Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Harumi Sugimatsu is a robotics and ocean engineering researcher specializing in autonomous underwater systems and deep-sea resource surveying. Their work centers on developing and deploying advanced robotic platforms — including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) — to map and characterize cobalt-rich manganese crust deposits on the seafloor, resources of growing interest for critical mineral supply chains. Sugimatsu's most significant contribution lies in integrating multimodal sensing technologies — camera systems, multibeam sonar, and sub-bottom acoustic probes — to dramatically improve the efficiency and accuracy of deep-sea surveys. Their 2024 multirobot survey paper, the most cited of their work with 10 citations, demonstrates how coordinated multi-robot deployments enable detailed large-area estimation of Mn-crust distributions across multiple field seasons. Complementing this, their 2023 research on acoustic seafloor classification explores machine-learning approaches to automate the interpretation of sub-bottom reflections, reducing reliance on labor-intensive visual confirmation. A parallel study showed that multibeam sonar expands survey coverage fourfold compared to visual systems alone. Together, these contributions are advancing the practical scalability of underwater robotic exploration for deep-sea mineral assessment.