Jose Salazar

• Doctor of Engineering
• Professor (Assistant) at Tohoku University

In recent years, automation has significantly advanced the automobile manufacturing industry. However, many tasks still involve human intervention, so there is a demand for the development of robots to support workers. Additionally, as the human-centric approach, such as Industry 5.0, is gaining attention, it is expected that support robots like th...

This research unveils a novel Multi-Critic Reinforcement Learning framework designed to navigate the multifaceted challenges associated with multi-phased garment handling tasks, notably marked by persistent contact and erratic deformations between textiles and solid bodies. These tasks, ubiquitous in domestic and industrial environments, encompass...

In factory distribution processes, autonomous mobile robots must dock precisely at base stations. However, this task is challenging due to the dynamic and unstructured nature of factory environments, as well as the sparse point clouds caused by sensor occlusions and distance limitations. To address these challenges, we propose a geometric registrat...

In nations like Japan, where demographic shifts strain healthcare systems, the potential of Robotics and AI to support the aging population is crucial. Yet, despite progress in assistive robotics, their application in real-world home care settings is limited. This paper proposes a novel approach to utilize a network of caregiving robots, which inte...

This paper introduces a navigation system that leverages both topological and metric information, enhanced by the integration of semantic features for service robots operating in indoor environments. The system is designed to improve the autonomy, efficiency, and adaptability of service robots in dynamic and partially known environments. The propos...

The construction of road markings is accomplished by drawing draft lines and applying paint along those lines. Because road markings require visibility, accurate positioning, and straight lines, the drafting process is an important step. Conventionally, this drafting work is done manually by workers, who have to stand or squat repeatedly, which pla...

In recent years, labor shortages due to the aging of construction workers and the succession of construction techniques have become issues. Against this background, various types of ICT construction equipment are being introduced at construction sites, and automation of white line application work is also required. This paper proposes an automatic...

In recent years, the demand for service robots capable of executing high-level tasks has grown. In the future, service robots will be expected to perform complex tasks like ‘Set table for dinner’. Such high-level tasks require that the robot possess the ability to retrieve multiple objects from the environment. Thus this paper investigates the chal...

We propose a new walking support robot concept, “Nimbus Guardian,” designed to enhance the mobility of both healthy and frail elderly individuals who can walk independently. The proposed robot differs from traditional walker-type or cane-type aids by offering adaptive, minimal touch support based on the user's walking dynamics. Our goal is to reali...

Participating in sports is of great significance to people's physical and mental well-being. While physical activity is commonplace for healthy individuals, it presents challenges for those with visual impairments, as they can not rely on visual cues to perceive essential information related to sports participation, such as their surroundings. Many...

Overground gait training under body weight support (BWS) for patients who suffer from neurological injuries has been proven practical in recovering from walking ability. Conventionally, skilled therapists or additional robots are required to assist the patient’s body weight and pelvis movement, making the rehabilitation process physically and econo...

This paper introduces an overview of the “Adaptable AI-enabled Robots to Create a Vibrant Society” project, which is part of the “Moonshot R &D Program” led by the Cabinet Office of Japan. We also introduce CARE, Cooperation of Ai-Robot Enablers, which are being researched and developed to improve productivity in the nursing care field. The importa...

Demographic changes in our society are putting a heavy burden on care facilities and health-care infrastructure. While the elderly population is steadily increasing, there is an acute shortage of caregiving experts and professionals. This problem is becoming more severe in superaging societies, namely, Japan. Hence, this urges new and practical sol...

In this research, we developed a 3D printer for continuous carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRTPs) using a dual-arm robotic arm. One of the problems with conventional 3D printers using CFRTPs is that they can only perform planar layered fabrication and cannot arrange the fibers in a three-dimensional configuration. In this paper, we propose a dua...

Semantic SLAM is defined as the extraction and integration of semantic awareness with geometric information to produce dense, multi-layered maps. Semantic maps are crucial for service robots to perform higher-level tasks while fostering human-robot interactions. Searching for objects is one such higher-level task that will become increasingly neces...

In recent years, robots have been introduced to automate work in various industries. On the other hand, the automation of cloth handling is not so advanced. Cloth is an irregularly shaped material that deforms easily when force is applied, making it difficult for a robot to move in response to such deformation. In this study, we aim to realize flex...

In this research, we propose a novel lightweight and compact walking-assist robot to prevent users from falling accidents. We propose the concept for a new walking assist robot. A two-legged wheeled balancing robot is developed to follow the user’s walking motion based on the concept. Each leg consists of a two-link structure, including one driving...

