Toba National College of Maritime Technology Students Win "Ando Hazama Award" at WiCON2025 for "Fully Automated Pest Control System Using Robot Dogs"

Student teams from the Department of Information and Mechanical Systems Engineering at Toba National College of Maritime Technology (Toba City, Mie Prefecture, Principal: Haruo Mimura, hereinafter "Toba Kosen") participated in the final round of "WiCON2025" held in Tokyo on March 11, 2026 (Wednesday). The Siraisi-lab team won the sponsor award "Ando Hazama Award," and the ezaki-lab.moba team won the "Encouragement Award."

This contest targets students from National Colleges of Technology nationwide and challenges them to solve regional issues and create new businesses (products, applications, services) utilizing wireless communication technology. A key feature of this contest is its practical nature, going beyond idea generation to technical demonstrations of systems. On the day, the teams showcased the results of their approximately 8 months of technical demonstration efforts through demonstrations and presentations.

Two teams from Toba Kosen successfully passed the rigorous screening and advanced to the final competition. Siraisi-lab, which received the sponsor award, presented "A Fully Automated Pest Control System Using Robot Dogs." ezaki-lab, which received the Encouragement Award, presented "3D Reconstruction of Seabed Topography Using Stereo Vision with Underwater Cameras and Measurement of Seagrass Beds Using AI." Both initiatives focused on regional issues faced by Mie Prefecture, proposing solutions based on the students' unique ideas, leveraging the "monozukuri" (manufacturing/craftsmanship) knowledge and skills they have cultivated.

The students will continue their research and development on regional issues, aiming for further advancement and practical application.

Overview | WiCON2025 Final

◆Date & Time Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 13:00 - 18:30

◆Venue Hitoshi Ito Hall, International Research Center for Academic Arts, The University of Tokyo (7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)

◆Organizer WiCON Executive Committee (Association of Information Communication Technology Industries, National Association for Promotion of Regional Information Systems, National Institute of Technology)

◆Co-sponsor Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

◆Participating Teams from Toba Kosen and Results

① Department of Information and Mechanical Systems Engineering, Shiraisi-lab "A Fully Automated Pest Control System Using Robot Dogs" Sponsor Award (Ando Hazama Award)

② Department of Information and Mechanical Systems Engineering, ezaki-lab.moba "3D Reconstruction of Seabed Topography Using Stereo Vision with Underwater Cameras and Measurement of Seagrass Beds Using AI"