Masahiro WATANABE
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tohoku University, Tohoku University Hospital
Papers
29
Total Citations
382
H-Index
9
About
Masahiro Watanabe is a leading researcher in disaster robotics and soft robotics, specializing in mechanisms that enable robots to operate in extreme and confined environments. His major contributions span three key areas: aerial manipulation, variable stiffness grippers, and eversion (tip-extending) robots. In his highly cited 2015 work on an aerial manipulator with perching and door-opening capability (91 citations), he pioneered a drone that could physically interact with its environment to navigate through closed doors—a critical capability for search and rescue. His development of the fire-resistant deformable soft gripper using a wire jamming mechanism (2020, 35 citations) addressed a fundamental limitation of soft grippers in disaster scenarios by creating a heat-resistant, variable-stiffness hand. More recently, his work on eversion robotic mechanisms with hydraulic skeletons (2021, 33 citations) and radial-layer jamming for string configurations (2020, 28 citations) has advanced the field of soft, growing robots that can navigate debris and small spaces. He also led the development of the multifunctional rescue robot FUHGA2, which demonstrated its capabilities at the World Robot Summit 2018 (27 citations). His research consistently bridges the gap between soft and rigid robotics, creating tunable stiffness systems that combine adaptability with strength.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Aerial manipulator with perching and door-opening capability91 citations · 2015
- 2Fire-Resistant Deformable Soft Gripper Based on Wire Jamming Mechanism35 citations · 2020
- 3
- 4Radial-Layer Jamming Mechanism for String Configuration28 citations · 2020
- 5
- 6Retraction Mechanism of Soft Torus Robot With a Hydrostatic Skeleton18 citations · 2020
- 7
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- 9
- 10