Kazuhiro Funato
Papers
4
Total Citations
43
H-Index
3
About
Kazuhiro Funato is a pioneering roboticist whose work sits at the intersection of omnidirectional mobility and healthcare automation. His research focuses on developing intelligent mobile robots and assistive systems that enhance mobility in constrained environments, with a particular emphasis on nursing and hospital applications. Funato’s most notable contribution is the design of a novel differential drive steering system (DDSS) using spur gears, which enables omnidirectional robots to navigate narrow or crowded spaces while retaining the ride comfort and obstacle-surmounting capability of normal tires—a breakthrough cited 31 times. He has also advanced human-robot interaction through a person-tracking system that fuses inertial measurement units with laser range finders, allowing a mobile robot to follow medical workers while avoiding occlusions. In the domain of nursing care, Funato designed a transformative assistive robot that combines a power-assist transfer lift with omnidirectional carrying, addressing critical challenges in patient mobility. His work on smart hospitals, detailed in a 2022 chapter, outlines next-generation care systems that leverage cyber-physical technologies to improve hospital efficiency. With a growing citation footprint, Funato’s research is shaping the future of assistive robotics in healthcare.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Healthcare Robots and Smart Hospital Based on Human-Robot Interaction3 citations · 2022