Justin Ng (Tadakuma Lab, Undergrad 2)

"I spent the first half of my summer in Osaka with the amazing team at Tadakuma Lab. I had the incredible privilege of working under the guidance of Professor Kenjiro Tadakuma and Professor Masahiro Watanabe with Hiro Nakamura as my mentor. I was involved in 2 main activities: (1) Redesign of a Resin Holder for a Screw Differential Mechanism and the (2) Fabrication of a Geared Omni-Directional Traversing Ball mechanism. For the former, I had to change the design to include an easier way to mount the pre-assembled gears and ensure tight fit for good alignment. For the latter, the printed balls had to also be checked for individual element printing accuracy and geometric alignment after printing to confirm true Omni movement capability. A highlight of my programme would be attending ROBOMECH 2025 in Yamagata, one of Japan’s largest domestic engineering conferences. I saw firsthand an impressive array of innovations, including earthquake rescue robots, drones for hazardous industrial tasks and even a study done on the escape trajectories of mosquitoes! Outside of lab hours, I explored the nearby cities of Ikeda and Kobe, where I was treated to the stunning natural beauty of the Minoh waterfalls, Katsuoji temple and the breathtaking views atop Mt. Rokko. I also chanced upon the opportunity to attend a tour at Suntory’s historic Yamazaki Distillery, the birthplace of Japanese Whiskey. To top off this experience, I was also glad to meet fellow Engineering Science undergraduates from the University of Toronto, and we spent an enjoyable day at Universal Studios Japan together! For anyone looking to deepen their research skills in their chosen area, befriend fellow students across different cultures and immerse themselves in Japanese culture and environment, the FrontierLab Mini @ Osaka University programme is perfect for you."