Ichiro Kawabuchi
Papers
15
Total Citations
279
H-Index
9
About
Ichiro Kawabuchi is a pioneering roboticist whose work centers on dexterous humanoid robot hands, telexistence master-slave systems, and high-maneuverability wheeled robots. His most influential contribution is the development of an encounter-type multi-fingered master hand using "circuitous joints," a compact exoskeleton mechanism that enables wide workspace coverage and realistic force feedback for controlling dexterous slave hands in telexistence (100 citations). He has also made significant advances in stable fingertip pinching for humanoid hands, enabling delicate actions like picking up paper or a needle—a notoriously difficult challenge in robotics. His research on variable-structure wheeled robots has improved obstacle-climbing capabilities beyond traditional wheel radius limits. Kawabuchi’s work extends to designing both endoskeleton and exoskeleton robot hands, developing a 6-DOF telexistence visual system (TORSO), and creating a humanoid hand capable of performing sign language motions. With over 250 total citations, his contributions are foundational for researchers in humanoid robotics, haptic interfaces, and teleoperation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1An Encounter-Type Multi-Fingered Master Hand Using Circuitous Joints100 citations · 2006
- 2Pinching at Fingertips for Humanoid Robot Hand30 citations · 2005
- 3
- 4Stable pinching with fingertips in humanoid robot hand18 citations · 2005
- 5A Designing of Humanoid Robot Hands in Endo Skeleton and Exoskeleton Styles17 citations · 2007
- 6
- 7A humanoid robotic hand performing the sign language motions13 citations · 2004
- 8Mechanism of Humanoid Robot Arm with 7 DOFs Having Pneumatic Actuators12 citations · 2006
- 9Pinching with finger tips in humanoid robot hand9 citations · 2006
- 10Compact humanoid robotic hand with abduction-adduction fingers8 citations · 2003