Yuzuko C. Nakamura

Carnegie Mellon University, Japan Science and Technology Agency

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About

Yuzuko C. Nakamura is a researcher whose work sits at the intersection of robotics, human motor control, and cognitive science, with a primary focus on understanding and categorizing the complex ways humans grasp objects in everyday life. Her most significant contribution is the development of a comprehensive taxonomy of everyday grasps, detailed in her highly cited 2014 paper, which has garnered 53 citations. This work critically evaluated existing grasp taxonomies by analyzing how well they captured the full range of grasping actions observed in natural, unstructured environments, revealing important gaps and providing a more complete framework for both robotic manipulation and human movement studies. By bridging the gap between controlled laboratory studies and real-world behavior, Nakamura’s taxonomy has become a foundational reference for researchers designing more dexterous robotic hands and studying human motor skill. Her earlier work on synthesizing robot behaviors through parameterized sensor-to-motor maps demonstrates a sustained interest in the computational principles underlying skilled action. Through her detailed, empirical approach to everyday grasping, Nakamura has provided an essential tool for understanding one of the most fundamental yet complex human actions, directly informing the next generation of autonomous systems.