Papers
2
Total Citations
28
H-Index
2
About
Kana Kotaka is a leading researcher in the field of quadrupedal robotics, with a primary focus on developing robust, dynamic locomotion controllers for rough terrain. Her most impactful work centers on enabling stiff-by-nature robots to achieve compliant, agile movements, a significant departure from traditional, force-controlled designs. In her highly cited 2013 paper (23 citations), Kotaka introduced a pioneering control framework that synthesizes two distinct controllers to realize cyclic, actively-compliant jumping and trotting. This work demonstrated that even rigid-legged robots could achieve the dynamic balance and adaptability required for traversing uneven ground, a key challenge in the field. Complementing this theoretical advance, Kotaka led the prototype development of the RoboCat-1 quadruped, a custom-built, electrically-actuated platform used to validate her real-time trot-running algorithms. Her contributions are foundational for the next generation of high-speed, resilient legged robots, bridging the gap between stiff actuation and the compliant behavior essential for practical, real-world locomotion.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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