Tomoya Takahashi
Tohoku University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meijo University, Omron (Japan)
Papers
10
Total Citations
118
H-Index
5
About
Tomoya Takahashi is a leading researcher in soft robotics, with a focus on developing novel mechanisms for exploration, manipulation, and rescue in confined or hazardous environments. His major contributions include pioneering eversion robotic systems that extend like a snake or plant tip, using hydraulic skeletons and inner skeletons to achieve both flexibility and high stiffness. He has also advanced tunable stiffness through radial-layer jamming, enabling soft structures to transition between compliant and rigid states for applications in adaptive grippers and haptic interfaces. His work on the soft torus robot with a hydrostatic skeleton introduced retraction capabilities critical for search-and-rescue missions. With over 100 citations across his top papers, his impact is evident in both foundational research and practical deployment—his heterogeneous robot team won the World Robot Summit 2020 plant disaster prevention challenge. More recently, he developed the SCU-Hand, a soft conical universal robotic hand for scooping granular media, and a self-healing soft robotic blood vessel mechanism, demonstrating his continued innovation in addressing fundamental soft robot vulnerabilities.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Radial-Layer Jamming Mechanism for String Configuration28 citations · 2020
- 3Retraction Mechanism of Soft Torus Robot With a Hydrostatic Skeleton18 citations · 2020
- 4
- 5An Optimization Approach for Underactuated Running Robot7 citations · 2006
- 6
- 7
- 8Rescue motion generation Interface for Pet Robots3 citations · 2004
- 9
- 10Soft Robotic Blood Vessel Mechanism to Realize Self-Healing Function2 citations · 2020