Yuji Otsuka

Kyushu Institute of Technology, Shibaura Institute of Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Yuji Otsuka is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics, artificial consciousness, and soft matter physics. His work is defined by two distinct yet innovative threads: the computational modeling of animal-like behavior and the development of autonomous, chemically-driven soft actuators. In his highly influential 2002 paper, "Imitation of animal behavior with use of a model of consciousness-behavior relation for a small robot" (13 citations), Otsuka proposed a groundbreaking hierarchical model linking consciousness to behavior, enabling small robots to mimic animal actions without complex programming. This early work laid a conceptual foundation for designing robots with subjective, lifelike worlds. More recently, Otsuka has made a striking contribution to soft robotics with his 2022 study, "Periodical propagation of torsion in polymer gels" (7 citations). Here, he demonstrated a hydrogel actuator capable of periodic torsional motion powered solely by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky chemical reaction—eliminating the need for batteries or external circuits. This achievement represents a significant step toward truly autonomous, energy-autonomous soft robots. Otsuka’s career bridges cognitive science and materials engineering, offering novel pathways for creating machines that are both behaviorally rich and energetically self-sufficient.