National College of Technology Business Creation Contest "DCON2026" Grand Prize Winner Announced! Toyota National College of Technology's "Kanro AI" Wins Grand Prize with a Corporate Valuation of 560 Million Yen!

The 7th National College of Technology Deep Learning Contest 2026

The DCON Executive Committee (comprising the Japan Deep Learning Association, National Colleges of Technology Association, NHK, and NHK Enterprises) held the final selection of the "7th National College of Technology Deep Learning Contest 2026 (hereinafter, DCON2026)" – a business creation contest utilizing the "monozukuri" (craftsmanship) of college of technology students and deep learning – at Shibuya Hikarie Hall on Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th. The grand prize winner and other awards were decided. This year, a record-breaking 119 entries from 40 colleges of technology and 91 teams were received, with 10 teams advancing to the final.

■ Grand Prize Winner Selected from a Record 119 Entries! Ministerial and Corporate Awards Also Announced

Toyota National College of Technology (Team Name: Kanro AI) won the Grand Prize for their automated sewer inspection robot (Project Name: Pipe Eye), capable of autonomous navigation, real-time image recognition, and report generation, receiving a corporate valuation of 560 million yen.

In second place, Okinawa National College of Technology (Team Name: Rewave) received a corporate valuation of 400 million yen for their next-generation disaster communication system (Project Name: "Eliminating Communication Blanks! Adphone: A Disaster Device for Visualizing Affected Areas with AI"), which enables safety confirmation and information exchange even in communication-disrupted areas.

In third place, Okinawa National College of Technology (Team Name: Seesar Labs) received a corporate valuation of 300 million yen for their next-generation fire-fighting platform (Project Name: HIKES), specialized in initial fire suppression using AI cameras and ground-based robots.

Additionally, the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award," presented to the team with the highest impact on industry and future expectations, went to Okinawa National College of Technology (Team Name: Rewave). The "Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award," given to an outstanding team that solved issues in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, went to Maizuru National College of Technology (Team Name: mAIzuru). The "Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award," for a team with excellent technical aspects, went to Kamiyama Marugoto National College of Technology (Team Name: codell). Furthermore, "Corporate Awards" were also announced. DCON Executive Committee Chairman Yutaka Matsuo commented, "Both the technology and presentations were truly excellent. However, for both winning and losing teams, a startup only gains value when it actually creates a product and succeeds in society. I hope you will take today's results to heart and challenge yourselves in the real world."

■ About the "DCON2026" Final Results

7th National College of Technology Deep Learning Contest 2026

1st Place: Toyota National College of Technology (Team Name: Kanro AI) [Corporate Valuation: 560 Million Yen]

Project Name: Pipe Eye

Project Overview: An automated sewer inspection robot capable of autonomous navigation, real-time image recognition, and report generation.

Evaluation Comment: The corporate valuation of 560 million yen this time is the result of a fair evaluation of the potential of an innovative business model, "meter-based billing," which is aligned with the evolution of AI. With only the initial investment in hardware, it is an extremely rational design that naturally moves towards profitability as the business grows, and there is no other rare business proposal that so perfectly matches the current AI trend. I am convinced that "it would be a waste to end it here," so I strongly hope they will embark on entrepreneurship as soon as possible. (Judge: Masanao Matsumoto)

2nd Place: Okinawa National College of Technology (Team Name: Rewave) [Corporate Valuation: 400 Million Yen]

Project Name: Eliminating Communication Blanks! Adphone: A Disaster Device for Visualizing Affected Areas with AI

Project Overview: A next-generation disaster communication system that enables safety confirmation and information exchange even in communication-disrupted areas.

Evaluation Comment: In Japan, a disaster-prone country, the solution of delivering accurate information, "domestically produced" and at a "price accessible to everyone," without being misled by rumors, brilliantly combines the power of deep tech backed by patents with the ingenuity characteristic of college of technology students, which truly excited me. A team of such high quality challenging Japan's communication infrastructure issues head-on has great value, and I hope for its rapid social implementation to save lives. (Judge: Makiko Sato)

3rd Place: Okinawa National College of Technology (Team Name: Seesar Labs) [Corporate Valuation: 300 Million Yen]

Project Name: HIKES

Project Overview: A next-generation fire-fighting platform specialized in initial fire suppression using AI cameras and ground-based robots.

Evaluation Comment: The insight to sublimate the intense personal experience of Shuri Castle's complete destruction into a concrete solution of initial fire suppression technology was brilliant. The business strategy of targeting warehouses without sprinklers and already engaging in discussions with major industry players is also very convincing. I evaluated this as an extremely well-balanced team, boasting high completeness in all aspects: idea, technology, and market selection.