Tsuneo Yoshikawa
Papers
77
Total Citations
5,469
H-Index
19
About
Tsuneo Yoshikawa stands as one of the most influential figures in robotic manipulation and control theory, whose foundational contributions have shaped modern robotics research for decades. Best known for his landmark 1985 paper "Manipulability of Robotic Mechanisms," which has accumulated over 2,500 citations, Yoshikawa introduced the concept of manipulability — a mathematically elegant measure of a robot's ability to position and orient its end-effector — a framework that remains indispensable in robotics education and design today. His 1987 work on task-priority redundancy control, cited over 1,000 times, revolutionized how researchers approach inverse kinematics in redundant manipulators by introducing hierarchical subtask prioritization. Yoshikawa further advanced the field through his rigorous treatment of multi-robot coordination, grasping dynamics, and hybrid position-force control, demonstrating consistent mastery across both theoretical and applied robotics. His 1990 textbook, *Foundations of Robotics*, distilled these insights into an accessible graduate-level resource. Later contributions extended his reach into space robotics and grasp optimization. Across his career, Yoshikawa exemplifies how deep mathematical insight, applied thoughtfully, can define an entire subfield of engineering.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Manipulability of Robotic Mechanisms2,516 citations · 1985
- 2Task-Priority Based Redundancy Control of Robot Manipulators1,002 citations · 1987
- 3Foundations of Robotics348 citations · 1990
- 4Dynamics and Stability in Coordination of Multiple Robotic Mechanisms335 citations · 1989
- 5
- 6Multifingered robot hands: Control for grasping and manipulation145 citations · 2010
- 7A New End-effector for On-orbit Assembly of a Large Reflector132 citations · 2006
- 8Grasping Optimization Using a Required External Force Set73 citations · 2007
- 9Translational and Rotational Manipulability of Robotic Manipulators54 citations · 1990
- 10Passive and Active Closures by Constraining Mechanisms44 citations · 1999