On September 27, five students from the Department of Robotics' Life Support Robot System Lab led by Associate Prof. Yutaka Hiroi and 12 students from Pomona College in the US led by Associate Prof. Angelina Chin of the Department of History held an online discussion on the topic of "Improving the Quality of College Life in the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

First, the OIT students introduced the COVID-19 countermeasures commonly taken in Japan and explained the situation where the number of infections is still increasing. The students presented a proposal in which an AI recognizes areas touched or used by people with using cameras installed in the room, and an autonomous robot performs disinfection on a case-by-case basis. This would reduce the risk of contact infection and the workload of cleaning staff.
Next, they introduced a learning support robot that can provide remote instruction in the classroom where the class is held, on account of the risk of infection cannot be avoided through close communication during face-to-face classes. The presentation included an explanation of how the robot has been used in the department and how to use it.

After introducing the "Disinfection Robot" and the "Learning Support Robot," students from both universities exchanged opinions. Students from Pomona College asked questions such as "How long did it take to make the robot?" and, assuming that the robot would be used at their school, "Would there be any problems in crowded places such as the cafeteria during lunch break?” "Would this take away the work of the cleaning staff?" A lively discussion ensued.
The students from OIT looked back on the discussion, saying, "I had not had the perspective of taking away the cleaning staff's jobs, and it was stimulating to hear questions from overseas with a different cultural perspective that we could not have imagined.”