Papers
9
Total Citations
150
H-Index
6
About
Akira Nakamura is a leading figure in robotic manipulation, whose work has fundamentally advanced how robots interact with and handle everyday objects. His research centers on dexterous manipulation, skill-based task planning, and robust error recovery, with a particular focus on enabling robots to perform complex actions like grasping, assembly, and disassembly. Nakamura’s major contributions include pioneering methods for pick-and-place planning with dual-arm manipulators (47 citations) and developing grasp planning for parallel grippers with flexible surfaces (33 citations), which allow robots to securely handle objects of varying shapes. He introduced the concept of “skills”—motion primitives that compose complex manipulation tasks—and systematized error recovery within this framework, as seen in his highly cited work on task stratification and error classification (28 citations). His innovative modeling of everyday objects for semantic grasp (17 citations) helps robots understand not just an object’s geometry but its intended function. With a career spanning from early industrial robot controllers to modern geometric modeling, Nakamura’s work has laid essential groundwork for robots that can operate safely and effectively in human environments, making him a key reference in the field of robotic manipulation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Pick and place planning for dual-arm manipulators47 citations · 2012
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- 4Modeling of everyday objects for semantic grasp17 citations · 2014
- 5Systematization of error recovery in skill-based manipulation10 citations · 2009
- 6Using simplified geometric models in skill-based manipulation6 citations · 2004
- 7Surface-based geometric modeling of general objects using teaching trees4 citations · 2002
- 8
- 9Controller for industrial robots2 citations · 1986