AIST has developed yttrium-based oxide superconducting tapes that allow large critical current capacity in a strong magnetic field. AIST has improved the characteristics of the yttrium-based oxide superconducting tapes by fabricating ultra-fine artificial pinning centers (APCs) with uniform dispersion and high density using a chemical solution decomposition method which costs less than vapor phase methods. This has achieved a maximum critical current density of 4 mega-amperes that can flow while maintaining the superconducting state (at liquid nitrogen temperature, 65 K, per 1 cm² in a magnetic field of 3T), and the critical current value exceeds 360 amperes.

AIST has developed artificial nucleic acid reference materials as internal standards for accuracy control of analysis of microbiomes by next-generation sequencing. The 16S rRNA gene is widely used for the phylogenetic classification of microorganisms. AIST researchers designed artificial 16S rRNA reference materials to be amplified by PCR and to allow the amplified base sequences to be differentiated from natural genes during data analysis, and produced twelve types of the reference materials. When a mixture of the reference materials is used as an internal standard for microbiome analysis, the accuracy of the obtained base sequences can be evaluated and the performance of quantitative analysis can be controlled.

AIST has developed a method for measuring the shape of an object that moves/deforms at high speed by accurately detecting a light pattern projected on the object. Applying the technology for removing noise by converting a signal in a narrow frequency range to that in a wide frequency range, which is used in wireless communication devices, the developed technology can remove the effect of strong ambient light such as direct sunlight.

Using the Super-Growth single-wall carbon nanotubes, AIST has developed an aqueous paint that can be formed into a thin film with a strong shielding effect against electromagnetic waves. The developed aqueous paint can be applied on a wide variety of base materials. The formed film is flexible and resistant to bending, and it can follow deformation of the base material.

AIST has proposed a new process for design thinking, in which development plans that incorporate the customer perspective can be shared among relevant people throughout the development process. The researchers systematized the process and released it as a “dialogic design synthesis environments” prototype. The prototype has three effects: (1) treat users as professionals to get effective ideas; (2) invite makers at early planning stage to avoid back and forth in later process; and (3) bridge between artistic and technical design teams to get better user focused experience-value capturing design.

Thought experiments in combination with analogue models have elucidated the cause of the east-west contraction and crustal deformation of the Japanese islands in the Quaternary Period. It was concluded that the cause of the east-west contraction is not movement of the Pacific Plate itself, as conventionally thought, but rather movement of the Philippine Sea Plate.

AIST has elucidated the emission mechanism of the materials for next-generation organic light-emitting diodes, namely thermally activated delayed fluorescent materials, using an advanced spectroscopic technique developed by AIST. The materials were designed and developed by Kyushu University. A group of molecules with high emission efficiency has a characteristic molecular structure. The spectroscopic technique used will be sophisticated further to observe the emission process in detail.