Ms. Arai Norika, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Pongsathorn Laboratory), won the first prize “President Award”, “NEDO Award” by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, “INDEE Japan Award”, and the Fukushima Prefecture’s “Kibitan” Award, a symbolic character for reconstruction at the “Academic Entrepreneur Challenge” pitch contest to create the future with ideas and technology, held on September 30, 2025.
The 8 teams that passed the document review presented their pitches at this contest, and each winner was selected.

Additionally, at the Student Research Exchange held on the same day, Ms. Arai gave a poster presentation titled “Driver Support System Considering Distracted States: Development of a Personalized Advanced Driver Assistance Systems” and received the “Excellence Award (FLOuRISH Director’s Award).”

Congratulations, Arai san!

Award-winning Plan: “FORESighT: Autonomous Rover Project for Forest Monitoring and Conservation”
Summary: This fully automated forest measurement rover automatically navigates and measures designated areas on a map, visualizing forests in 3D. This enables early detection of deer damage and fallen trees without manual labor, facilitating conservation plan simulations. By creating a digital twin, it enables efficient and continuous forest management, making it a product with promising future commercialization prospects.

For more information on the contest winners, please click here (FLOuRISH website).

（The second person from the right is Ms. Arai)