Takafumi Sonoura

About

Takafumi Sonoura is a leading robotics engineer whose work centers on human-robot interaction, autonomous navigation, and intelligent manipulation for service and logistics applications. His most influential contribution is the development of the person-following robot "ApriAttenda™," which uses vision-based target detection and sensor fusion to accompany individuals while safely avoiding obstacles—a foundational technology for companion and assistive robots. This work, published in 2006, has garnered over 100 citations and remains a key reference in the field. Sonoura has also made significant advances in industrial automation, designing a high-speed, compact depalletizing robot capable of handling complex, stacked packages in tight spaces, and a novel suction pad end effector using bellows pneumatic actuators for improved load-bearing. His research extends to collaborative shopping support systems, where mobile robots and environmental cameras work together to guide and transport goods for customers. With a portfolio of highly cited papers spanning human tracking, self-localization using omnidirectional cameras, and collision avoidance in dynamic environments, Sonoura has demonstrated sustained impact on both service robotics and industrial automation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Development of a Person Following Robot with Vision Based Target Detection

   106 citations · 2006
2. 2
   Person Following Robot with Vision-based and Sensor Fusion Tracking Algorithm

   33 citations · 2008
3. 3
   High-speed and compact depalletizing robot capable of handling packages stacked complicatedly

   23 citations · 2016
4. 4
   Suction pad unit using a bellows pneumatic actuator as a support mechanism for an end effector of depalletizing robots

   23 citations · 2020
5. 5
   Development of robotic transportation system - Shopping support system collaborating with environmental cameras and mobile robots -

   20 citations · 2010
6. 6
   Person Following Robot ApriAttenda

   13 citations · 2006
7. 7
   Mobile robot self-localization based on tracked scale and rotation invariant feature points by using an omnidirectional camera

   9 citations · 2010
8. 8
   Robotic transportation system for shopping support services

   4 citations · 2009
9. 9
   Reflective Collision Avoidance for Mobile Service Robot in Person Coexistence Environment

   4 citations · 2011
10. 10
    Obstacle Location Classification and Self-Localization by Using a Mobile Omnidirectional Camera Based on Tracked Floor Boundary Points and Tracked Scale-Rotation Invariant Feature Points

    2 citations · 2011

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links