Science View

Science News Watch:
A Cutting-edge Robot Guide

You've forgotten where you put your keys. You just can't seem to locate your mobile phone. This happens to everyone, right? Science Watcher John Gathright reports on a robot that can guide you right to the thing you can't find. How does it work? You'll have to watch to find out! But here's a big hint: it uses a huge database of stored images and needs to be used in a room that has cameras installed. John confesses to leaving his car keys all over the place - so he has a personal stake in this robot's development!

The Leading Edge:
Follow-on Disasters after the Megaquake

The magnitude-9.0 megaquake that struck Japan on March 11th, 2011 induced many more earthquakes across country, some of them in places where quakes almost never happen. In addition, there are twenty Japanese volcanoes that rumbling more since megaquake. A mass of data on these quakes and volcanoes is being studied for clues as to where the next megaquake will strike, and what we can do to mitigate the damage. What exactly has been happening underneath Japan? We report on the latest science.

J-Innovators:
Revolutionary Cast Technology

Casts are essential for protecting broken limbs. A typical cast is hardened with water, and the limb being put in a cast must be held motionless for more than 10 minutes, until the cast sets. Isn't there a better way? This time, our Takumi, or innovator, is a man who has produced an amazing cast that hardens in only 20 seconds. All you have to do is shine light on it! Reporter Michelle Yamamoto tries one on, and is astonished at how comfortable it feels. The key lies in a newly developed monomer, which hardens under light. The story of this cast begins thirty years ago, with a patent dispute involving a foreign company. It was a bitter experience that spurred our Takumi to make a truly revolutionary cast, the first of its kind. It was used extensively in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. We look into the technology that makes it work.