2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Engineering Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Graduate major in Super Smart Society

Introduction to Convergence Science: Smart Healthcare

Academic unit or major: Graduate major in Super Smart Society
Instructor(s): Takuya Sakaguchi
Class Format: Lecture
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms)
Class: -
Course Code: SMT.B602
Number of credits: 100
Course offered: 2026
Offered quarter: 4Q
Syllabus updated: Mar 10, 2026
Language: English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

This course focuses on healthcare challenges, a critical frontier in realizing a Super Smart Society. We will examine how cutting-edge science can be leveraged to smart healthcare and explore how students’ respective fields of expertise can be applied to these solutions. Furthermore, by drawing on the instructor’s multifaceted career, students will gain insights to inspire and shape their own future career planning.

Course description and aims

With the goal of building a smart healthcare society for a 100-year life, this course focuses on four key steps: (a) envisioning our future, (b) illustrating the current state of cutting-edge R&D in industry and research institutions, (c) identifying the gap and challenges we face today, and (d) proposing and discussing how to innovate through technology and business. Furthermore, by exploring the instructor’s diverse career path, students will gain insights into entrepreneurship, leadership, professional ethics, and social responsibility, ultimately formulating their own personal career plans.

Student learning outcomes

実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)

Provided by external lecturers who have professional expertise at the companies associated with the Super Smart Society Promotion Consortium.

Keywords

Healthcare, Child care, Emergency, Drug design, Health management, Prevention, Mental, Sensing, Lifetime, DX, Convergence, Innovation

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

A series of lectures given by several lecturers will be delivered on demand, followed by discussion between students.
After seven lectures, report assignment will be given.

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	Smart Health Care Governmental perspectives on the future of healthcare in Japan to realize a super smart society.	Specified in the lecture
Class 2	Smart Childcare This lecture explores case studies of new product development, design innovation, and the market potential of next-generation “baby-tech” products that utilize smart healthcare technologies in response to these challenges.	Specified in the lecture
Class 3	Smart Emergency Medicine The increase in emergency demand in Japan makes efficiency and optimization essential. To address this issue, a cloud-based system has been developed to centrally manage all emergency activity data. Additionally, systems that use AI to predict emergencies and future demand are under development. This lecture will introduce the digital transformation (DX) of emergency medical services.	Specified in the lecture
Class 4	Smart Drug Design Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) plays an important role in drug discovery research. With the introduction of AI technologies, CADD has undergone significant advancements. This lecture will cover from CADD basics to recent trends, drawing from my experience in biotech startups, global IT companies, academia, and major pharmaceutical companies.	Specified in the lecture
Class 5	Smart Lifetime Healthcare Achieving lifelong health requires a dual approach: disease prevention and the provision of appropriate medical care upon diagnosis. This lecture explores advanced preventive techniques powered by state-of-the-art proteomics and the healthcare IT infrastructure essential to hospital management.	Specified in the lecture
Class 6	Smart Mental Healthcare This lecture explores the type of mental health care that society genuinely needs—particularly preventive care that reaches individuals before their emotional strain starts to influence their day-to-day lives—and considers the social and cultural shifts necessary to support such care.	Specified in the lecture
Class 7	Smart Homecare Advances in smartphone and wearable technology have enabled individuals to conduct health assessments and wellness initiatives within a domestic setting. This lecture examines the current state and future prospects of home care, supported by practical case studies.	Specified in the lecture

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Specified in the lecture

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Specified in the lecture

Evaluation methods and criteria

Grading will be based on the final report on "Idea to convergent my expertise and cutting-edge research and development that are introduced in the lectures to realize super smart society"

Related courses

SMT.B601 ： Introduction to Convergence Science: Quantum Science
SMT.B602 ： Introduction to Convergence Science: Smart Healthcare
SMT.B603 ： Introduction to Convergence Science : Smart Agriculture
SMT.B604 ： Introduction to Convergence Science: Smart Workplaces
SMT.B605 ： Introduction to Convergence Science: Smart Production
SMT.B606 ： Introduction to Convergence Science: Smart Ocean

Prerequisites

None

Other

This course is the successor to the courses on SSS Innovation offered by the WISE (World-leading Innovative & Smart Education) Program for Super Smart Society (SSS.S401–SSS.S406) until Academic Year (AY) 2025. These courses are now being offered as a curriculum specifically developed for doctoral students.