We propose a novel system for teaching nursing care movements using mixed reality technology and human pose estimation technology. This paper proposes a teaching system that guides a patient from a lying posture to a sitting posture. This nursing care operation is not easy to learn because it requires several steps to guide the patient to an approp...

Path planning is a fundamental problem in mobile robots that optimize the path to determine how the robot reaches its goal. In particular sampling-based methods are popular in robotics. However, the sampling-based method is unsuitable for dynamic and narrow environments, unlike the adaptive method due to its prior planning before moving. Moreover,...

In this research, we propose a novel autonomous mobile robot for transporting passive welfare objects in medical facilities. To actuate the robot, together with a welfare object, a differential wheeled robot is developed. Additionally, to combine the robot with various types of welfare objects safely, the robot can adjust its geometrical shape in t...

In this paper, we propose a mixed reality device-based system to display golf ball launch information that goes into a hole. The system can show a ball trajectory and animation of the putter head in a real environment to assist the user’s skill acquisition. We utilized our system in the validation experiment to verify whether the visual display of...

In recent years, with the development of MEMS, IoT, machine learning and robot technology, these technologies have been used for coaching team sports. These coaching systems can be classified under two categories: one is to analyze the performance after the game, and the other is to present additional information during the game. These systems for...

Precision agriculture practices play a pivotal role in improving the crop yield and optimizing maximum output for quality products and profit. In recent years, mobile robots have been actively employed to take several jobs in the agriculture field, such as monitoring farmland and tracking crop growth over time. Recent advances in sensor technology,...

In this paper, we propose a system that enables golf putting practice in a mixed reality environment by integrating HoloLens with a vibrotactile haptic device. Using this system, users can hit a virtual golf ball on a virtual green course using a real putter. In the experiment, participants practiced golf putting in a mixed reality environment usin...

This research presents a dynamic motion planning method for mobile robots operating in crowded scenarios. We prioritize safe path planning between moving obstacles such as humans for applications in service robots, particularly for human-centered environments where the robot needs to handle the uncertainty of the moving obstacles. The moving obstac...

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of suffering obesity and high blood pressure, and slows down age-related loss of mobility and cognitive capabilities. However, 31% of the world population does not perform even the minimum recommend levels of physical activity to have a healthy life. On top of that, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic prevention...

Recently, 3D printers using continuous carbon fiber as a material have attracted considerable attention from researchers due to its high mechanical properties and the potential to reproduce complex shapes. Although the main advantage of 3D printing is that complex shapes can be produced through a simple process, very few studies have evaluated samp...

In recent years, the need of automation in the garment manufacturing has increased, due to labor shortage and an increased demand. In garment manufacturing the handling and manipulation of the fabric is estimated as the 80 percent of the total production line time. Therefore, there is a large research interest in designing grippers for handling fab...

In the past, we have proposed a one-stroke path generation algorithm for 3D printing using a continuous fiber composite material. However, with this method, we cannot control the output path by setting any priorities to the proposed algorithm. In this paper, the path is controlled by prioritizing the edges of the undirected graph used in the algori...

We propose a motion control method for passive towed robots focusing on turning. In the conventional method, the formation is formed by controlling the tether angle to the target value. This method assumes that the tension is maintained and does not take into account the factor of tension loss during a turn. It is considered that the target tether...

In this paper, we present an inspection robot specialized for street lamps. Initially, we propose the concept of a climbing robot using wheels with magnets to inspect street lamps. We confirmed that the robot was able to climb up and down smoothly. The experimental results show that the robot has potential for practical use in the future. Next, we...

In this study, we describe a haptic feedback system using wireless vibration units commercially available, together with a tool for automatic generation of control software for these devices based on the concept of tactons. The amplitude modulation is controlled by changing the drive time of the motor in the device. We use the Reconfigurable Vibrot...

In this study, we propose a wide area exploration system that combines wire towing system and passive mobile robots. Passive mobile robots loaded with exploration sensors are driven by a pulling force from wire towing system and can move to desired location by steering control. In this paper, we expand the search range by increasing the number the...

Gait rehabilitation training under robotic-assisted partial Body Weight Support (BWS) is a promising technique that helps patients who suffer from a traumatic or congenital brain injury like stroke or cerebral palsy to become more independent in daily life activities. In recent years, robotic BWS systems have been widely studied, where the BWS is p...

