Kenji Hata

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Kenji Hata is a leading researcher in haptics and soft robotics, with a focus on creating interactive surfaces that can dynamically alter their physical properties. His most notable contribution is the development of **Haptic Jamming** technology, a novel approach that uses particle jamming to control the shape and stiffness of deformable surfaces. In his seminal 2016 paper, "Closed-loop shape control of a Haptic Jamming deformable surface," Hata demonstrated a tactile display composed of an array of thin jamming cells that could simultaneously change shape and mechanical properties by combining vacuum control, air pressurization, and node pinning. This work, which has garnered over 40 citations, laid the foundation for adaptive haptic interfaces that respond to user input in real time. Hata's research bridges the gap between haptics, robotics, and human-computer interaction, offering promising applications in virtual reality, medical simulation, and assistive devices. His innovative approach to closed-loop control of deformable surfaces has been widely recognized for its potential to create more immersive and responsive tactile experiences, establishing him as a key figure in the field of soft haptic systems.