Hayato Saigo

Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Hayato Saigo is a pioneering researcher working at the intersection of category theory, cognitive science, and soft robotics. His work fundamentally rethinks how we model complex, embodied systems—from biological organisms to flexible robots—by applying mathematical structures from category theory. Saigo’s most cited paper, "Analysis of Soft Robotics Based on the Concept of Category of Mobility" (2019, 20 citations), introduces a novel framework for understanding the movement and adaptability of soft robots, whose deformable bodies challenge traditional rigid-body kinematics. This work provides a rigorous mathematical language to describe how soft robots bend, twist, and grasp, opening new pathways for design and control. More recently, in "Reality of Affordances: A Category-Theoretic Approach" (2024, 2 citations), Saigo tackles a foundational question in cognitive science: whether affordances—opportunities for action—exist in the environment, the organism, or their relation. By leveraging category theory, he offers a precise, relational ontology that clarifies this long-debated concept. Saigo’s contributions are notable for bridging abstract mathematics with concrete engineering and psychology, offering tools that unify disparate fields. His work is essential reading for researchers interested in the formal foundations of embodied intelligence and adaptive systems.