Tsinghua University, HAL Tokyo branch short-term study abroad group photo
Text | Zhou Huan – A Japanese exchange student
Editor | Xiong Haizi Robotics Media Center
Author: Zhou Huan, 26 years old, from Jiangxi, studying in Japan for 6 years.Currently graduating from HAL Nagoya, a design vocational school in Japan, and working in a large Japanese company.
HAL, founded in 1984 in Osaka, Japan, is currently the largest vocational school in Japan. At HAL, you can learn cutting-edge IT and digital knowledge from gaming to aerospace.
HAL collaborates with world-leading companies such as Nintendo and Microsoft, and has the most advanced learning environment. Currently, about 6000 students study at HAL, creating a good environment for cultivating creative talents active on the world stage.
In June 2011, I graduated from a domestic power engineering major. Due to the job market at that time, I couldn’t find a job in my field, and I felt lost about my future. At that time, I had a maternal uncle in Japan, who suggested I go to him, thinking Japan was more developed, and I could study for a few more years and find a good job. So, after self-studying Japanese for a while in Chengdu, I decided to study abroad.
At that time, because I had studied power electronics and electromechanics in China, I was very interested in schools related to electronics and mechanics. Interestingly, Aichi Prefecture, where Nagoya City is located, is a well-known industrial area in Japan, especially in the automotive industry, with Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Aisin Seiki located here. However, there are very few well-known engineering universities.
At this time, HAL, a famous design vocational school in Japan, came into my view. HAL had won the Japan Game Awards for nine consecutive years (students from various schools create games and compete, although it seems that the group from the Tokyo branch has won the biggest award every year, and this year it has added up to 13 consecutive years). At the same time, the robotics program at HAL Nagoya is the best among all branches (after all, it is in Aichi, the ‘industrial county’). After visiting the school and experiencing various state-of-the-art facilities, I decided to study robotics at HAL Nagoya.
HAL Nagoya is divided into several disciplines: music, gaming, CG, web, robotics, and automotive design (starting in April next year, robotics, automotive design, and several other disciplines will merge into the ‘International Engineering Vocational University’, where students can earn a bachelor’s degree, and the principal is former University of Tokyo president Hiroyuki Yoshikawa). Unlike ordinary vocational schools, HAL Nagoya does not have separate classes for international students; international students and Japanese students attend classes together, and the evaluation standards are the same.
What impressed me deeply was the greeting. When entering the school, we loudly say ‘hello’, and when leaving, ‘goodbye’ (even if no one is around). When encountering teachers in the elevator, we say ‘hello’. This was a clear requirement from the beginning of the school year. Loudly greeting is a basic etiquette, and after getting used to it, it left a great impression on my internship in companies (after all, Japan is a country that values etiquette).
In terms of school facilities, unlike in China, it is a more than 30-story building. The teaching methods vary depending on the subjects studied, and are generally divided into four types.
The first type is exam-oriented education, which you will study for four years. It targets various national professional qualification exams, referred to as ‘certification’. This type is not much different from the domestic system, focusing on rote memorization and doing exam questions. In Japan, obtaining various certificates directly adds to your salary after employment, and some companies have requirements regarding the qualifications you obtain. In simple terms, schools also need to maintain their employment rates.
The second type is specialized knowledge education. For example, in the robotics program, the field is quite comprehensive. In the first year, we learn basic programming and simple assembly knowledge. In the second year, we further study programming, adding CAD 3D drawing, microcomputer knowledge, simple electronic wiring, electronic control systems, physics, etc. In the third year, we learn various new programming languages like JAVA, further complicated microcomputer control, and physics. In the fourth year, we study artificial intelligence, sound, and image recognition.
In terms of knowledge, this type is not much different from the domestic education, but because robotics is a comprehensive discipline, the learning breadth is relatively wide.
However, unlike in China, we have a promotion project every year starting from the first year. We are divided into small groups, and from design to the final product, we not only submit the work but also have to hold a small exhibition in front of all teachers and students to showcase your work, design concepts, reasons, efforts made, etc. (this is the case for every discipline, and depending on the discipline, there are individual projects and group projects).
The first year’s promotion project
We used LEGO learning assembly components, and the programming was also done with LEGO programming.
The second year’s mid-term project
All materials were purchased by myself, including wooden and PC boards, and I built a robot that can nod up and down using Arduino nano, motors, etc.
The second year’s promotion project
A transmission system assembled with LEGO parts, controlled by Arduino nano, motors, and light sensors.
The third year’s promotion project
A quadcopter assembled with self-purchased parts, controlled by a small Arduino mini and a larger STM32F4.
The fourth year’s mid-term project
A 3D-printed shell that can automatically save pictures drawn by children and send them to a Line (similar to WeChat) chat room, controlled by Raspberry Pi.
The third type is design education, initially focusing on pure imagination exercises, then utilizing various methods to categorize and process ideas, ultimately forming a design proposal. This type of course mainly teaches design thinking and methods while exercising imagination. I believe this is the biggest difference from domestic education, exercising imagination and practicing it to form a design proposal.
The fourth type is student education, which simply means the school organizes several large-scale activities, with funding, venues, and themes guaranteed by the school, but the process, organization, and content are entirely decided by the students. Of course, each discipline also has its own activities, and students can participate in activities and competitions organized by companies under the school’s name, developing and creating works for competitions, etc.
In June of this year, I attended a public lecture by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, who made many predictions about future society. Two points struck me as very likely to come true:
One is a society where people live with robots in 10 years, where public facilities and store service staff will be entirely replaced by robots. In fact, some dining establishments in Japan are already using robots as waiters, taking orders and recommending dishes, which has indeed increased their revenue.
The other is a society in 100 years, where simple labor (like Amazon’s shipping robots) and basic language jobs will all be handled by robots, greatly reducing human working hours and significantly increasing learning time.
In terms of robotics development, it is difficult to complete independently; teamwork is essential. Another profound impression is the cost: the things you painstakingly create might cost about 50,000 yen, but similar products in the market with the same functions (possibly better, in terms of appearance, etc.) might only sell for 5,000 yen. However, the experiences you gain during the creation process and the cooperation with team members are invaluable and cannot be bought with money.In fact, even in Japan, there are no truly established robotics companies; most robotic development is still confined to university research labs. However, robotics education has already started to become popular in Japan, with some junior high schools beginning to offer electronics courses, and children’s toys like LEGO and electronic circuits, etc., indeed fostering children’s hands-on skills, creativity, assembly, and imagination.
LEGO EV3
In terms of technological applications, China is already among the world leaders. The social applications of WeChat and Alipay have also surprised the Japanese. A Japanese social survey indicates that many young people in Japan are not optimistic about the future development of Japan, but rather have a positive outlook on China’s development. As a Chinese person, I feel genuinely proud. However, in terms of cutting-edge technology development, China has yet to deliver surprises (at least in terms of Nobel Prizes; Japan has won several in recent years).
In fact, robotics development mainly focuses on development. For example, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro’s humanoid robots are said to be of little use; they can only sit and talk, show expressions, but cannot move or perform significant actions. However, this is a new area of research; regardless of its usefulness now, perhaps today’s research will be crucial for future relationships between robots and humans. No one knows. China’s research tends to emphasize results too much; research is research; it may serve as a foundation for future achievements, right?
Learning robotics is about cultivating interest for children; being daring to think and act is enough. I also hope domestic companies can organize more activities related to robotics racing and development (even just design) for robotics enthusiasts, promoting progress and development in robotics, and forming a culture around robotics. I look forward to the day when we see a uniquely Chinese Robot Cup (although China has already participated for a long time) attracting global attention.
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