[Tokyo Kosen] "Social Implementation Education Forum" Held with 49 Teams from 15 KOSENs Nationwide

Tokyo National College of Technology (Hachioji, Tokyo; President: Satoshi Higuchi; hereafter "Tokyo Kosen") held the "FY2025 Social Implementation Education Forum" on March 6 and 7, 2026. The forum saw the participation of 49 teams from 15 Colleges of Technology (KOSEN) nationwide, attracting approximately 500 attendees, including students, researchers, and corporate representatives. Students presented the results of their efforts to solve real-world challenges, receiving evaluations and advice from industry and academic experts.

This forum is held annually as part of the "Social Implementation Education" practiced by Tokyo Kosen, and this event marks the 14th time. Students presented technologies and services developed through processes such as co-creation with users, prototyping, and verification, discussing their potential for practical application in society.

Event Overview - **Name:** FY2025 Social Implementation Education Forum - **Dates:** March 6 (Fri) & 7 (Sat), 2026 - **Venue:** Tokyo National College of Technology (Hachioji, Tokyo) - **Organizer:** Tokyo National College of Technology - **Supporters:** Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Hachioji City, and others.

Special Lecture **Dr. Takeo Kanade** Founders University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Dr. Kanade, a world-renowned robotics researcher and a member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA), gave a special lecture titled "Enjoyable and Impactful Research and Development."

Award Results **Top Social Implementation Award** - **Winner:** Okinawa National College of Technology (Team 34 Okinawa) - **Theme:** SOFIA: Next-Generation Fire Extinguishing Platform Guided by Acoustic AI - **Description:** Factory and warehouse fires can cause losses exceeding 10 billion yen. SOFIA proposes early fire detection using AI and water/chemical-free fire suppression using sound waves. The judges highly praised its technological innovation and social significance.

**Excellence Social Implementation Award** - **Nagano Kosen:** Visualization and management support of unknown water through constant monitoring of sewer water levels.

**Other Awards:** - **Social Implementation Concept Award:** Okinawa Kosen - "Sora-sai" cultivation technology for space self-sufficiency. - **Social Implementation Component Technology Award:** Hakodate Kosen - labor-saving quality inspection for cardboard factories; Tokyo Kosen - ultrasonic scraping tools for high-grade surfaces. - **Social Implementation Social Experiment Award:** Okinawa Kosen - "COSMOS" disaster prevention ecosystem; Nagano Kosen - smart water level monitoring for regional disaster prevention. - **Special Corporate Awards:** Mitsubishi Electric Robotics Award, Yaskawa Electric Award, etc.

About Tokyo National College of Technology Established in 1965, Tokyo Kosen provides a five-year integrated engineering education, emphasizing practical skills through experiments and workshops in fields such as mechanical, electrical, electronics, information, and material science. Its project-based "Social Implementation Education" aims to cultivate engineers with problem-solving capabilities and initiative.