Biography

Publication

• Publication list is here

Work Experience

• Oct. 2021 – Today　Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University. (Lab: Space Robotics Laboratory)

  Lecture (Tohoku University)

  • Apr. 2022 – Today　Laboratory Experiment I: for undergraduates
  • Oct. 2021 – Today　Seminar I: for undergraduates
  • Oct. 2021 – Today　Seminar II: for undergraduates
  • Oct. 2021 – Today　Creative Engineering Training: for undergraduates

• Nov. 2019 – Oct. 2020　Research Intern, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich (Zürich, Switzerland).

• Apr. 2019 – Sep. 2021　JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists DC1

• Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019　Software Engineer Intern, ispace inc.

Academic Activity Experience

Activity Experience

• Oct. 2024 – Dec. 2025　General Secretary & Local Chair, International Conference on Space Robotics (iSpaRo), 2025.

• Oct. 2024 – Dec. 2025　Workshop Co-organizer: “Climbing Robotics”, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2025.

• Aug. 2025　Scientific Committee Member, Space Robotics Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Space Mission Challenges for Information Technology / Space Computing Conference (SMC-IT/SCC), 2025.

• Sep. 2024　Special Session Co-organizer: “Space Autonomy”, IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE), 2024.

• Dec. 2023 – Jun. 2024　Technical Committee Member, International Conference on Space Robotics (iSpaRo), 2024.

• 2019 – Present　Paper Reviewer for IEEE/RSJ IROS, IEEE ICRA, IEEE RA-L, IEEE T-MECH, iSpaRo, IEEE/SII, Space Science Review, Advanced. Robotics, Science Robotics, etc.

Society

• JSME (The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences)

• RSJ (The Robotics Society of Japan)

• JSASS (The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers)

• SICE (The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers)

• IEEE

Education

• Oct. 2018 – Sep. 2021　Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering @Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan)

  Thesis: “Autonomous Limbed Climbing Robots for Challenging Terrain Exploration”, GPA: 4.00/4.00

• Oct. 2018 – Sep. 2021　M.S. in Aerospace Engineering @Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan)

  Thesis: “Autonomous Limbed Climbing Robots for Challenging Terrain Exploration”, GPA: 4.00/4.00

• Apr. 2013 – Sep. 2016　B.S. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering @Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan)

  Thesis: “Gait Planning for a Free-Climbing Robot in Consideration of the Gripping Forces”, GPA: 3.39/4.00

• Apr. 2010 – Mar. 2013　Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School (Sapporo, Japan)

Funding

Principal Investigator

• Apr. 2023 – Mar. 2026　　Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI).

  • “Dynamically Stable Legged Climbing Locomotion by Grasping Performance Evaluation”

• Apr. 2023 – Mar. 2025　　NSK Foundation for Advancement of Mechatronics

  • “Development of a Multimodal Mobile Robot using a Transformable Unit between a Wheel and Gripper”

• Apr. 2023 – Mar. 2024　　JKA Research Grant for Young Researchers

  • “Research and Development of a Climbing Robot with the Application of a Pin-Array Gripping Mechanism”

• Apr. 2019 – Mar. 2022　　Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI).

  • “Autonomous Gait Control for a Free-Climbing Robot in Consideration of the Terrain Information and the Gripping Mechanics”

Co-Investigator

• Apr. 2024 – Feb. 2025　　Sasakawa Research Aid, The Japan Science Society.

  • “Efficient Debris Removal in Water by a Small Floating Based Dual-Arm Robot ”

• Jan. 2023 – TBD　JCN/JST Moonshot Research and Development Program (Goal 3)： Self-evolving AI Robot System for Lunar Exploration and Human Outpost Construction (Project Manager: Prof. Kazuya Yoshida)

  • “Modular and Multiagent Robot System”

Academic Grant

• Apr. 2019 – Sep. 2021　　Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Research Fellowships for Young Scientists, Doctoral Course (DC1), Japan.

• Oct. 2018 – Sep. 2021　　Tohoku University GP-mech Program, Japan.

• Apr. 2018　Society for Promotion of Space Science, Japan.

Award

• Jan. 2022　Young Encouragement Award Excellence Award, JSASS.

• Sep. 2021　The 24th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots and the Support Technologies for Mobile Machines (CLAWAR), The Highly Commended Paper, 2021. (For the excellent paper in the conference) NEW

• Mar. 2020　The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers Tohoku Chapter, The Best Presentation Award (For the most excellent presentation in the 328th SICE Tohoku chapter workshop)

• Mar. 2019　The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering (JSME), Miura Award (For the most excellent student in personality and academic learning in each department)

Patent

• Masahiro Uda, Kenta Sawa, Takuya Kato, Kentaro Uno, “End-Effector and Robot”, 特願2023-102850, June 22nd, 2023.

• Takuya Kato, Kentaro Uno, “Gripping Mechanism”, PCT/JP2022/021947, May 30th, 2022.

Outreaching Activities

• Apr. 4, 2022　Guest lecturer for “Space Robotics Training Programme” organized by Spacenova, India.

Joint Research Partnerships (Past and Current)

• Robotics Systems Lab., Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich (Zürich, Switzerland)

• JAXA Human Spaceflight Technology Center

• Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

• AI inside

• TOYOTA Motor Corporation

• Amulapo

Hobby

• Winter sport (skiing, snowboarding)

• Coffee

• Play with my daughter