Kiyoaki Kakihara
Papers
5
Total Citations
62
H-Index
4
About
Kiyoaki Kakihara is a leading researcher in assistive and mobile robotics, with a focus on omnidirectional mobility systems for healthcare and service applications. His work centers on developing novel drive mechanisms and control strategies that enable robots to move smoothly in any direction, even in tight or crowded spaces—a critical capability for hospital and caregiving environments. Kakihara’s most cited paper (31 citations) introduces a spur-gear-based differential drive steering system that allows omnidirectional robots to use normal tires, improving energy efficiency, vibration suppression, and obstacle traversal. He is also the creator of **Terapio**, a medical rounds-assistance robot (16 citations) that autonomously follows hospital staff while carrying supplies and recording data, demonstrating real-world deployment potential. His contributions extend to power-assisted omnidirectional wheelchairs with collision avoidance (8 citations), enhancing safety for elderly and disabled users, and a transformative nursing assistive robot (4 citations) that combines patient transfer with omnidirectional carrying. Through these innovations, Kakihara has advanced the practicality of omnidirectional robots in healthcare, making them safer, more intuitive, and better suited for daily assistance.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2Medical Round Robot – Terapio –16 citations · 2014
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