H. Kubokawa

Papers

Total Citations

205

H-Index

About

H. Kubokawa has established a distinguished research profile at the intersection of robotics, power infrastructure maintenance, and autonomous systems. Best known for pioneering work on the **Expliner** robot — a teleoperated platform designed for the inspection of high-voltage transmission lines — Kubokawa's research addresses one of the most hazardous challenges facing electrical utility workers: performing maintenance and inspection tasks tens of meters above ground, in close proximity to live lines carrying thousands of volts. The foundational 2008 paper introducing Expliner has garnered 163 citations, reflecting its significant influence on the field of infrastructure inspection robotics. A follow-up study in 2010, extending the system toward practical deployment, further cemented this work's relevance with an additional 35 citations. Complementing these contributions, Kubokawa also advanced the design of the **Sensor-Arm**, a robotic manipulator specifically engineered to deploy sensing equipment around power cables — addressing the often-overlooked challenge of precise sensor placement during inspection operations. Collectively, Kubokawa's work has helped transform how the robotics community approaches hazardous infrastructure maintenance, offering safer, more efficient alternatives to human workers and laying important groundwork for future autonomous inspection systems in critical energy infrastructure.