Masakatsu Fujie

Key takeaways

Masakatsu Fujie belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Masakatsu Fujie to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Masakatsu Fujie from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Masakatsu G. Fujie (藤江正克, Fujie Masakatsu; born 1945) is a Japanese scientist who has played a major role in cutting-edge research in biomedical engineering. He has been responsible for many advances in the field of robotics. A longtime professor at Waseda University, he has led teams that have developed an intelligent mobile robot and a remote control manipulator, among many other devices. He made a significant contribution to the development of a medical treatment support system that helps in the recovery of human functions. He has held leadership positions in a number of professional organizations and has helped establish UNESCO's World Academy of Biomedical Technology (WABT). He is currently doing "research that fuses cutting-edge science and engineering and sports sciences and is focused on the impending arrival of the super-aged society."

Education Fujie majored in mechanical engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, and received a master's degree in Engineering in 1971. He received a Ph.D. in Engineering from the same institution in 1999.

Ph.D. degree in Engineering, 1999, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan Master's degree in Engineering, 1971, Major in mechanical engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Career From 1971 to 1984, Fujie worked as a Researcher at the Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory at Hitachi Ltd. He was Senior Researcher in the same laboratory from 1984 to 1995, and from 1995 to 1999 was Principal Researcher and project leader of the Medical and Welfare Apparatus Development Project in that laboratory. From 1999 to 2001, he was Head Researcher in the same lab and Director of the Medical and Welfare Apparatus Development Research Laboratory. Since 2001, he has been Professor at School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University. A 2008 Washington Post article reported that Japan, with a shortage of young workers, and a disinclination to take in immigrants, was "marching into the depopulated future with the help of robots", many of which were "on display...at the Great Robot Exhibition in Tokyo's National Museum of Nature and Science." The Post paraphrased Fujie as telling foreign journalists that "service robots could help reduce government spending on health care, take over many dreary service jobs and prop up Japan's 'societal vitality.'"

Research Interests Robotics Robotic surgery Surgical Segment Navigator Medical, rehabilitation and assistive engineering Computer-assisted surgery Control engineering Intelligent mechatronics

Research projects “Global Robot Academia” for MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan) Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program (2008-) “Research and Development of a Nano-intelligent Technical Device for High Risk Intrauterine Fetal Surgery” for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2005-2008) “Project for Practical Application of Robots which Support Human Beings” for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (2005-2008) “Consolidated Research Institute for Advanced Science and Medical Care (ASMeW)” for MEXT Super COE Program (2004-2009) “Development of Support System for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Microsurgery” for MEXT Knowledge Cluster Initiative Program (2004-2009) “The Innovative Research on Symbiosis Technologies for Human and Robots in the Elderly Dominated Society” for MEXT 21st Century COE Program (2003-2008) “Research and Development of Analysis, Support and Alternative Equipment for Physical Function” for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2003-2008) “WABOT-HOUSE Project” (contract research) (2002-2007) “Research and development of a robotic system for Microsurgery: a realization of futuristic medical treatment” for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (2002-2007) “Human-Robot Coexistence and Coordination System Type II” for the Health and Welfare Ministry (contract research) (2000-2002) “Integrated Support System for Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Disease” for the Health and Welfare Ministry (contract research) (1999-2004) “Surgery Support System for Disease Such as Brain Tumors” for the Health and Welfare Ministry(contract research) (1995-2000) “AI Ambulation Exercise System” for the Health and Welfare Ministry (contract research) (1992-1995) Development of a manipulator for a space project (1985-1987) Development of a bipedal robot for EXPO ‘85 in Tsukuba, Japan (1983-1985) Development of a robot hand, an application of shape-memory alloy (1983-1986)

Teaching Professor in the School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University (2001-present) Part-time lecturer on Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Kobe University (2002) Part-time lecturer in the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo (2002) Visiting lecturer on "Robotics" at Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Seoul National University (1999) Part-time lecturer on "Introduction to mechanical engineering" in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ibaraki University (1999-2001) Visiting lecturer in the “TARA Project” in the Graduate School of SIE, University of Tsukuba (1992-2001) Occasional lecturer on "Introduction to Robotics" in the Department of Precision Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo (1990-1995) Part-time lecturer on "Introduction to Robotics" in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science (1984)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Masakatsu Fujie

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Masakatsu Fujie claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Masakatsu Fujie before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Masakatsu Fujie ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Masakatsu Fujie

In research: Masakatsu Fujie appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Masakatsu Fujie in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Masakatsu Fujie is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1945 births, Academic staff of Waseda University, Japanese roboticists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Masakatsu Fujie outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Masakatsu Fujie in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Masakatsu Fujie means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Masakatsu Fujie out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masakatsu Fujie in simple terms?

Masakatsu G. Fujie (藤江正克, Fujie Masakatsu; born 1945) is a Japanese scientist who has played a major role in cutting-edge research in biomedical engineering.

Why does Masakatsu Fujie matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Masakatsu Fujie?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Masakatsu Fujie.