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About

Hugo A. Akitaya is a researcher working at the intersection of computational geometry, mathematical origami, and modular robotics. His most recognized contributions lie in the theoretical foundations of origami mechanics, particularly the computational complexity of rigid foldability — the question of whether a crease pattern can be folded continuously without bending the paper's flat regions. In a landmark 2018 paper, Akitaya and collaborators proved that deciding rigid foldability is NP-hard, establishing foundational limits on what algorithms can efficiently solve in origami design. This work, accumulating around 10 citations across related versions, has meaningful implications for engineering applications such as deployable structures and self-folding materials. Beyond origami theory, Akitaya has contributed to modular robotics reconfiguration, developing efficient algorithms and hardness results for pivoting hexagonal modules in grid configurations, as well as universal reconfiguration strategies for square-grid modular robots using a minimal set of helper modules. He has also ventured into applied robotics, co-developing a cost-effective autonomous robot for UV-C disinfection in response to COVID-19. Taken together, his work reflects a versatile research profile that bridges elegant theoretical complexity results with practical robotic systems design.