Abstract: It is intended to realize a modular soft robot having a high degree of freedom of movement. A voxel 10 constituting at least a portion of a robot comprises: a polyhedral-shaped casing 100 contractable according to discharge of a working fluid from an internal space thereof; and a deformation-regulating member 200 housed in the casing 100 and configured to regulate deformation of the voxel 10 when the working fluid in the casing 100 is discharged, wherein a plurality of the voxels 10 can be coupled together to constitute at least a portion of a robot.

Abstract: Provided is a setting change assist apparatus for a vehicle configured to: determine whether a setting change request for changing a setting state of driving support control is issued; when determining that the setting change request is issued, notify a driver of confirmation information including information on a content of the setting change request and information on a predetermined approval operation with respect to the setting change request; and change the setting state of the driving support control in accordance with the setting change request when the driver performs the approval operation.

Abstract: Provided is a setting change assist apparatus for a vehicle configured to: determine whether a setting change request for changing a setting state of driving support control is issued; when determining that the setting change request is issued, notify a driver of confirmation information including information on a content of the setting change request and information on a predetermined approval operation with respect to the setting change request; and change the setting state of the driving support control in accordance with the setting change request when the driver performs the approval operation.

Abstract: Provided is a method which is capable of three-dimensionally forming a food into a desired shape such as a complicated shape or a hollow shape, using a starch powder as a raw material. The method for three-dimensionally forming a food using a starch powder as a raw material comprises the steps of: mixing a starch powder and water together to provide a mixture of the starch powder and the water; irradiating a part of the mixture with laser light to cause starch particles of the starch powder to swell due to the water to form swollen starch particles, followed by causing the swollen starch particles to gelatinize to form gelatinized starch particles, and causing the gelatinized starch particles to gelate, thereby obtaining gelated starch: and extracting the gelated starch from the mixture, wherein the step of irradiating includes irradiating the mixture with the laser light, according to a pattern predetermined based on a three-dimensional shape of a food.

Abstract: Provided is a setting change assist apparatus for a vehicle configured to: determine whether a setting change request for changing a setting state of driving support control is issued; when determining that the setting change request is issued, notify a driver of confirmation information including information on a content of the setting change request and information on a predetermined approval operation with respect to the setting change request; and change the setting state of the driving support control in accordance with the setting change request when the driver performs the approval operation.

Abstract: A monitoring system includes a monitoring control device, an image information providing device, and a client control device. The monitoring control device monitors infrastructure facilities and transmits statuses of the infrastructure facilities acquired on the basis of information input from a sensor to the image information providing device. The image information providing device generates original image information on the basis of the infrastructure facility statuses received from the monitoring control device. The client control device is connected to a display device and an operation device, receives information for designating a partial area of an entire image capable of being generated from the original image information from the operation device, transmits the received information to the image information providing device, and displays an image based on information received from the image information providing device on the display device.

Abstract: Described herein are a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object and a method for preparing data for a nozzle movement path(s) used in the same, and an apparatus for manufacturing the three-dimensional object and a computer for preparing data for nozzle movement paths used in the same. By repeating the step of forming an outer shell material portion constituting part of an outer shell of a three-dimensional object by ejecting a hard shaping material from a nozzle onto a stage, and the step of forming an inner core material portion constituting part of an inner core of the three-dimensional object by ejecting a soft shaping material from a nozzle to an inner region surrounded by the outer shell material portion, the three-dimensional object including the outer shell and the inner core respectively formed from the outer shell material portion and the inner core material portion in plural layers is formed.

Abstract: Provided is a high hardness ultra-fine cemented carbide with a Ni binder phase for a wear resistant tool. An ultra-fine cemented carbide having high specularity and/or high strength, high hardness, and high wear resistance is obtained by using an ultra-fine raw powder of WC, controlling the amount of Ni, and the contents of V and Cr, so that a third phase containing V and Cr precipitates in a microstructure of the cemented carbide in a finely dispersed state, and at the same time, the size of Ni pool is controlled to a value equal to or less than the average grain size of WC. By using this cemented carbide, the range of application to an aspherical glass lens mold, an ultrahigh pressure generation container for neutron diffraction experiment, a non-ferromagnetic corrosion resistant and wear resistant tool, and the like is expanded.

Abstract: For high density packaging of a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device has a multi-layer substrate, a first-stage chip connected electrically to the multi-layer substrate, other package substrates stacked in three stages on the multi-layer substrate and each connected to an underlying wiring substrate through solder balls, second-, third- and fourth-stage chips electrically connected respectively to the other package substrates, and solder balls provided on the bottom multi-layer substrate. The number of wiring layers in the bottom multi-layer substrate which has a logic chip is larger than that in the package substrates which have memory chips, whereby the semiconductor device can have a wiring layer not used for distribution of wires to the solder balls and wiring lines in the wiring layer can be used for the mounting of another semiconductor element or a passive component to attain high density packaging of the semiconductor device as a stacked type package.

Abstract: Herein disclosed a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor chip is mounted over a substrate, the device including a plurality of through-interconnects configured to be formed inside each of through-holes that penetrate the substrate and be led from the semiconductor chip to a face of the substrate on an opposite side of the semiconductor chip.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is manufactured by covering a main surface of a wafer with protective tape, grinding a back side of the wafer to form an extremely thin wafer and affixing it to a dicing tape, dicing to form extremely thin semiconductor chips, picking up the chips and fixing each picked-up chip to a product forming area on a wiring substrate, removing the protective tape, performing wire bonding, covering the chips and wires of the wiring substrate with an insulating resin layer, forming bump electrodes on a back side of the wiring substrate, cutting the wiring substrate affixed to a support member together with the insulating resin layer, thereby forming plural semiconductor devices, and removing each semiconductor device from the support member.

Abstract: For high density packaging of a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device has a multi-layer substrate, a first-stage chip connected electrically to the multi-layer substrate, other package substrates stacked in three stages on the multi-layer substrate and each connected to an underlying wiring substrate through solder balls, second-, third- and fourth-stage chips electrically connected respectively to the other package substrates, and solder balls provided on the bottom multi-layer substrate. The number of wiring layers in the bottom multi-layer substrate which has a logic chip is larger than that in the package substrates which have memory chips, whereby the semiconductor device can have a wiring layer not used for distribution of wires to the solder balls and wiring lines in the wiring layer can be used for the mounting of another semiconductor element or a passive component to attain high density packaging of the semiconductor device as a stacked type package.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed which can reduce the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device by preventing contamination and damage of an extremely thin wafer and of an extremely thin semiconductor chip fabricated from the extremely thin wafer.

Abstract: Highly effective calcium channel blockers having potent antihypertensive and coronary vasodilating actions, i.e. 4,7-dihydrothieno[2,3-b]pyridine derivatives of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is straight or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, or arylalkyl; R.sup.2 is hydrogen, straight or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, or alkoxycarbonyl; R.sup.3 is hydrogen, straight or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, phenyl which may be substituted by one or more halogens or alkoxy groups, optionally substituted cycloalkyl, or optionally substituted cycloalkylalkyl; or R.sub.2 and R.sup.3 taken together may form an alkylene.