Yasuo Kitaaki

Mitsubishi Corporation (United States), Mitsubishi Electric (Japan)

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Yasuo Kitaaki is a leading researcher in industrial robotics, specializing in the automation of complex assembly tasks involving flexible linear objects. His primary research areas include 3D vision sensing, force control, and robotic manipulation of cables and connectors—components that have traditionally posed significant challenges to full automation in electronics manufacturing. Kitaaki’s major contribution lies in developing integrated robotic systems that can autonomously handle, extract, and assemble flexible cables with connectors, a critical bottleneck in production. His pioneering work, such as the 2011 paper on a production robot system for cable and connector assembly (27 citations), demonstrates practical solutions using proprietary 3-D range sensors and monocular cameras for real-time alignment. Another influential study (11 citations) further advances connector recognition as a single component, while his 2010 work on 3-D sensing for flexible linear object alignment (9 citations) established foundational methods for robot cell production. Kitaaki’s innovations have directly enabled more reliable, cost-effective automation in the electronics industry, making him a key figure in bridging the gap between research and practical manufacturing.