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About

Hiroyuki Kaneko is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of humanoid locomotion, dynamic motion control, and disaster-response robotics. His research has fundamentally advanced how legged robots move, balance, and adapt in complex real-world environments. Kaneko's early contributions focused on biped locomotion control, most notably his integrated balance control framework for running robots, which addressed the challenging problem of stabilizing upper body position under varying vertical ground reaction forces — a paper that has garnered 86 citations. Building on this foundation, he pioneered dynamic gait transition algorithms enabling robots to seamlessly shift between walking, running, hopping, and even quadrupedal locomotion, work that collectively reflects his commitment to creating versatile, resilient robotic movement. Perhaps his most tangible impact lies in disaster-response robotics. Kaneko played a central role in developing the experimental legged robot and its successor, the humanoid E2-DR, purpose-built to navigate industrial facilities — climbing ladders, traversing narrow passages, and performing maintenance in hazardous environments. With over 61 citations, the E2-DR development paper underscores the real-world urgency of his research agenda. His body of work represents an essential reference for researchers advancing autonomous humanoid robots in safety-critical applications.