Hiroshi Otsuka

The University of Tokyo, Chiba Institute of Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Hiroshi Otsuka is a pioneering figure in the intersection of bio-inspired robotics and neural prosthetics, with a career defined by creative, cross-disciplinary engineering. His research spans tactile sensing, whole-body neuromuscular prosthetics, and novel locomotive mechanisms. Otsuka’s most cited work, “A Slip Sensor Using a Piezoelectric Bimorph Element” (1996, 5 citations), introduced a compact, dynamic-stress-sensitive sensor for robotic manipulation, laying groundwork for tactile feedback systems. He is perhaps best known for “RatCar” (2012, 3 citations), a visionary whole-body neuromuscular locomotion prosthetic device that replaces a rat’s natural limbs with exoskeletal robotic wheels. This work not only demonstrated a vehicular brain-machine interface but also opened avenues for studying neural adaptation and future human wheelchair control. Otsuka further advanced mobility with “A Wheel-based Stair-climbing Robot with a Hopping Mechanism” (2010, 2 citations), which used a two-degree-of-freedom spring-coupled system for rapid, energy-efficient stair ascent. Though his citation counts are modest, Otsuka’s contributions are notable for their bold integration of neuroscience, mechanics, and prosthetics—pushing the boundaries of how robots and animals interact. His work remains a touchstone for researchers exploring neural control of assistive devices and unconventional robotic locomotion.