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About

Kayo Yoshimoto is a researcher whose work lies at the intersection of robotics, tactile sensing, and material science, with a particular focus on the complex behavior of viscoelastic materials. Her key research areas include robotic grasping, manipulation, and haptic feedback for medical applications. Yoshimoto’s major contributions center on developing models and methods to understand and control the interaction between robots and deformable, unknown objects. Her most cited work, "Active shaping of an unknown rheological object based on deformation decomposition into elasticity and plasticity" (44 citations), introduces a novel approach to actively mold viscoelastic materials by decomposing their deformation into elastic and plastic components. This foundational work is complemented by experimental studies on creep response and nonlinear viscoelastic contacts, which provide critical insights for improving robotic dexterity. Yoshimoto also explores tactile sensing for minimally invasive surgery, as seen in her work on a compound eye type tactile endoscope. Through her research, she has advanced the fundamental understanding of how robots can sense and shape soft, time-dependent materials, with implications for both industrial automation and medical robotics.