Kouetsu Tanaka

About

Kouetsu Tanaka is a pioneering researcher in autonomous mobile robotics, with a particular focus on vision-based navigation systems and construction robotics. His most influential work centers on developing navigation systems that recognize ceiling landmarks—specifically air-conditioning vents (anemo)—enabling robots to reliably determine their position and orientation in indoor environments. By leveraging ceiling features that remain unobstructed, Tanaka’s approach overcomes a key limitation of floor-based landmark systems. His contributions include the application of fuzzy template matching (FTM) and robust position/orientation control using plus and minus primitives, with his landmark 2002 paper earning 43 citations. Beyond navigation, Tanaka has advanced construction robotics, notably developing a marking robot for ceiling boards at building sites, as well as an air conditioning equipment inspection robot. His work on pipeline maintenance robots, including the Mark V with a lazy tongs mechanism, further demonstrates his versatility. With over 100 citations across his most-cited papers, Tanaka’s research has laid foundational groundwork for practical, vision-guided autonomous systems in complex, real-world environments.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Navigation system based on ceiling landmark recognition for autonomous mobile robot

   43 citations · 2002
2. 2
   Navigation system based on ceiling landmark recognition for autonomous mobile robot-landmark detection based on fuzzy template matching (FTM)

   26 citations · 2002
3. 3
   Navigation system based on ceiling landmark recognition for autonomous mobile robot -position/orientation control by landmark recognition with plus and minus primitives

   15 citations · 2002
4. 4
   Development of Marking Robot Working at Building Sites

   6 citations · 1995
5. 5
   Development of a Construction Robot for Marking on Ceiling Boards

   5 citations · 1997
6. 6
   Development of air conditioning equipment inspection robot with vision based navigation system

   5 citations · 1994
7. 7
   Navigation System for Air Conditioning Equipment Inspection Robot

   5 citations · 1995
8. 8
   Development of a Construction Robot for Marking on Ceiling Boards. 3rd Report. Prototype of the Laser Pointer System.

   4 citations · 2003
9. 9
   Development of a Construction Robot for Marking on Ceiling Boards.

   3 citations · 1996
10. 10
    Study on Autonomous Pipeline Maintenance Robot. 9th Report, Mechanism and Control Method of Mark V Robot with Lazy Tongs Mechanism.

    3 citations · 1994

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links