2022. 3. 1

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Center

IAC News No.113
The 23rd International Summer Symposium

FY2021 The International Workshop for Young Civil Engineers“Utilization of AI in Civil Engineering for a Future Society”

The JSCE Annual Meeting of September 2021 was once again held online due to the spread of COVID-19.
Following suit, the International Summer Symposium was also held online, taking place from September 9 tothe morning of September 10. The International Workshop for Young Civil Engineers, which was unfortunately
canceled last year, was held on September 10 as the first time in the workshop’s history that it has been heldonline.
The International Student Network Group, International Activities Center (IAC) has held the International
Summer Symposium since 2012. The symposium helps support both international students studying in Japanand Japanese students present their research in English. The 23rd symposium was made up of sessions based onfields such as geotechnical engineering, earthquake engineering, structural engineering, disaster prevention andresilience, emerging technology, and the environment and materials. A total of 41 papers were presented.
Session

Paper

Session 1: Geotechnical Engineering

6Session 2: Earthquake Engineering

7Session 3: Structural Engineering

7

Session 4: Disaster Mitigation and Resilience

8Session 5: AI, i-Construction and Planning

6Session 6: Ground Environment and Materials
EngineeringTotal

741

1Session Chair
Assoc. Prof. Ying Cui,
Yokohama National University
Assoc. Prof. Yasuo Sawamura,
Kyoto University
Assoc. Prof. Hiroshi Tamura,
Yokohama National University
Assoc. Prof. Yoshihiro Okumura,Kansai University
Assoc. Prof. Michael Henry,
Shibaura Institute of Technology
Assist. Prof. Yao Luan,
Saitama University

Last year, the presentation materials were published online and those who accessed the materials gave theirthoughts via a bulletin board. This time, however, the presentations were made online using Zoom. Although
they were virtual presentations, the speakers presented as if they were speaking face-to-face with their audienceand engaged in passionate Q&A sessions with those watching.
This symposium was followed by the International Workshop for Young Civil Engineers held from 14:00 to
16:50 on September 10. This year, the participants shared their ideas for utilizing AI on the subject of“Utilization of AI in Civil Engineering for a Future Society.” This workshop was scheduled to be held last year,
but it was canceled due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The International Student Network Group
continued to pay thought to the workshop, and they pushed hard to make the event happen.
On the day, the workshop was facilitated by Associate Professor Yoshihiro Okumura of Kansai University, andat the beginning, Associate Professor Pang-jo Chun of the University of Tokyo gave a talk on basic knowledge
about AI and introduced specific examples where AI has been implemented and utilized. Next, using Zoom’s
Breakout Room feature, participants were split into groups according to the four topics of hydraulics (AssistantProfessor Chandra Shekhar Goit of Saitama University), ground (Associate Professor Yasuo Sawamura),
construction (Associate Professor Michael Henry), and disaster prevention (Associate Professor Takafumi
Kitaoka of Kansai University) before holding discussions.
Although there were fewer participants than planned on the day, the participants were able to get a good look at
who else was taking part as well as freely discuss what each otherthought. At the end of the workshop, each group presented theirideas. Despite having limited time available, the participants seemedto have successfully advanced the discussion and examined thetopic. This resulted in interesting and feasible ideas.
The International Student Network Group will hold an International
Summer Symposium at the JSCE Annual Meeting in 2022 as well.
In 2022, the theme of the International Workshop for Young Civil
Engineers is set to be “Future Civil Engineering with AI and DX.” I
hope that many international students and Japanese students will
present their research at the International Summer Symposium andwill also participate in the workshop in 2022.
To close, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere
gratitude to everyone who helped to make the International Summer
Future Civil Engineering with AI and DX

Symposium a success.

【Reported by Ji Dang, International Student Network Group, IAC (Saitama University) 】

2Evolving Construction Robots
The research and development of construction robots are suddenly making rapid
progress. The introduction of automation in the construction field is said to be 20 to 30years behind the manufacturing industry, which has introduced automation technology
called factory automation (FA) to production lines since the latter half of the 1970s,
rapidly improving productivity in the industry. One of the major reasons behind this isthat there are many uncertainties in the construction field. In other words, it is because
machines must possess the autonomy to grasp the situation at construction sites andwork while responding appropriately to each set of circumstances under conditions
such as the diversity of infrastructure and so on subject to construction work, ever-Kazuyoshi Tateyama(Chair of Robotics
Committee inConstruction)

evolving construction site conditions, and transportation work at expansive
construction sites. For this purpose, using theunmanned construction system introduced toprevent secondary disasters in the disasterrecovery work at Mount Unzen’s Fugendake,
which started in the 1990s, system operators,
located a safe distance away from the hazardous
work area, remotely controlled heavy machineryto carry out the erosion control construction workby accessing the situation at the construction siteand deciding how to respond via the systemmonitors. This was followed by the introduction

