, lose localization, or are brittle to modest misregistration. In addition, efficiently capturing long-range, orientation-sensitive context (important for thin/oblique defects) without the quadratic cost of dense attention remained unresolved. These challenges of existing systems motivated us to develop a fusion approach that is alignment aware, uses state-space recurrences to collect long-range directional context, and exchanges semantic guidance at deep stages via lightweight cross-recurrence (Cross Mamba Interaction), and then reconstitutes low-level channels top-down to preserve precise localization,” says Dr. Tan.

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MambaAlign introduces an alignment-aware state-space fusion framework for multimodal industrial anomaly detection. The method captures long-range and orientation-aware context using state-space refinement, which is particularly effective for detecting thin or oblique defects such as scratches and cracks. Instead of relying on computationally expensive global attention, MambaAlign exchanges semantic guidance between sensors only at high-level feature stages, keeping the computational cost close to linear. A top-down reconstruction mechanism then reconstitutes low-level feature channels, allowing the system to tolerate modest sensor misalignment while preserving precise pixel-level localization.

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Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. Averaged across three RGB-plus-auxiliary-modality (RGB-X) datasets, MambaAlign improves image-level area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) by approximately 4.8%, pixel-level AUROC by about 5.0%, and area under the per-region overlap curve by roughly 6.5% compared with prior methods. Importantly, these gains come without excessive computational overhead. The model sustains close to 30 frames per second at moderate resolutions, with controlled memory usage, making it practical for deployment in real production lines.

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“MambaAlign achieves state-of-the-art localization with parameters and runtime suitable for real-time inspection. It not only provides higher detection accuracy but also tighter and less fragmented anomaly maps. This translates directly into fewer false alarms, fewer missed defects, and more actionable outputs for engineers on the factory floor,” says Dr. Tan.

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Overall, the study highlights wide-ranging industrial relevance. In electronics and printed circuit board inspection, MambaAlign can detect micro-cracks or missing components that subtly alter thermal or geometric patterns. In aerospace and composite manufacturing, fusing RGB and thermal data helps reveal subsurface delamination invisible to standard cameras. Automotive body inspection benefits from improved detection of dents, scratches, and seam defects, while the system’s real-time performance enables inline inspection on conveyor belts or robotic vision stations. By reducing manual inspection effort, minimizing scrap, and improving reliability under realistic sensor conditions, MambaAlign addresses a long-standing bottleneck in industrial quality assurance.
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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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MambaAlign: Alignment-aware state-space fusion for RGB-X industrial anomaly detection

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Journal:

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Journal of Computational Design and Engineering

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DOI:

\\n		10.1093/jcde/qwaf143
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Additional infotmation for EurekAlert

\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n
Latest Article Publication Date:01 January 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Computational simulation/modeling

\\n
Subject of Research:Not Applicable
Conflicts of Interest Statement:All the authors declare that there is no actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations.
 
\\n

Authors

\\n

About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

\\n

Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

\\n

Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

\\n

About Associate Professor Phan Xuan Tan from SIT, Japan

\\n

Dr. Phan Xuan Tan is an Associate Professor in the Innovative Global Program, College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan. He earned a B.E. in Electrical-Electronic Engineering from Le Quy Don Technical University, and an M.S. in Computer and Communication Engineering from Hanoi University of Science & Technology, Vietnam. He received his Ph.D. in Functional Control Systems from SIT in 2018. His academic work bridges engineering and artificial intelligence (AI), with research centered on computer vision, image processing, generative AI, and AI safety.

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Image

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\\\"Press_Release_Image\\\"
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Title: MambaAlign framework for multimodal industrial anomaly detection
Caption: Researchers propose a new alignment-aware state-space fusion framework called 
MambaAlign that produces tighter, less fragmented anomaly maps, and is substantially more robust to modest misalignment than prior fusion or attention-heavy approaches.
Credit: Dr. Phan Xuan Tan from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, and Dr. Dinh-Cuong Hoang from FPT University, Vietnam
Source link: https://academic.oup.com/jcde/article/13/1/514/8405688 
License type: CC BY 4.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator.

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\\n Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya
E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　
Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/2/25 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/2/25 12:00:04\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260218_7070_001.html\"},{\"id\":3904,\"title\":\"Vote3D-AD: A Novel Framework for Unsupervised Point Cloud Anomaly Localization \",\"category\":[{\"basename\":\"news-13\",\"label\":\"Research\"}],\"output\":[{\"basename\":\"press_en\",\"label\":\"NEWS-PRESS RELEASE\"}],\"thumbnail_image_url\":\"/assets/20260227_002.jpg\",\"thumbnail_image_alt\":\"\",\"link_division\":\"text\",\"meta_description\":\"\",\"text\":\"

The proposed technology leverages varied defect synthesis and differentiable vote clustering to achieve remarkable performance 

\\n

Current 3D anomaly detection techniques often prove insufficient for noisy industrial scans. In a new study, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, and FPT University, Vietnam, have developed Vote3D-AD as an innovative solution. The single-pass framework trains exclusively on defect-free data and utilizes the Varied Defect Synthesis pseudo-anomaly generator and a vote-and-cluster architecture to outperform state-of-the-art alternatives on various benchmarks. It is expected to further streamline inspection pipelines. 

