Susumu Sawano

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Susumu Sawano is a pioneering figure in industrial robotics, with foundational contributions to automated manufacturing systems. His key research areas include robotic seam tracking, visual servo control, and intelligent automation for automotive assembly. Sawano's most notable work, "A sealing robot system with visual seam tracking" (1984), introduced a nine-degree-of-freedom robot equipped with a solid-state TV camera mounted at the hand, enabling real-time visual feedback to compensate for seam deviations in car body panel sealing. This system, with 23 citations, represents an early and influential integration of machine vision with robotic manipulation, addressing critical challenges in precision and adaptability for mass production. Sawano's research laid groundwork for modern visual servoing and adaptive robotic control, impacting both academic robotics and industrial practice. His work exemplifies the transition from fixed automation to sensor-guided, flexible manufacturing, inspiring subsequent advances in autonomous robotic systems for complex tasks.