Masaru Uchiyama

About

Masaru Uchiyama is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work has profoundly shaped the fields of multi-arm robot coordination, space robotics, and parallel robot design. Best known for his landmark contributions to cooperative robotic manipulation, Uchiyama developed innovative symmetric hybrid position/force control frameworks for two-robot systems — rejecting the conventional master/slave paradigm in favor of elegant, symmetric formulations that have garnered over 300 citations and become foundational references in the field. His theoretical groundwork in symmetric kinematic formulation, laid as early as 1992, enabled consistent and principled descriptions of cooperative tasks spanning forces, velocities, and positions. Beyond multi-arm systems, Uchiyama made significant strides in space robotics, developing model-based teleoperation strategies for the ETS-VII orbital manipulator that addressed the critical challenge of communication time delay — work cited nearly 170 times. His reaction null-space control concept elegantly addressed dynamic coupling in flexible-structure-mounted manipulators, while his singularity-consistent parameterization advanced robust robot motion planning. He also contributed early parallel robot design methodology and systematic force sensor optimization. Practical applications of his research extend to industrial automation, including robotic wire harness assembly in automotive production. Across more than two decades, Uchiyama's research has consistently bridged rigorous theory with real-world robotic challenges.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   A symmetric hybrid position/force control scheme for the coordination of two robots

   313 citations · 2003
2. 2
   Reaction null-space control of flexible structure mounted manipulator systems

   191 citations · 1999
3. 3
   Model-Based Space Robot Teleoperation of ETS-VII Manipulator

   169 citations · 2004
4. 4
   Hybrid position/Force control for coordination of a two-arm robot

   130 citations · 2005
5. 5
   A New Design of a 6-DOF Parallel Robot

   118 citations · 1990
6. 6
   Symmetric kinematic formulation and non-master/slave coordinated control of two-arm robots

   92 citations · 1992
7. 7
   Robotized Assembly of a Wire Harness in a Car Production Line

   79 citations · 2011
8. 8
   Moving Base Robotics and Reaction Management Control

   76 citations · 1996
9. 9
   Singularity-Consistent Parameterization of Robot Motion and Control

   66 citations · 2000
10. 10
    A Systematic Design Procedure to Minimize a Performance Index for Robot Force Sensors

    60 citations · 1991

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links