Hiroya Imamura
Papers
4
Total Citations
124
H-Index
3
About
Hiroya Imamura is a leading researcher in soft robotics, specializing in dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs)—a class of artificial muscle that promises lightweight, silent, and high-energy-density motion for life-like robotic systems. His most influential work, cited 88 times, introduces a variable stiffness DEA that uses electrostatic chucking to overcome a critical limitation: the tendency of bending-type actuators to buckle under external loads. By enabling tunable rigidity, this innovation expands the practical use of DEAs in robotic end-effectors and grippers. Imamura further advanced the field by developing and experimentally validating a linear viscoelastic model for multilayer unimorph DEAs, providing a predictive framework for time-dependent actuation behavior that is essential for reliable control. His contributions also include a tactile sensor integrated directly into a DEA, allowing simultaneous actuation and sensing—a key step toward creating robotic hands that can both move and feel. With a body of work that bridges theoretical modeling, fabrication, and multifunctional design, Imamura is shaping the next generation of soft, adaptive robots that can safely interact with humans and delicate objects.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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