｜Length : 10min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

The production of finely-tuned optical lenses and prisms - used in cameras, telescopes and semiconductor manufacturing equipment - necessitates the sensitive touch of the human hand. Akira Hozumi produces prototype optical lenses and pentaprisms, which then become the standard for mass-produced goods. He uses his hands, fingertips and a sense of timing and intuition that has been honed over the years to produce these articles, some with angles to within 1/360 of a degree.

｜Length : 10min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

The shape of a particular fiber determines its distinctive qualities, and central to the distinctiveness of each fiber is the precision of the holes, which can be as small as 100 microns, through which petroleum-based materials are squeezed to become chemical fibers. Akinori Katayama has been designated a "modern master craftsman" by the Ministry of Labor. He files and polishes unique tools made of ultra-hard alloys up to the thickness of a strand of human hair that are used to drill these holes into nozzles.

｜Length : 10min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

This episode focuses on the process of making giant ship propellers - from the initial stage when the copper alloy is cast into the mold, through the final steps which require manually planning the hole in the propeller where the shaft must be snugly fitted, to the hand polishing of the giant blades. These "human touches" ensure that the ships which transport goods around the world can journey efficiently and safely. To paraphrase Mr. Izutani who has been doing this job for 25 years: "Humans are still superior to machines."

｜Length : 46min. ｜Year : 1993 ｜

The Honda saga is one of the best known industrial "rags to riches" stories, but although everyone knows about Soichiro Honda, not many have heard of his protege, Masashi Ito, who started Marusho Motors. Ito's small factory also took on the world, producing the "Lilac", a motorcycle that gave Honda's "Dream" a run for its money. Two engineering geniuses --Soichiro Honda and Masashi Ito: one became the biggest name in automotive history; the other is mostly forgotten.

｜Length : 45min. ｜Year : 1993 ｜

In the summer of 1993, it was the Tokyo Institute of Technology's turn to host the International Robot Contest. This contest has been held every year since 1990 at some of the world's most top-ranked universities and institutes, including MIT. This time, there were eight teams of six people, each team fielding a robot with advanced manipulatory skills. The test in this hi-tech sport was to put tubes into a box with two openings just big enough for the largest of the tubes.