Shigeo Hirose
- Associated organizations
- Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Fields of study
- Robotics
- Awards
- IEEE Robotics and Automation Award
Biography
Shigeo Hirose’s unique approach to robot development has positioned him as a leading designer of snake-like and multilegged robots. Dr. Hirose is considered the founder of “biologically inspired” robots that demonstrate the types of movement found in naturally occurring biological systems. His pioneering work in snake-like locomotion began in 1972 when he was the first to demonstrate smooth, undulating motion of a snake-like robot. He developed the first terrain-adaptive quadruped walking robot, which can walk on stairs by using tactical sensors on its soles. Dr. Hirose’s snake-like and crawler-type robots are suited for areas deemed too dangerous for humans. His robots have been used for search and rescue missions, detecting and clearing landmines, and inspecting high-voltage power lines.
An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Hirose is professor emeritus of Tokyo Institute of Technology and chief technology officer of HiBot Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Hirose was the recipient of the 2014 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award.