Photo 1 Unmanned Construction through Long-Distance
Remote Operationof Global Navigation Satellite Systems(GNSS) and Machine Control (MC)technology, which automates part of theAutonomous Construction Robots

operation of construction machinery, taking
further strides forward. As a result,unmannedconstruction

Greater Sophistication ofJudgement Functions

technology

gradually evolved. The outcome of thisseries of efforts is that it is now possible toremotely control heavy machinery in

Human beings make decisions to
respond to work objects as well as
Unmanned Construction Machinery work environments and conditions,and operate the machinery remotely
or with some degree of automation.

operation at construction sites several

Greater Sophistication ofJudgement Functions

hundred kilometers away. Photo 1 shows astudent

remotely

operatingheavymachinery located at a construction site inThe machinery can work
autonomously by also making
decisions to respond to work
objects as well as work
environments and conditions.

Construction Machinery

Noda City, Chiba Prefecture from a

Human beings make decisions torespond to work objects as well aswork environments and conditions,and the operator operates the actualmachine.

university campus in Kusatsu City, Shiga
Prefecture, as part of his education. WithFigure 1 Gradual Evolution of Construction Robots

the rise in remote work due to the3

coronavirus pandemic, we are entering anera in which work using heavy machinery
can also be done remotely.
Furthermore, in recent years, with thewidespread popularizing of artificial
intelligence (AI), it is fair to say that theA production system in which
multiple construction machines
undertake different work
cooperate to carry out civilengineering work. Each machine
is no longer operated remotely
and can grasp the objects subject
to work, the surrounding
environment, and the movementsof other machines, as well as
perform cooperative work
autonomously.

development of construction robots hasentered a new phase. This is because theintroduction of AI has greatly increased
the potential of autonomous work inwhich construction machinery grasps thesituation at the construction site anddecides the appropriate operation method

Photo 2 Example of Autonomous Construction Robot (A4CSEL ofKajima Corporation)

on its own accord. Figure 1 shows theevolution process of construction robots, meanwhile Photo 2 shows an example of an autonomous construction
robot system installed at a construction site. An autonomous construction robot system has already been
introduced on a trial basis at the likes of dam construction sites, and while the practical application of this system
continues to be verified, consideration is now being given to its use in lunar base construction in collaboration
with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
In consideration of the rapidly progressing decline in the working-age population, the Robotics Committee inConstruction aims to build a system that makes it easy to introduce construction robots not only in efforts torespond to disasters but also in general construction work, with the goal of promoting the widespread adoptionof construction robots. The committee has begun discussions on reducing development costs by sharing basic
technologies and relaxing safety restrictions in the adoption of construction robots at construction sites. In mymind’s eye, I can see various construction robots up and running at construction sites in the near future.

【Reported by Kazuyoshi Tateyama, Chair of Robotics Committee in Construction(Ritsumeikan University)】4

Student Voice

Learn To Be More Resilient From The Japanese
Hello! My namis Karina Ae prilia Sujatmiko. My friend and colleague usually callingme by my nickname, Alin. I knew about Japan since I was a kid, through a pop culture
like manga or anime. Why? Because kids in Indonesia, share a similar childhood
memories of spending Sunday morning by watching Doraemon in the nationaltelevision. I learned more about Japan when I was an undergraduate student in Bandung
Institute of Technology, majoring in Oceanography. My thesis was about tsunami inWest Java that happened in 2006. In Indonesia, the term tsunami was relatively new,mostly knew about tsunami after the catastrophic event of 2004 Aceh tsunami. So, I
learned a lot from past tsunami happened in Japan.

Karina Aprilia
Sujatmiko(Kansai University)

In 2018, a tsunami occurred in Palu. At that time, I was ajunior lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).
Around two weeks after the tsunami I went to do a posttsunami survey in Palu. This was a joint survey between,Indonesian and Japan. It was during this survey I met myfuture supervisor. His name is Yoshihiro Okumura from
Kansai University. After the survey, I contact him, and I said
that I want to study more about tsunami. Fortunately, with hishelp, I get a MEXT scholarship to take a doctoral degree atProgram of Disaster Management in Faculty of Societal
Safety Sciences.

