YATAGARASU developed by UTokyo Solar Boat Racing Team (UTSBR) won second place in the Solar A Class at the 2026 Japan Solar and Human - Powered Boat Race

On 18th October 2026, YATAGARASU developed by UTokyo Solar Boat Racing Team (UTSBR) won second place in the Solar A Class at the 2026 Japan Solar and Human - Powered Boat Race.

The awardees' affiliations are listed below:
Hsiotung Hsu (Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, D1), Yuma Okada (Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, M1), Ren Ohashi (Department of Ocean Technology, Policy, and Environment, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, M1), XIE Yu Xiang (Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, Special Auditing Student), Ryo Ueda, Natsumi Miki (Systems Innovation, Faculty of Engineering, B4), Shukei Okauchi, Kimisato Matsukane (College of Arts and Sciences, Natural Science I, B1)

About awarded research

This activity is carried out by students participating in the “Solar Boat Challenge” of Creative Engineering Project of Faculty of Engineering and School of Engineering. The team develops solar boats by leveraging a wide range of ship development technologies, including CFRP molding, machining, fluid measurement, and electronic control. This year, we focused on improving propulsion and maneuvering performance through modifications to the propulsion and steering systems, and were able to significantly break our previous record. In addition, the project incorporates MBSE/MBD concepts into the development process, aiming to verify a next-generation ship development process that establishes a front-loaded design and verification loop centered on an integrated simulator. The level of development was further advanced through the realization of driver-in-the-loop maneuvering tests in a virtual environment, as well as evaluation and improvement using sensor data.

Your impression & future plan

In the design, manufacturing, and race of the solar boat, we received tremendous support and cooperation from many individuals, companies, and organizations. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those who made donations through the Solar Boat Project Support Fund of the UTokyo Foundation (https://utf.u-tokyo.ac.jp/project/pjt179), as well as to the faculty and staff who provided guidance and support, the project researchers and the partner institutions of the Maritime and Ocean Digital Engineering (MODE), Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (http://mode.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/). Looking ahead, we plan to continue designing and building new boats, with the goal of breaking more records and winning championship. In the long term, we aim to introduce digital twin methodologies that synchronize the real vessel with its simulator, with the goal of realizing autonomous navigation and remote control. Data obtained through these developments will be fed back into the integrated simulator, and we plan to establish an MBSE/MBD-based design and verification loop as a foundational element of our development process. We sincerely appreciate your continued support and cooperation with UTokyo Solar Boat Racing Team. Please note that this activity can be taken as part of the Creative Engineering Project of Faculty of Engineering and School of Engineering. Even if you are not enrolled in these projects, we warmly welcome anyone who is interested in this activity to contact us.