The Ubiquitous Society, Viewed from an Imaginative and Scientific Perspective

It is said that market principles and competition have a strong influence in the advancement of scientific technology. While this theory does seem to have a true side, we should not forget about those who are inside the thick of things, spending endless time in their research. For inspirations to become reality and to bring out the best results, scientists continuously use trial-and-error methods to find solutions.

Trial and error is, by nature, a tedious method where unsuccessful and unpromising results are the norm. Through all of the failed experiments and attempts, a solution is finally achieved, and this process and approach is what I believe science and technology is about. The never-ending passion, self denial and persistence poured into research have brought forward scientific advancements.

In the sci-fi and anime world, brilliant scientists have appeared like shining stars. I imagine a good number of people who are now in the science and technology fields were influenced by these brilliant "fictional" scientists. In fact, I myself was influenced a good deal. So let's take a look at some of these great scientists in the dream world.... and see what they sought and what troubles they overcame, to bring to reality their fascinating inventions.

In the sci-fi and anime world, the title for the original “doctor” would have to go to Dr. Serizawa who appeared in "Godzilla" (1954). His "Oxygen Destroyer" was used to put Godzilla to rest, something that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces could not do in the movie.

The interesting thing about his invention, the "Oxygen Destroyer", is its name. Just from the name, we could sense the devastating scientific effects it could bring. To "destroy" oxygen, nuclear reactions (such as removing protons from the atomic core) would be necessary. Also, from the looks of it, the Oxygen Destroyer appeared to be a chemical drug. Dr. Serizawa's laboratory was actually full of flasks and glass tubes, and he must have discovered a nuclear reaction while researching chemical reactions. The difference in power and energy between nuclear weapons and "regular" weapons is big and clear. In today's world, his research would be equivalent to that of cold fusion.

Interestingly enough, the Oxygen Destroyer that was used against Godzilla apparently only amounted to 1 liter in volume. Considering the relative density to be the same for water, 1 liter would be equal to 1 kg. To destroy all of the oxygen inside Godzilla, which weighed 20,000 tons, the energy per weight would have to have been 4 million times that of uranium!

Dr. Serizawa himself stated, "If the Oxygen Destroyer were to be created around the world, it would be horrific." Saying so, he decided to take his own life and sunk to the sea with his potent invention. A sad ending, no doubt, but considering the devastating effects, the doctor's decision is fully understood. With respect to his scientific knowledge and his insights as a scientist, we lost a very talented man.

Next up is the creator of Astro Boy, Dr. Tenma. Another doctor, Professor Ochanomizu, is often mis-credited for being the creator of Astro Boy, but he actually only took care of Astro Boy. Dr. Tenma had lost his son Tobio to a car accident, so he created a robot to fill the void of his lost son. This robot became what we all recognize as Astro Boy.

As it is well known, Astro Boy is a great robot. He is able to judge the good from the bad, he has 100,000 horsepower of raw strength, he could fly jet propelled, he could speak 60 languages, his hearing could be increased up to 1,000 times, his eyes could be searchlights, and his hips could be machineguns... This makes me wonder: What kind of boy exactly was Tobio to make Dr. Tenma create a robot like this!?

Having three children myself, I think I can understand Dr. Tenma's thinking. He gave his robot a number of features just like a parent would give his/her child the best opportunity to succeed in life. Isn't it just human nature to be favorable to your own child?

Still, 100,000 horsepower is about 74,000 kW, which is more than a lot. Basically, the equivalent of a small hydraulic plant atomic reactor was fit into the 35-kg body of Astro Boy. Considering how a nuclear power plant would altogether take up hundreds of million tons, Dr. Tenma’s scientific powers were simply amazing.

Mazinger Z's Professor Yumi is also well known for parent-child relations. He is not the creator of Mazinger Z, but he created another robot by the name of Aphrodite A. Aphrodite A was originally a robot designed for peaceful use such as civil engineering. However, it ended up being used in combat, supporting Mazinger Z in many roles. The robot is piloted by the Professor's daughter, Sayaka Yumi.

The interesting thing about Aphrodite A is that it is armed with missiles that are fired from its chest, and two missiles could be launched at once. Girls at a sensible age may be offended by this peculiar mechanism. I don't have a daughter and it is hard for me to understand what Professor Yumi was thinking when he designed this weapon.

Dr. Gilmore in "Cyborg 009" is also an excellent scientist of note. He is famous for inventing cyborgs that can use telepathy, fly, and have other special abilities. One of his inventions, a high-tech flying boat/sub is quite interesting.

Visually, the high-tech boat looks simply like a sailboat, yet it can fly in midair and also go deep undersea. In simple terms, to float above sea level, the boat would have to be lighter than water. And to go underwater, it would have to be heavier than water. I imagine the boat probably takes in and pumps out a good amount of water. The mysterious thing is how it raises a sail even when underwater where water resistance is strong. Wouldn’t it be better and make more sense to fold the sail when underwater?

Even more surprising are some of the scripts in the anime. In response on how the boat was created, Cyborg 009 states, "Dr. Gilmore and I built it." Does this imply that the two of them cut out the materials from scratch, built and connected everything, placed all of the necessary equipment in the boat, and did everything else without any help? I'm not quite sure if I could imagine a scene where Dr. Gilmore is operating a crane while Cyborg 009 is on the side assisting him.

Who knows, maybe Dr. Gilmore designed a fully automatic machine that can build an entire sailboat, so the swift and crafty Cyborg 009 could build the boat in as little time as possible. Still, I imagine that to create a machine that can automatically build a certain product would be much more difficult than building the product itself. Such would be a scientific marvel.

One scientist who I personally admire deeply is Dr. Nambu Kozaburo from the anime "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman." His inventions include a cloak that would harden and become a wing, a wristwatch-like device that would store the aforementioned cloak and a helmet, and five separate vehicles that would combine into a main vehicle called the GodPhoenix. In addition, he also invented a crust-detecting device that would catch underground missiles attacking the Earth’s natural resources. He was an all-round versatile doctor with mastery in several fields.

I cannot even imagine how many years and how many things he studied. Not only that, he was also Head of the International Science and Technology Agency, holding authority to exercise armed forces. Hence, he also held political strength. If he put his mind to it, who knows, he may have been able to take over the world.

The person I would like to see in real life would be somebody like Dr. Kisaragi from the anime "Cutie Honey." Dr. Kisaragi's "airborne elemental fixation device" invention made it possible to create objects using air elements. Creating clothes in midair was a sure thing. Creating other objects like a motorbike (which would require nuclear atoms) was also possible. In fact, with this device, it would be possible to create essential things like carbon dioxide, water vapor, food, and oil. Taking things further and theoretically speaking, the device would be able to solve serious problems on the Earth such as famine, energy crisis, and global warming.

We are now living in an era in which a generation inspired by fictional scientists is stepping to the forefront. Let's try to not lose to our fictional counterparts, and create a bright future full of dream science!