Get the latest information about the AppTech Course and our activities throughout the years. Learn more about all the previous and ongoing projects at the Recent Post.
Final Pitch AND DEMO DAY 2025:
December 11, 2025
We are thrilled to invite you to the Appropriate Technology Final Pitch and Demo Day 2025!
Since its inception in 2012, the Appropriate Technology (AppTech) course has challenged students to think creatively and compassionately to solve real-world problems. This year, we are bringing together generations of AppTech participants for a special afternoon of presentations, prototypes, and connection.
Event Details
Date: December 13, 2025 (Saturday)
Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: University of Tsukuba, Laboratory of Advanced Research A (Sogo-A) Building, Room A110
Let us celebrate over a decade of Appropriate Technology at Tsukuba and support the new generation of innovators.
We look forward to seeing you at Tsukuba!
Team 1: Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture – Supporting local apple orchards
Team 2: Karumai, Iwate Prefecture – Protecting farms from wild animals
Team 3: San Salvador Island, Zambales, Philippines – Sustainable water supply in remote islands
Team 4: Nha Trang, Vietnam – Supporting patients undergoing chemotherapy
Team 5: Cairo, Egypt – Expanding capabilities of people experiencing hand tremors
Please register using this link:
https://forms.office.com/r/vbnuQMiUd9
Judges
Ronald Navarro (Engineer Manager, Phil-Japan Worldwide Management Services, Inc.)
Yuka Imanishi (Founder & CEO, CURIO Japan Inc.)
Sakura Maezono (Assistant Professor, Yokohama City University)
Takeshi Nagata (Specially Appointed Professor, UT and Meijigakuin University)
Yoshihiro Takemoto (Specially Appointed Professor, UT and Tokyo Medical and Dental University)
Kenji Irie (AppTech Organizer and Program Leader of HBP)
HOW TO GET THERE
Laboratory of Advanced Research A (sogo-A) [map: https://goo.gl/maps/F9iUK7YAMj3CM7oq9] is located in front of the Tsukuba Daigaku Chuo Bus Stop. It can be accessed via C10 from the Tsukuba Center.
Work Local, THINK GLOBAL
July 13, 2024
AppTech students practiced doing field research locally before embarking on their own fieldwork for their own projects (Egypt, South Korea, Saga Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture). Students organized to investigate the issues experienced by farmers in Ibaraki Prefecture. They first visited a family farm in Chikusei City where they learned about the challenges and aspirations of farmers to contribute to UN SDGs through sustainable and innovative practices in agriculture, biodiversity, and carbon capture.
They next visited lotus root farmers in Ami Town. The Ibaraki Prefecture is the top producer of lotus root in Japan. Lotus root farming and harvesting are known for being difficult and physically demanding. Farmers have to wear heavy suits and equipment, and they work most of the time submerged in mud. The current challenge now being experienced in Ibaraki (and Japan as a whole) is the aging population of farmers. Another issue is that current farmers find it hard to encourage the younger generation to engage in farming activities – this issue is not only prevalent in Japan but also around the globe. The students and the farmers discussed the current strategies and potential technologies that can support their work, promote agriculture, and improve their quality of life.
AppTech Tsukuba IN Ibaraki University
June 26, 2021
AppTech Tsukuba was invited to conduct a lecture and workshop at Ibaraki University, Ami Campus. The lecture was held at the Center for Food Innovation Auditorium. The 49 students who participated in the event are majoring in Food Sciences. They learned about the basic concepts of Appropriate Technology and how it differs from commercial technologies. For the workshop, the students were divided into groups and given a brainstorming problem. During the workshop, students were encouraged to apply the “design for extreme affordability” principle.
AppTech 