[Fukui Prefecture, Sakai City] Space Suit Concepts and Transport Drone Flights Also Featured

Mr. Takahama of Hokkaido University reports on 'Development of Microfibers from Microbial Cellulose' to approximately 80 attendees at the final report meeting for the 'New Industry Co-creation Project' at SAKAI WEAVE in Sakai City.

Local Research Institutions Also Provide Advice, High Expectations for Unique Developments SAKAI WEAVE logo mark

The first-year results presentation meeting for Sakai City's 'New Industry Co-creation Project,' which aims to create new industries by matching local companies with excellent technical capabilities in Fukui with startups and aspiring researchers from outside the prefecture possessing innovative ideas and R&D capabilities, was held on March 17th at the base facility 'SAKAI WEAVE' in Harue Town, Sakai City. ReGACY Innovation Group (headquarters: Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as ReGACY), the partner company for this project in Sakai City, reported on the demonstration experiments, prototypes, and concepts that the five participating entities—three companies and two universities from outside the prefecture recruited nationwide—have been working on for approximately seven months since last summer.

The research and development themes undertaken by the five entities were 'textiles' and 'drones.' Two companies and one university presented their work on textiles, while one company and one university presented their work on drones. Although it has only been about seven months since the project began, it was evident that the five entities were actively exchanging opinions and conducting hearings with research institutions, including local companies, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, and the University of Fukui. Reports also included flight experiments using drones at Fukui Airport (Harue Town, Sakai City), the creation of prototype T-shirts and underwear using 'Mokuiito' (wood thread) derived from thinned wood, and collaborations with the University of Fukui and local companies on microbial cellulose, which is expected to have future potential as a new textile material. Approximately 80 people, including Mayor Sadataka Ikeda and the presenters, gathered at the venue, listening with keen interest to how the collaboration between startups and local companies and the progress of the projects would unfold. ★Business and Research Overviews of the 5 Startups and Researchers Selected for Sakai City in FY2025★ 【Selected Entities (Prefecture): Business/Research Overview】 ■Business/Research Theme = Textiles (1) HIRAXIS (Fukuoka Prefecture): Development of the natural fiber 'Mokuiito' using thinned wood as raw material, and products made from unique natural materials. (2) Hokkaido University (Hokkaido): Production of microbial nanocellulose from agricultural by-products, with applications in reinforcing materials for fiber-reinforced plastics and apparel fibers. (3) Amateras Space (Tokyo): Research and development, social implementation of in-ship and extra-vehicular space suits, and practical application of a biological information platform in space. ■Business/Research Theme = Drones (4) Sa