Yoshiaki Katayama

About

Yoshiaki Katayama is a leading researcher in distributed computing, with a primary focus on the coordination and control of autonomous mobile robots. His work addresses fundamental challenges in multi-robot systems, particularly the "gathering problem"—the task of bringing dispersed robots to a common location without centralized control. Katayama’s major contributions include pioneering the use of dynamic and unreliable compass models, where robots have only imperfect or changing directional information. His seminal 2012 paper on the gathering problem for two oblivious robots with unreliable compasses (97 citations) established key impossibility and possibility results, showing that even with minimal sensing and memory, coordination is achievable under specific conditions. He also advanced the field by introducing "lights"—simple visual signals that enhance robot communication—as demonstrated in his 2017 work on optimal asynchronous rendezvous (13 citations). With over 250 total citations across his top papers, Katayama’s research has significantly influenced the design of fault-tolerant, scalable algorithms for robot swarms. His work on convergence under sensor inaccuracies (8 citations each) further addresses real-world constraints, making his findings highly relevant for practical applications in distributed robotics and autonomous systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The Gathering Problem for Two Oblivious Robots with Unreliable Compasses

   97 citations · 2012
2. 2
   Gathering Autonomous Mobile Robots with Dynamic Compasses: An Optimal Result

   50 citations · 2007
3. 3
   Dynamic Compass Models and Gathering Algorithms for Autonomous Mobile Robots

   45 citations · 2007
4. 4
   On Gathering Problem in a Ring for 2n Autonomous Mobile Robots

   14 citations · 2008
5. 5
   Brief Announcement: Optimal Asynchronous Rendezvous for Mobile Robots with Lights

   13 citations · 2017
6. 6
   Gathering problems for autonomous mobile robots with lights

   8 citations · 2022
7. 7
   The optimal tolerance of uniform observation error for mobile robot convergence

   8 citations · 2012
8. 8
   Convergence of Mobile Robots with Uniformly-Inaccurate Sensors

   8 citations · 2010
9. 9
   Stabilization, Safety, and Security of Distributed Systems

   7 citations · 2013
10. 10
    Gathering Problem of Two Asynchronous Mobile Robots with Semi-dynamic Compasses

    7 citations · 2008

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links