EEIS 東京大学大学院 工学系研究科 電気系工学専攻

KUBOTA Takashi Professor

Sagamihara Campus

Space Engineering & Control Technology
Intelligent robotics
Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
Control engineering/System engineering
Aerospace engineering

Space exploration and frontier development with smart exploration robots

We are researching the intelligence of the space spacecraft (robot). Make the environmental recognition, action plan, and mechanisms wiser and use it for space exploration, such as the moon, Mars, and asteroid exploration.

Research field 1

Environmental understanding by robot vision

In order to realize an exploration in an unknown environment, it is necessary to understand the environment. Because of communication time delay between the earth and other planets, it is possible to achieve a real-time judgment and efficient movement exploration, by on-board computers equipped with a spacecraft. To explore the moon or planets in detail, therefore, we are conducting such research as vision systems, image processing, environmental recognition, terrain geological maps building, obstacles extraction, natural topographic recognition, image tracking, and environmental understanding, etc.
Research field 2

Moving mechanism of lunar or planetary exploration rover

It is important to move safely and flexibly in unknown natural terrain. It is required to run through various terrain without stacking in the sandy land. A mobile mechanism according to the environment, such as the low -gravity moon, Mars, and asteroids, which are micro -gravity, are also required. Therefore, we are conducting research on the mechanism of wheel -type robot that runs on soft soil, a leg -type robot with a high running performance, subsurface exploration robot, a new movement mechanism under micro -gravity, and a ultra -small and light insect -type robot,etc.
Research field 3

Autonomous exploration robot system with artificial intelligence

We are conducting research on artificial intelligence to autonomously explore the moon, Mars, and asteroids, which are unknown environments. Therefore, we are conduction such research as route planning methods that avoid obstacles and reach the destination, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), behavior strategy planning for efficient exploration, self-failed diagnostic method, terrain classification for driving in an unknown environment, learning functions that automatically generate optimal behavior, etc.
Research field 4

Intelligence exploration research for cooperation with multiple robots

Although the lager spacecrafts are required, the issue is to increase development costs and prolongal development periods. Therefore, by using multiple small exploration robots in the concept of reversal, we aim to build a new exploration scheme as a solution to the problem. We are conducting research on distributed exploration by small robots, cooperative exploration of heterogeneous robots, action planning based on self-organization mapping, and group intelligence, etc.
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