Papers
26
Total Citations
354
H-Index
8
About
Yutaka Tanaka is a robotics researcher whose work spans mobile robotics, autonomous navigation, and intelligent manipulation systems. His research is particularly distinguished by contributions to mobile manipulator motion planning, where his 2003 study on maintaining manipulability in redundant systems — treating a mobile base as extra manipulator joints — has garnered 71 citations and remains a foundational reference in the field. Equally influential is his work on omnidirectional vehicle odometry using optical flow, which improved navigation reliability for Mecanum-wheel platforms and earned 70 citations. Tanaka has made significant strides in disaster robotics, developing three-dimensional localization and mapping techniques for crawler-type robots operating in collapsed structures — critical capabilities for urban search and rescue missions. His investigations into sensor-based navigation using generalized Voronoi graphs advanced path-planning strategies for non-holonomic, car-like robots. He has also explored dual-arm mobile manipulation for human-coexistence environments and electro-rheological fluid actuators for flexible robotic fingers, demonstrating a broad technical range. With over 290 cumulative citations across his most notable works, Tanaka's research consistently addresses real-world deployment challenges, making his contributions highly relevant to researchers developing autonomous and disaster-response robotic systems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Motion planning for mobile manipulator with keeping manipulability71 citations · 2003
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- 8Mobile Robot with Floor Tracking Device for Localization and Control10 citations · 2007
- 9Long-Term Activities for Autonomous Mobile Robot8 citations · 2006
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