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About

Takakazu Funamoto’s research lies at the intersection of medical robotics, ultrasound imaging, and non-invasive therapy, with a central focus on advancing high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) systems for theragnostic applications. His most cited work, a 2011 phantom study on visual servoing for US-guided HIFU therapy, tackles the critical challenge of treating kidney tumors by tracking coagulated lesions despite respiratory motion and poor tumor visibility—a contribution that has garnered 22 citations and laid groundwork for real-time robotic guidance. Funamoto further extended this by developing biplane ultrasound-based, real-time volumetric target pose estimation methods, enabling precise tracking of moving targets during HIFU procedures. Beyond technical innovation, he has pioneered the concept of “technologizing and digitalizing” medical professional skills, systematically extracting and reconstructing expert techniques—such as kidney stone extraction—into robotic and digital systems. This work, published in 2012, bridges the gap between human expertise and autonomous medical robotics, aiming to replicate high-precision tasks that surpass human capability. Funamoto’s research is notable for its translational vision, directly addressing clinical barriers in non-invasive ultrasound theragnostic systems, and his publications reflect a sustained effort to make robotic HIFU therapy safer, more accurate, and clinically viable.