Masao Tanaka
Papers
4
Total Citations
92
H-Index
3
About
Masao Tanaka is a pioneering researcher whose work bridges mechanical engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence. His primary research areas include flexible robot arm dynamics, truss-type robotic structures, and neural network-based motion planning. Tanaka’s most significant contribution is his foundational work on statically determinate truss-type flexible arms, where he demonstrated that by actively changing member lengths, a truss structure can function as a highly multiple-degree-of-freedom robotic arm—a concept that has influenced adaptive and reconfigurable robotics. His 1990 paper on dynamic analysis of a truss-type flexible robot arm, with 13 citations, remains a key reference in the field. Tanaka also advanced motion planning by integrating modular neural networks, enabling robots to acquire and represent motion criteria under kinematic constraints. Beyond robotics, he contributed to major clinical guidelines, co-authoring the 2020 ISGPS expert consensus on managing the pancreatic transection plane after distal pancreatectomy, which has garnered 73 citations. This dual expertise—spanning surgical protocols and robotic mechanics—underscores Tanaka’s interdisciplinary impact, inspiring both engineers and medical researchers to rethink the boundaries of flexible, intelligent systems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2Dynamic analysis of a truss-type flexible robot arm.13 citations · 1990
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