Masao Mori

Papers

Total Citations

396

H-Index

About

Masao Mori stands as a pioneering figure in biomimetic robotics, with his career defined by a remarkable decades-long dedication to snake-inspired locomotion systems. Building on foundational work that began as early as 1972, Mori has been instrumental in developing the Active Cord Mechanism (ACM), a sophisticated family of snake-like robots that replicate the remarkable versatility of serpentine movement. His research explores how a single flexible body structure can simultaneously function as both manipulator and locomotor — capable of grasping objects through coiling and traversing terrain through undulating motion. His most celebrated contribution, the ACM-R3, introduced true three-dimensional mobility to snake robotics, incorporating passive wheels that mimic the anisotropic friction properties of snake skin, enabling complex maneuvers including lateral rolling and serpentine navigation across uneven surfaces. This work, published between 2002 and 2005, has collectively attracted nearly 400 citations, demonstrating its lasting influence on the field. Mori's research has laid critical groundwork for practical applications in search-and-rescue operations, industrial inspection, and medical robotics, inspiring generations of researchers pursuing flexible, adaptive robotic systems capable of navigating environments inaccessible to conventional machines.