Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Hisashi Matsushita is a pioneering researcher in the field of soft robotics, with a focus on developing human-friendly, safe, and flexible actuators for assistive and service robots. His work centers on pneumatic artificial muscles and soft grippers, aiming to create gentle, human-like robotic hands and arms that can safely interact with people in domestic settings—a response to the growing need for care robots in aging societies. Matsushita’s major contributions include the design and development of bending actuators using rubber artificial muscles, which enable compliant, dexterous motion. His 2006 paper on a bending actuator for a robot hand (9 citations) and his 2002 work on a pneumatic rubber hand (9 citations) are foundational, demonstrating soft grippers made of silicon rubber with fiber-reinforced chambers. He also introduced rod-less type flexible pneumatic cylinders for lightweight, deformable robot arms (2006, 2 citations), and a pneumatic bending soft-actuator (2005, 7 citations) for versatile applications. Though his citation counts are modest, Matsushita’s work is notable for its early and sustained focus on safety and compliance in robotics—principles now central to human-robot interaction. His research has influenced the development of soft, inherently safe actuators, making him a key figure in the evolution of gentle, human-centric robotic systems.