Hiroshi Ikeda

Papers

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About

Hiroshi Ikeda is a pioneering researcher in space robotics and evolvable hardware systems. His work centers on autonomous robotic motion estimation and real-time adaptive control using reconfigurable computing. Ikeda's most influential contribution, "Estimation of general three-dimensional motion of an unknown rigid body under no external forces and moments" (1994, 8 citations), introduced a visual-based method for predicting the motion of unknown objects in space—critical for autonomous satellite servicing and debris removal missions. This approach assumes no prior knowledge of geometric or inertial parameters, making it uniquely suited for uncooperative targets in orbit. In a striking demonstration of bio-inspired engineering, Ikeda's 2003 paper "Artificial evolution of FPGA that controls a miniature mobile robot Khepera" (5 citations) showed how a field programmable gate array (FPGA) could be evolved using a microbial genetic algorithm to control a real robot in real time. This work bridged evolutionary computation and hardware design, proving that adaptive controllers can emerge from artificial evolution rather than manual programming. Though his citation counts are modest, Ikeda's research laid foundational groundwork for autonomous space robotics and evolvable hardware—fields now central to modern space exploration and adaptive systems.