In this post, I explore the “transdisciplinary” as a form of translation required to facilitate encounters between technical cultures. This journey was part of a research project at the Nohara Lab at Science Tokyo in collaboration with the Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1 (IWE1) at RWTH Aachen University. Funded by the JSPS Kakenhi (22KK0002), our study investigates the integration of “Art Thinking” strategies in science and technology to observe how interdisciplinary communication changes outcomes. Using my experience at the SensUs 2025 international biosensor competition as a case study, I discuss how we navigated “understanding gaps” and turned communicative friction into innovative “roadways” for healing.
1. The AixSense Project: Why I Participated
To realize transdisciplinary concepts, an effective translational system must be in place. I joined the AixSense team, a hybrid group of students from RWTH Aachen University and Science Tokyo, to participate in SensUs 2025, which focused on the critical challenge of continuous monitoring of creatinine for kidney failure.
Acting as a bridge between laboratory prototyping and clinical reality, my participation was driven by the need to facilitate “technical translation” between our engineers, medical practitioners, and business investors.
- Kidney Failure: A condition where kidneys stop filtering waste products efficiently. For SensUs 2025, we focused on patients with fluctuating renal function due to heart failure, which requires precise and stable management.
- Creatinine: A waste product from muscle metabolism filtered by the kidneys. It serves as the standard biological marker used to measure kidney health and overall filtration rates.
- Continuous Monitoring: Shifting from periodic hospital “snapshots” to frequent, real-time data collection. In home settings, this allows for the early detection of health declines so clinicians can intervene before a medical crisis.
2. Team Structure and Timeline
To understand how these “interconnected gears” work, it is essential to look at the roadmap of our collaboration:
- The Team: AixSense functioned as a global microcosm, featuring members from Japan, Germany, Turkey, India, Vietnam, China, and Nigeria.
- The Mentors: I relied on the guidance of my senpai, Yumie (Hayamizu Lab, Science Tokyo), whose expertise in life science engineering grounded our goals. We also consulted medical experts Assocate Professor Eisei Sohara and Junior Associate Professor Koichiro Susa (Science Tokyo) to define the clinical potential of our device.
- Timelines : The remote kick-off finally happened in April. Our team officially began with an onboarding and initial research phase conducted remotely between Tokyo and Aachen. We held weekly online meetings to define our “problem space”, discuss literature review, and brainstorm. We quickly found that communicating across timezones and technical backgrounds required constant “translation” to keep everyone aligned.
3. Clinical Insights: Bridging the Lab and the Hospital
Our discussions with Dr. Susa revealed that “working technology” does not always equal “useful innovation”. We focused on a specific challenge: patients with kidney disease who also suffer from heart failure.
Because their renal function fluctuates based on heart conditions and medication, daily hospital visits are impractical. Dr. Susa highlighted that a device for continuous monitoring in a home setting would be a “huge help.” This shifted our engineering focus: For a sensor to “matter,” it could not just produce a number; it had to be robust enough for daily life and provide data that was medically interpretable for long-term management.
4. The Architecture of Collaboration: Translating between different “Technical Dialects”
Moving from a working tool to something people can actually use was not easy. It required our three teams—Fluidics, Sensor, and Data—to work closely together. During our preparation, our team went through a major change. Disagreements about duties led some key members to leave. It was very hard for us to find new people and handle the extra work while also focusing on our university classes.
These problems showed us that success is not just about technical skill. It depends on how well the team works together. We learned that innovation needs more than just engineering. It requires honest communication to keep everyone moving toward the same goal.
The Architecture of Collaboration
To build a biosensor for Kidney Failure, we had to turn medical needs into engineering tasks across three groups:
- Fluidics Team: Developed the chemical solutions and managed the reactions that turn creatinine into electrical signals.
- Sensor Team: Built the physical sensor and the 3D-printed parts to house it.
- Data Team: Processed the electrical signals and turned them into patterns that doctors and patients can understand.
In practice, a decision by one team changed everything for the others. For example, the Fluidics Team needed the physical sensor from the Sensor Team to test their chemicals. At the same time, the Data Team needed the results from those tests to improve their computer programs. If one team was slow or changed their plan, it created a “gap” for everyone else.
Different Goals and “Technical Dialects”
We found that each team had different priorities when making choices. We call these “technical dialects” because each team speaks from its own perspective:
- Accuracy vs. Stability: A highly accurate sensor might need a special chemical wash to remain stable. This means the Fluidics Team has to change their chemical process, and the Data Team has to change their math.
- Long-term Use: A less accurate but more durable sensor needs a completely different development plan from all three teams.
Since experiments take a long time, teams could not just wait for others to finish. We had to talk often and share our progress. This allowed everyone to work on their parts at the same time. This experience showed us that talking through the “friction” between different fields is actually what leads us to a better scientific result.
5. SensUs 2025: A Microcosm of the Transdisciplinary Bridge
The SensUs competition served as a perfect bridge, requiring 18 teams from around the world to harmonize technical innovation with medical needs.
The teams test their sensors with the samples provided by the competition and receive a performance score based on the measurement results.
While our team, AixSense, focused on non-enzymatic MOF-based electrochemical sensing, other teams pursued optical or plasmonic paths. Despite these different technical dialects, we were all pulled toward the same practical reality. For example, the prototype size limit (40cm x 30cm x 25cm) was a calculated compromise: large enough for prototyping, yet small enough to suggest a future as a portable device.
Success in this environment meant making engineering output medically interpretable. Numbers alone do not help; signals must be transformed into something a clinician can trust and a patient can live with. This is where the “Translation Potential” award comes in, recognizing that a sensor is only useful if it can transit into the healthcare system
6. Summary: The Transdisciplinary Translator
Whether in an art festival or a lab, the common threads of translation remain the same:
| Theme | Translational Lens | Connecting the Dots |
| Art as Translator (in my previous two blogs) | Art Thinking: Staying with ambiguity to create new ways of seeing. | Innovation through Uncertainty: Giving form to the unknown to spark radical change. |
| SensUs Competition | Transdisciplinary Translation: Carrying ideas across borders of patient reality and clinical logic. | Innovation through Utility: Building a “roadway” for healing in the real world. |
7.Reflections and Interesting Facts
Beyond Linguistics: The Architecture of Estrangement
In translation theory, “estrangement” (or ostranenie) occurs when a text “disturbs” the reader with quirks that remind them of a different value system. I see clinical engineering through this same lens. These “understanding gaps” between engineers and medical practitioners are not barriers; they are catalysts for innovation. By embracing the “visible quirks” of different fields, we move from the lab to the bedside using what Eugene Nida called functional equivalence, ensuring the final product preserves its intended meaning: healing.
The Result
While AixSense did not place at the top of the SensUs competition, the collaboration itself was the real output. As Professor Kayoko Nohara noted, the “friction” of interdisciplinary communication is what sparks better scientific outputs. Dr. Susa has even expressed interest in continuing this dialogue for future projects where engineering meets nephrology.
Related Links:
- SensUs
- Institute of Science Tokyo
- Nohara Laboratory (Institute of Science Tokyo)
- Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1 (RWTH Aachen University)
- AixSense Tem (RWTH Aachen University)
Take away from City of Aachen (Germany):
The historic residence of Charlemagne, Aachen is a vibrant German cathedral city famed for its thermal springs, prestigious technical university, and its role as the coronation site for German kings.
Must try if you ever have chance to stop by this lovely city. Gingerbread – the best gingerbread I have ever tried!