For rehabilitation or locomotor training purpose, treadmill training is widely used since it only requires a small space and has several benefits such as improved heart health, increased muscle strength, etc. However, since treadmill training is repetitive, it can become tedious and discourage users from training regularly. In this paper, we propos...

People can easily manipulate clothing, but it is very difficult for robots to manipulate them. This is because clothing deforms easily when subjected to external forces and is difficult to predict. For this reason, there are still many tasks involving clothing that have not yet been automated. The ultimate goal of this study is to automate a specif...

In this paper, we present a golf putting training system using vibrotactile cues and mixed reality technology. A model of ideal putter swing was determined to derive putter head path during an ideal swing. A head mounted display type mixed reality device was used to show virtual objects on a real world. For example, a hologram of putting direction...

In this paper, we present a path planning algorithm for the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer which can print with continuous fiber. The proposed algorithm enables us to create one stroke path which could print only by one continuous fiber. In the proposed method, we produce Eulerian graphs by converting print patterns and use conditional...

In this paper, we present a method to quickly guide a person’s motion in the context of sports coaching using vibrotactile stimuli. Users wear a ring-shaped device on the right ankle and the vibrotactile stimulus indicates where users should move. We use a tactile illusion called Phantom Tactile Sensation to produce localized vibrations at any poin...

In this study, we propose a wide area exploration system that combines multiple winch units and passive mobile robots. Passive mobile robots loaded with exploration sensors are driven by a pulling force from the winch unitts and can steer by controlling brakes attached to their wheels. By adjusting the wire length, the passive mobile robot is pulle...

Self-tracking aims to increase awareness, decrease undesired behaviors, and ultimately lead towards a healthier lifestyle. However, inappropriate communication of self-tracking results might cause the opposite effect. Subtle self-tracking feedback is an alternative that can be provided with the aid of an artificial agent representing the self. Henc...

In this study, we propose a wide area exploration system that consists on passive wheeled robots equipped with exploration sensors that are pulled from a high position with wires fed out from two winches. The robots are driven by the pulling force from the winches and they are able to steer by controlling brakes attached to their wheels. By adjusti...

Abstract This paper proposes a novel, simple and high-efficient submerged structural stabilization system for a self-stabilizing buoy that provides a stable platform for oceanographic and meteorological sensors. The proposed stabilization system is a Seesaw-like Tuned Mass Damper (STMD) combined with a foil and is designed in a way to harvest the a...

Robotic systems play a very important role in exploration, allowing us to reach places that would otherwise be unsafe or unreachable to humans, such as volcanic areas, disaster sites or unknown areas in other planets. As the area to be explored increases, so does the time it takes for robots to explore it. One approach to reduce the required time i...

In recent years, multiple navigation systems using vibrotactile feedback have been studied, due to their ability to convey information while keeping free the visual and auditory channels, besides eliciting rapid responses from users. In the current stage, most navigation systems with vibrotactile feedback in the literature focus on guiding users ar...

In this paper, we present a paradigm to improve the followability on a path-following task for the wrist by practicing repeatedly using vibrotactile cues. Vibrotactile cues were provided as a direction to modify the wrist’s path when the wrist’s position deviates from the desired path. The experiment was conducted to test the learning effect of the...

Haptic feedback systems using vibrotactile stimulus to support human motion have been widely researched, mainly due to the low price and reduced size of vibration motors, which allow the trainees to actively move while using them. Most existing vibrotactile feedback systems focus on providing information about the human's joint angles, making it ne...

We propose a novel method for motion guidance by creating a motion direction by using multiple vibration stimulations. In order to create the motion direction, we utilize a vibratactile illusion called Phantom Sensation. In this method, moving vibration stimulation on the user's skin, which is generated by controlled the position of Phantom Sensati...

In this paper, we present a novel motion guidance method for the human's limbs. In particular, we achieve the motion guidance for the arm by providing single-point vibrotactile feedback in the wrist. In the proposed method, we attempt to produce vibrotactile stimulation in any direction perpendicular to the wrist using a vibrotactile illusion calle...

Vibrotactile feedback has long been used to improve the human motor learning process through information transfer. However, in most of the approaches described in the literature, only the joint angles of the limb are guided. To guide motions that involve multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs), the user needs to interpret multiple simultaneous vibrotact...

We propose a method for motion guidance by creating a motion direction by utilizing a vibration haptic device attached to user wrist. In order to create the motion direction, we come up with a new method called Direction Sensation. This method utilizes two vibrotactile illusions and they generate a feeling similar to putting our arms in the flow of...