Hiroaki Yokoyama

Shimane University, University of Yamanashi

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Hiroaki Yokoyama’s research career bridges agricultural robotics and early computer vision, with a focus on autonomous systems for challenging outdoor environments. His most cited work, a 2009 study on a mowing robot for agricultural field borders, addresses the dangerous and labor-intensive task of weed mowing in summer. By developing a crawler-based robot capable of remote control or autonomous navigation, Yokoyama contributed practical solutions for farm safety and efficiency. Earlier, in 1986, he explored road environment understanding for mobile robots using the picture interpretation language PILS, tackling the limitations of silhouette-based image processing for complex gray-level outdoor scenes. Although his citation counts are modest—4 and 2 respectively—his work reflects an enduring commitment to applying robotics to real-world agricultural problems, long before precision farming became mainstream. Yokoyama’s efforts demonstrate how foundational research in autonomous navigation and image interpretation can evolve into tangible tools for industry, making him a notable figure in the niche but vital intersection of robotics and agriculture.