Service Robotics and Mechatronics

Keiichi Shirase is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kobe University, Kobe, Japan. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kobe University in 1984, and received a DrEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kobe University in 1989. He was a research associate in the Department of Mechanical System Engineering of Kanazawa University from 1984 to 1996. He moved to Osaka University, and was an associate professor from 1996 to 2003. Then, he moved to Kobe University in 2003 as a professor. He is a member of ASME, JSME and JSPE (Japanese Society of Precision Engineering), and contributes to the technical activities as a committee member of JSME and JSPE. His current research interests are Autonomous Machine Tools, Mechatronics, and Human Oriented Manufacturing Systems. Seiji Aoyagi is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kansai University, Osaka, Japan. He received his BEng, MEng, and PhD in precision machinery engineering from the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, in 1986, 1988, and 1994, respectively. From 1988 to 1995, he was with the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering of Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan, as a research associate and as an associate professor. He then moved to Kansai University and was an associate professor from 1996 to 2002. His current research interests are Robotics, Mechatronics, and MEMS.

Designing Mobile Work Machines in Cyber Space.- Proposal of 3D Micro Prototyping Using Synchrotron Radiation and Its Application to Bio-Microsystems.- Surgical Tool Based Preoperative Planning System for Total Hip Arthroplasty.- A Trial of Numerical Calculation of Wear for Artificial Hip Joints.- A Non-Invasive Method to Measure Joint Range of Motion for Hip Joints.- Robot Task of Pin Insertion to a Hole without Chamfering and with Small Clearance Using Fuzzy Control.- Disassembly Support System for Used Products Considering Destruction of their Parts.- The Discriminative Method of the Insertion Using a Cantilever Model for the Optical Fiber Array Automatic Assemble.- Application of the Active Flexible Fixture to a Peg-in-Hole Task.- Hydraulic and Pneumatic Control.- Comparison of Tracking Controllers of Hydraulic Cylinder Drive by Simulations.- Development of a Hybrid Position/Force Controlled Hydraulic Parallel Robot for Impact Treatment.- Modeling and Control of Water Hydraulic Driven Parallel Robot.- Rehabilitation and Orthosis Systems.- Development of Intelligent Ankle-Foot Orthosis (i-AFO) with MR Fluid Brake and Control System for Gait Control.- Development of Force-Measurable Grip and Software for 'PLEMO', Rehabilitation System for Upper Limbs Based on Physical Therapy.- Mechanism Design and Software of Quasi-3-DOF Active-Passive Rehabilitation System for Upper Limbs, 'Hybrid-PLEMO'.- 6-DOF Stand-Alone Rehabilitation System 'Robotherapist' and its Applications to Stroke Patients.- Development of Grip Mechanism Assistant Device for Finger Rehabilitation.- Development and Evaluation of a Centaur Robot.- Motion Simulation for a Stance Robot by Repeatedly Direct Kinematics.- Manipulation Method Using Wheeled-Hand Mechanism for Humanoid Robot.- Study on One-legged Robot Jumping.- Remote Control Support System for R/C Helicopter.- Finite-Time Settling Control Restraining Amplitude of Control Input by Linear Programming.- Robust Control of Mechanical Systems with Nonlinear Friction Considering Compliance of Transmission Mechanism.- Size Reduction and Performance Improvement of Automatic Discharge Gap Controller for Curved Hole Electrical Discharge Machining.- Design of a Motion Platform for a Mobile Machine Simulator by Utilizing 6-D Measurements and Inverse Dynamics Analysis.- A Position Measurement Method for a Miniature Mobile Robot Using Three Moving Landmarks.- Transport Equipment Positioning System Using Accelerometer and PHS.- A Four-Legged Robot Connected to Ubiquitous Devices in a Home.- Development of Invisible Mark and Its Application to a Home Robot.- Adaptive Polyhedral Subdivision for Image-Based Lighting.- Comparison of Driving Performance of Piezoelectric Actuator - Current Pulse Drive and Voltage Linear Drive.- Steady State Analysis of Gyroscopic Power Generator.- Characterization of Shape Memory Piezoelectric Actuator and Investigation of the Origin of the Imprint Electrical Field.- A Study on Real-Time Scheduling for Holonic Manufacturing Systems - Application of Reinforcement Learning.- Flexible Production Systems Developed and Utilized in DENSO CORPORATION and their Evaluation.- Promotion Methods of Job Redesigning for Elderly Workers on the Production Line.- Human-Oriented Dynamic Task Reallocation and Rescheduling in Cellular Manufacturing Systems.- Shape Data Registration Based on Structured Light Pattern Direction.- Object Tracking System Using Pan-Tilt Cameras and Arm Robot.- Influence of Reaching Actions on Driving Performance.- Measurement of a Car Driver’s Pulse Interval while Driving with One Hand.- Validation of Performances on Attendant Propelled Wheelchairs with Assisting Control Based on Autonomous Propelling Model.- Hierarchy Genetic Algorithm to Solve Multi-Objective Scheduling Problems Involving Various Types of Assignments for Parallel Processing System.- Productivity Analysis of Closed-Loop Manufacturing System Which Performs Maintenance Activities.- A Study on Optimization Method