Susumu Tachi

About

Susumu Tachi is a pioneering Japanese roboticist and human-interface researcher whose career spans four decades of transformative work at the intersection of telexistence, haptics, and assistive robotics. Perhaps best known for conceptualizing **telexistence** — the idea that a human operator can project their presence and bodily consciousness into a remote robot — Tachi laid the theoretical groundwork as early as 1985 and continued refining it through landmark systems such as TELESAR V (2012, 93 citations), which enabled operators to genuinely perceive sensory feedback through a surrogate anthropomorphic robot. His contributions to haptic sensing are equally influential. The GelForce vision-based tactile sensor (2005, 197 citations; 2009, 174 citations) revolutionized how robotic hands measure real-time surface traction fields, bringing dexterous robotic manipulation meaningfully closer to reality. His early work on electrocutaneous communication for a guide dog robot (MELDOG, 1985, 129 citations) demonstrated a lifelong commitment to assistive technology for people with disabilities. Tachi also advanced humanoid robotics through Japan's Humanoid Robotics Project (HRP, 2004, 138 citations) and explored novel human-robot communication paradigms like RobotPHONE (2001, 102 citations). Collectively, his research has garnered nearly 1,200 citations across these landmark works, cementing his status as a foundational figure in immersive robotics and human-machine interaction.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Vision-based sensor for real-time measuring of surface traction fields

   197 citations · 2005
2. 2
   Finger-Shaped GelForce: Sensor for Measuring Surface Traction Fields for Robotic Hand

   174 citations · 2009
3. 3
   Humanoid robotics platforms developed in HRP

   138 citations · 2004
4. 4
   Electrocutaneous Communication in a Guide Dog Robot (MELDOG)

   129 citations · 1985
5. 5
   RobotPHONE

   102 citations · 2001
6. 6
   An Encounter-Type Multi-Fingered Master Hand Using Circuitous Joints

   100 citations · 2006
7. 7
   Design of TELESAR V for transferring bodily consciousness in telexistence

   93 citations · 2012
8. 8
   Tele-existence (I): Design and Evaluation of a Visual Display with Sensation of Presence

   85 citations · 1985
9. 9
   Telexistence cockpit for humanoid robot control

   78 citations · 2003
10. 10
    Optical torque sensors for implementation of local impedance control of the arm of humanoid robot

    63 citations · 2006

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links