Yasumichi AIYAMA

About

Yasumichi Aiyama is a prominent robotics researcher whose work spans manipulation planning, robotic assembly systems, and multi-robot cooperation. Best known for pioneering the concept of "pivoting" — a groundbreaking graspless manipulation technique enabling robots to reposition objects without grasping them — his 2002 paper on the subject has garnered over 155 citations, establishing him as a leading voice in dexterous robot manipulation. Alongside this, his extensive work on graspless manipulation planning introduced computational frameworks that significantly reduced the complexity of contact-state analysis. Aiyama has made equally influential contributions to reconfigurable assembly systems, with his "Plug and Produce" architecture (154 citations) enabling flexible, autonomous manufacturing environments where robotic devices self-organize around production tasks. His holonic architecture for assembly systems further advanced this vision of adaptable industrial robotics. Beyond single-robot systems, Aiyama has explored multi-robot cooperative transport, addressing nonholonomic constraints and torque limitations in mobile robot groups. His involvement in the World Robot Summit's Assembly Challenge underscores his commitment to bridging research and real-world industrial application. Through citations exceeding 600 across his most recognized works, Aiyama's research continues to shape modern intelligent manufacturing and robotic manipulation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Pivoting: A new method of graspless manipulation of object by robot fingers

   155 citations · 2002
2. 2
   Agile Assembly System by “Plug and Produce”

   154 citations · 2000
3. 3
   Assembly Challenge: a robot competition of the Industrial Robotics Category, World Robot Summit – summary of the pre-competition in 2018

   69 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Design and experiment of a universal two-fingered hand with soft fingertips based on jamming effect

   49 citations · 2018
5. 5
   A holonic architecture for easy reconfiguration of robotic assembly systems

   46 citations · 2003
6. 6
   Cooperative transportation by two four-legged robots with implicit communication

   39 citations · 1999
7. 7
   Planning of graspless manipulation by multiple robot fingers

   38 citations · 2002
8. 8
   Cooperative transport system with regrasping car-like mobile robots

   33 citations · 2002
9. 9
   Cooperative transport with regrasping of torque-limited mobile robots

   23 citations · 2002
10. 10
    Environmental support method for mobile robots using visual marks with memory storage

    19 citations · 2003

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links