Sharing about Student Life and Research on theRadio Program

I was the first foreign doctoral student at this program. All members in my laboratory are Japanese students.
Even though there is a language barrier, we still can communicate very well and make a good friendship. I foundJapanese student and professor here are nice and kind to me. Their warm welcome makes me enjoy my study inthe laboratory more.
The pandemic situation has been very difficult to us. At least there are two things affected my research study.
First is I couldn’t take sample in Indonesia due to the travel restriction. The data that I want to get is about people
behavior during the tsunami evacuation. Together with my supervisor, we did a lot of brainstorming together
and we found that we could use a footage during the disaster. The silver lining is we found a new method toanalyze people behavior. Second, this travel restrictions also makes me unable to return to Indonesia whichmakes me homesick and worried about my family. Thanks to the technology today, this constraint can beovercome by phone and video call. Japanese awareness and good implementation of the safety procedure also
eased my family’s worries.
I am grateful that I do my research in Japan. I could see directly the efforts taken by Japanese government toreduce the risk of future disaster.

I visited Sendai and Miyagi prefecture that was destroyed by the 2011 Great

East Japan tsunami. I saw the massive wall built along the coastline; the uplifting of area almost as big as a5

town; and a numerous building dedicated for relocations. I also saw the yearly evacuation drill held in MinamiAwaji Island. Together with sensei and the laboratory members, we analyze the resident behavior during thisdrill.
Since my first year in Japan, I become a JSCE member. I felt lucky to join the site visit of construction siteorganized by JSCE. First is Kita-Osaka Kyuko line extension project, the new subway that will be connected
Senri-Chuo station to Minoh with the length of about 2.5 km. Second is the Ujitawara Tunnel, Ujitawara Second
Viaduct and Joyo Viaduct on Shin-Meishin Expressway. I also joined the JSCE conference and published twoof my papers in JSCE proceeding.

High Seawall as a Countermeasure to Protect theSurrounding Area, Built Along in Ogatsu Bay,Tohoku.

Visiting Construction Site Organized by JSCE on ShinMeishin Expressway

In this past two years, aside from the research study,
I also learn and experienced Japanese culture. With myprofessor and my laboratory friends, we enjoyed Onsen andeat Japan cuisine. They are very considerate of me, since
I’m a Muslim, they always make sure that we ate foodsuitable with my religion. I especially fond of Sushi, Unagi,
Yakiniku and Takoyaki. Another thing that reallymesmerizing for me is Japan nature. In her, the seasonchanging present a different nuance of beauty. I find theWent to Onsen together with Laboratory Members

pleasure of view and photographing the delicate of cherry
blossom during spring, a vibrant color of momiji in autumn,
and a breathtaking landscape of snow pile.
I’m grateful to get the scholarship from MEXT. I wish many people can study in Japan, not only to learn inacademic field, but also Japanese culture and etiquette. I hope my relationship with Japan doesn’t just stop afterI graduated but continue to flourish after I return to Indonesia.

【Reported by Karina Aprilia Sujatmiko, Kansai University】

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Updates◆ The 5th Seminar on the Internationalization of Technical Standards(March 8) https://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/node/255◆3rd JSCE Concrete Committee Webinar "Frontiers of Concrete Technology" (March 9)
https://www.jsce-int.org/node/745◆JSCE Concrete Committee Newsletter No.64, January 2022
http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/concrete/e/newsletter/newsletter64/index.html◆The International Infrastructure Archives– A Compilation of Japan’s Greatest Projects in Transfer of Civil Engineering Technology in Service –http://www.jsce.or.jp/e/archive/【New Project】Male’ Seawall Project (Maldives)
http://www.jsce.or.jp/e/archive/project/pj14.html◆【Early Bird Registration Deadline: March 31】
The 9th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region (CECAR9)
https://cecar9.com/◆The Seventh Annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs
(STI Forum)：https://sdgs.un.org/tfm/STIForum2022#call_for_inputs◆American Society of Civil Engineers（ASCE）
・Joint Japan-US Symposium on Assessment, Management, and Governance for Infrastructure Resilience*Pre-recorded Presentation Available on the Website.
https://www.infraresil.jp/event/01/◆The 9th International Conference on Flood Management (ICFM9)
https://www.icfm9.jp/index.html◆European Council of Civil Engineers E-Journal
http://www.ecceengineers.eu/newsletter/Files/ECCE-E-journal-23.pdf?m=1640190118&◆IAC “News Pick Up!!” on the JSCE Japanese website
https://committees.jsce.or.jp/kokusai/iac_dayori_2022◆Summary of featured articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 107, No.3 March2022
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine◆Journal of JSCE
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