Minayori KUMAMOTO
Papers
10
Total Citations
252
H-Index
6
About
Minayori Kumamoto is a pioneering researcher in biomechanics and robotics, whose career has been defined by a sustained investigation into the functional role of bi-articular muscles in human movement and their application to robotic systems. Working at the intersection of mechanical engineering, kinesiology, and neuroscience, Kumamoto's most influential contribution — "Control properties induced by the existence of antagonistic pairs of bi-articular muscles" (1994, 162 citations) — established a foundational mechanical engineering framework for understanding how muscles spanning two joints confer remarkable control advantages over single-joint actuators. Building on this, Kumamoto demonstrated through electromyographic analysis that antagonistic pairs of mono- and bi-articular muscles coordinate with remarkable precision during multidirectional arm movements, illuminating principles that evolution appears to have optimized in vertebrate limb design. A defining thread of Kumamoto's work is its translational ambition: these biological insights were systematically translated into robotic arm designs featuring a "muscle coordinate system," yielding manipulators with superior stiffness, viscoelastic properties, and trajectory control compared to conventional joint-driven robots. From jump-motion modeling to contact-task manipulation, Kumamoto's body of work — accumulating over 250 citations — offers both theoretical depth and engineering practicality, making it essential reading for researchers in biomechatronics, rehabilitation robotics, and motor control.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2Functional Coordination Control of Pairs of Antagonistic Muscles.24 citations · 1997
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- 7Coordination Control of Arm Using Antagonistic Actuators5 citations · 2002
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