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The automatic detection of surface-level irregularities—defects or anomalies—in 3D data is of significant interest for various real-world purposes, such as industrial quality inspection, infrastructure monitoring, robotics, and autonomous systems. However, collecting annotated defect examples at a large scale is costly, and existing 3D anomaly detection methods either require templates or heavy memory, multiple inference passes, and brittle heuristic clustering. These shortcomings limit real-life deployment.

\\n
In a novel research work, a team of researchers from Japan and Vietnam, led by Associate Professor Phan Xuan Tan, affiliated with the Innovative Global Program, College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, and including Dr. Dinh-Cuong Hoang from FPT University, Vietnam, has proposed Vote3D-AD as a new single-pass framework for 3D anomaly localization. Their novel findings were made available online on January 20, 2026, and have been published in Volume 137 of the Alexandria Engineering Journal  on February 1, 2026.

\\n
Vote3D-AD combines a realistic pseudo-anomaly generator (Varied Defect Synthesis, or VDS), with a learned vote-and-differentiable clustering architecture to localize defects in point clouds, while training only on defect-free data. It demonstrates stronger and more reliable localization than prior works. Across both synthetic and real industrial benchmarks, Vote3D-AD improves point-level AUROC by ~6.7%, and point-AUPR by ~10.1%, and point-F1 by ~11.2% over the strongest baselines. Notably, object-level metrics also rise substantially.

\\n
The proposed framework exhibits practical speed for real inspection pipelines. The full pipeline runs at approximately 9.05 FPS on an RTX-3090 and supports higher-throughput variants, demonstrating a balance of high accuracy and practical inference speed for production inspection. Vote3D-AD turns sparse, noisy point-level signals into coherent region proposals without hand-tuned clustering, reducing the engineering burden and improving localization precision, which is critical for making automated 3D inspection actionable on factory floors.

\\n
Its real-world applications include automated industrial quality inspection of sheet metal, machined parts, and plastic housings, where it detects dents, bulges, holes, missing components, and surface roughness from depth scans, especially in situations where RGB or 2D images miss geometric faults. Vote3D-AD is also expected to be useful for infrastructure and asset monitoring. It can localize cracks, holes, and surface degradation in scanned components, such as pipes, panels, and connectors, where early geometric anomalies predict failure. Moreover, it may enable robots to verify assembly quality or to detect damage on manipulated objects using onboard depth sensors, even when only defect-free examples are available during training. Furthermore, the framework can combine multi-view or streamed point clouds to detect thermal or structural anomalies—with potential future multi-modal fusion—improving predictive maintenance decisions.

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According to Dr. Tan, “Tighter and more coherent anomaly masks present in Vote3D-AD—thanks to learned clustering and boundary refinement—reduce false alarms and ambiguous detections, lowering unneeded rework and downtime in manufacturing lines. In addition, since Vote3D-AD trains on normal examples only and uses learned vote clustering instead of template matching or big feature stores, it is easier to deploy across different product families and manufacturers. This reduces engineering and data collection costs.”
 
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“Furthermore, our technology utilizes VDS that generates diverse, physically plausible pseudo-defects such as bulges, dents, holes, cracks, and surface roughness, and simulates sensor artifacts such as noise and dropout, which substantially narrows the gap between simulated training signals and real defects, improving generalization,” highlights Dr. Tan.
 
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Lastly, by producing coherent region proposals rather than scattered point outliers, the proposed system supports downstream actions such as automatic rejection, targeted repair, and prioritization for human review, making inspection pipelines more efficient and safer.
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Reference

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Title of original paper:

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Vote3D-AD: Unsupervised point cloud anomaly localization via varied defect synthesis and differentiable vote-clustering 

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Journal:

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Alexandria Engineering Journal

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DOI:

\\n		https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2026.01.024 
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Additional infotmation for EurekAlert

\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n
Latest Article Publication Date:1 February 2026
Method of Research:\\n

Computational simulation/modeling 

\\n
Subject of Research:Not Applicable 
Conflicts of Interest Statement:The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
 
\\n

Authors

\\n

About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

\\n

Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

\\n

Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

\\n

About Associate Professor Phan Xuan Tan from SIT, Japan

\\n

Dr. Phan Xuan Tan is an Associate Professor in the Innovative Global Program, College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan. He earned a B.E. in Electrical–Electronic Engineering from Le Quy Don Technical University and an M.S. in Computer and Communication Engineering from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam. He received his Ph.D. in Functional Control Systems from SIT in 2018. His academic work bridges engineering and artificial intelligence, with research centered on computer vision, image processing, generative AI, and AI safety.

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Image

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\\\"20260227_002\\\"
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Title: Vote3D-AD framework
Caption: The proposed framework consists of Varied Defect Synthesis (VDS) pseudo-anomaly generator, transformer-based backbone, voting network, and differentiable clustering module, enabling precise point- and object-level anomaly scoring. 
Credit: Associate Professor Phan Xuan Tan from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
Source Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016826000438 
License Type: CC BY 4.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. 

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\\n Media Contact: Kohei Tsuchiya
E-mail: koho@ow.shibaura-it.ac.jp 　
Web: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/\",\"new_window\":\"0\",\"link_url\":\"\",\"pdf_url\":\"\",\"publish_date\":\"2026/2/25 12:00:00\",\"modified_date\":\"2026/2/25 12:00:05\",\"permalink\":\"/en/headline/detail/20260227_7070_002.html\"}]}","meta":{"filter":null,"pagination":{"limit":20,"start":0,"total":674}}}