Nobuo Komatsu

About

Nobuo Komatsu’s research career centers on precision measurement and space robotics, with a particular focus on autonomous vehicle navigation and the dynamics of space manipulators. In his 2002 work, Komatsu introduced an innovative system for measuring a vehicle’s position and heading using laser beams and corner cube reflectors—a method that calculates location based on the timing of optical detections as the vehicle moves along a circular course. Although this paper has accumulated only 3 citations, it represents a foundational concept in laser-based localization. More notably, his 1995 paper on path planning for space manipulators proposed the Enhanced Disturbance Map, a novel approach to reducing dynamic disturbances to spacecraft attitude caused by robotic arm movements. By mapping the direction of joint motions, Komatsu’s method enables more stable and efficient manipulation in orbit. With a combined 6 citations across these key works, his contributions—though modest in citation count—demonstrate early, thoughtful engineering in two distinct fields. His work on disturbance mapping, in particular, offers a practical tool for researchers tackling the challenges of space-based robotics and autonomous systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Proposed position and heading measurement system using laser beams on the vehicle and corner cubes

   3 citations · 2002
2. 2
   Path planning for space manipulators using enhanced disturbance map

   3 citations · 1995

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links