Takeru Tomita
Papers
5
Total Citations
49
H-Index
4
About
Takeru Tomita is a robotics researcher whose work centers on the design and development of bio-inspired robotic systems for infrastructure inspection, with a particular focus on peristaltic locomotion applied to sewer and pipeline environments. Drawing inspiration from the crawling mechanics of earthworms, Tomita has made significant contributions to solving one of civil engineering's most persistent challenges: the safe, efficient inspection of small-diameter and long-distance underground pipes susceptible to aging and structural failure. His most influential work, published in 2016 and accumulating 19 citations, introduced a peristaltic crawling robot capable of navigating the complex geometries of sewer pipe networks, addressing limitations that rendered existing inspection devices inadequate for pipes under 100mm in diameter. A closely related 2015 study, cited 17 times, laid foundational groundwork for this locomotion strategy within real-world pipeline infrastructure. Tomita has further refined these systems by investigating odometry methods to map pipe geometries using onboard sensors, and by developing cable-management attachments to minimize friction in curved pipe sections. Collectively, his research addresses critical public safety concerns around road subsidence and infrastructure degradation, offering practical robotic solutions with meaningful real-world applications.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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