S. Maekawa

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

S. Maekawa is a pioneering roboticist whose research bridges the domains of unconventional locomotion and advanced medical visualization. Maekawa’s most influential work, the 2006 paper on a spherical rolling robot equipped with a gyro (58 citations), tackles the fundamental challenge of controlling both position and attitude in a non-holonomic system. By deriving kinematic and dynamic models for a novel gyroscopic drive mechanism, Maekawa provided a foundational framework for a class of robots that are inherently stable and agile, inspiring subsequent work in inspection and exploration robotics. This contribution stands as a key reference in the field of spherical robot control. Expanding into human-robot interaction, Maekawa’s 2012 work on robot-assisted medical visualization (3 citations) introduces a novel approach to accessing volumetric medical data. By proposing the use of floating images—undistorted real images projected at the correct anatomical location—Maekawa offers a compelling solution for in-situ surgical guidance, aiming to enhance a surgeon’s spatial understanding. This work demonstrates a commitment to translating robotic principles into tangible clinical tools, marking Maekawa as an innovator who moves from fundamental mechanics to applied medical technology.