Isaku Nagai
Papers
52
Total Citations
275
H-Index
9
About
Isaku Nagai is a robotics researcher whose work spans mobile robot locomotion, visual navigation, bio-inspired underwater systems, and aerial vehicles. His research consistently tackles the challenge of enabling robots to operate effectively in complex, real-world environments — from loose planetary soil to multi-story buildings and underwater ecosystems. Nagai's most-cited contribution (18 citations) pioneered a telecentric camera-based visual odometry system for wheeled robots navigating loose soil, with direct applications in planetary exploration. He has made significant strides in mobile robot localization, developing practical path-tracking methods using downward-facing cameras that avoid computationally intensive feature-point extraction, and early floor-tracking devices for real-time robot control. His work on stair-climbing cleaning robots addresses a persistent gap in domestic robotics — the inability to navigate three-dimensional living spaces — earning multiple citations across several studies. Beyond ground robotics, Nagai has explored bio-inspired underwater vehicles modeled on manta ray locomotion, offering quieter alternatives to screw-propeller AUVs for ecological research. He has also contributed to UAV control, designing feedback linearization systems for tiltable coaxial-rotor drones. With over 100 cumulative citations, Nagai represents a versatile and practically oriented voice in modern robotics engineering.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Study on mobile mechanism for a stair cleaning robot - Design of translational locomotion mechanism12 citations · 2011
- 3Path tracking by a mobile robot equipped with only a downward facing camera12 citations · 2015
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- 7Mobile Robot with Floor Tracking Device for Localization and Control10 citations · 2007
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