Details of the Researcher

PHOTO

Kentaro Uno
Section
Graduate School of Engineering
Job title
Assistant Professor
Degree

  • 博士（工学）（東北大学）

  • 修士（工学）（東北大学）

e-Rad No.
90944207

Research History 2

  • 2021/10 - Present
    Tohoku University　Graduate School of Engineering　Assistant Professor

  • 2019/04 - 2021/09
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science　Research Fellowship for Young Scientists DC1

Education 2

  • Tohoku University　Graduate School of Engineering　Department of Aerospace Engineering

    2016/10 - 2021/09

  • Tohoku University　Faculty of Engineering　Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

    2013/04 - 2016/09

Professional Memberships 5

  • The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)

    2023/06 - Present

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

    2021/08 - Present

  • The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering (JSME)

    2020/03 - Present

  • The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (SICE)

    2020/03 - Present

  • IEEE

    2019/11 - Present

Research Interests 2

  • Field Robot

  • Space Robotics

Research Areas 2

  • Informatics / Robotics and intelligent systems /

  • Aerospace, marine, and maritime Engineering / Aerospace engineering /

Awards 4

  1. 若手奨励賞【優秀賞】

    2022/01　日本航空宇宙学会　HubRobo: 崖登り探査を可能とする脚型ロボットの研究開発

  2. The Highly Commended Paper

    2021/09　The 24th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots and the Support Technologies for Mobile Machines (CLAWAR)　ClimbLab: MATLAB Simulation Platform for Legged Climbing Robotics

  3. 優秀発表奨励賞

    2020/03　計測自動制御学会 東北支部

  4. 三浦賞

    2019/03　日本機械学会

Papers 25

  1. Traction Performance Evaluation for a Rashid-1 Rover Wheel

    James Hurrell, Keisuke Takehana, Tomomi Tanaka, Kentaro Uno, Amna Khalifa Busoud, Kazuya Yoshida

    Space Science Reviews　221　(3)　2025/04/08

    Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

    DOI： 10.1007/s11214-025-01164-8 　

    ISSN： 0038-6308

    eISSN： 1572-9672

    More details Close

    Abstract Single-wheel experiments and discrete element method simulations of a micro-rover wheel modelled on the Rashid-1 rover designed for the Emirates lunar mission. The interaction of the wheel with Toyoura sand and FJS-1 lunar regolith simulant is studied. Slip conditions, traction coefficient and grouser pitch for single-wheel experiments are measured for a range of fixed slip values at the expected rover load of 24.5 N. The angle of repose is used to calibrate the simulation parameters with measured soil parameters. Single-wheel simulations are verified by comparison to experimental results. Lunar simulations can predict lunar gravity performance. Toyoura and FJS-1 results for traction coefficient and dynamic sinkage at 24.5 N in the 0–50% slip range show good agreement between experiment and simulation. 4.1 N lunar gravity matches the 24.5 N Earth gravity results for traction coefficient and tractive efficiency. There is a 1–2 mm difference in total sinkage. Tractive force and resistive torque reduce by 1/6 from Earth to lunar gravity for the same mass. The grouser pitch is unchanged with gravity variation. The angle of repose can independently determine parameters for use in single-wheel simulations. Experimental results validate the models for Toyoura sand and FJS-1. Wheel performance regarding traction coefficient and tractive efficiency under lunar gravity matches that under Earth gravity. Traction performance in tractive force and resistive torque is reduced by the ratio of Earth to lunar gravity, 1/6, for the same mass.

  2. Comparison of lunar rover wheel performance in soils with different cohesive properties

    Keisuke Takehana, Shino Kizaki, Tomomi Tanaka, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    Journal of Terramechanics　117　101011-101011　2025/02

    Publisher: Elsevier BV

    DOI： 10.1016/j.jterra.2024.101011 　

    ISSN： 0022-4898

  3. Rutting Caused by Grouser Wheel of Planetary Rover in Single-Wheel Testbed: LiDAR Topographic Scanning and Analysis

    Keisuke Takehana, Vinicius Emanoel Ares, Shreya Santra, Kentaro Uno, Eric Rohmer, Kazuya Yoshida

    Aerospace　12　(1)　71-71　2025/01/20

    Publisher: MDPI AG

    DOI： 10.3390/aerospace12010071 　

    eISSN： 2226-4310

    More details Close

    This paper presents datasets and analyses of 3D LiDAR scans capturing the rutting behavior of a rover wheel in a single-wheel terramechanics testbed. The data were acquired using a LiDAR sensor to record the terrain deformation caused by the wheel’s passage through a Toyoura sandbed, which mimics lunar regolith. Vertical loads of 25 N, 40 N, and 65 N were applied to study how rutting patterns change, focusing on rut amplitude, height, and inclination. This study emphasizes the extraction and processing of terrain profiles from noisy point cloud data, using methods like curve fitting and moving averages to capture the ruts’ geometric characteristics. A sine wave model, adjusted for translation, scaling, and inclination, was fitted to describe the wheel-induced wave-like patterns. It was found that the mean height of the terrain increases after the grouser wheel passes over it, forming ruts that slope downward, likely due to the transition from static to dynamic sinkage. Both the rut depth at the end of the wheel’s path and the incline increased with larger loads. These findings contribute to understanding wheel–terrain interactions and provide a reference for validating and calibrating models and simulations. The dataset from this study is made available to the scientific community.

  4. Tightly-Coupled LiDAR-IMU-Wheel Odometry With Online Calibration of a Kinematic Model for Skid-Steering Robots

    Taku Okawara, Kenji Koide, Shuji Oishi, Masashi Yokozuka, Atsuhiko Banno, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    IEEE Access　12　134728-134738　2024

    Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

    DOI： 10.1109/access.2024.3461655 　

    eISSN： 2169-3536

  5. Evaluation Of Grouser Wheel Traction Performance At High-Speed By Single-Wheel Test

    Keisuke Takehana, Kenta Sawa, Kentaro Uno, Shreya Santra, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 21st International and 12th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the ISTVS　2024

    Publisher: International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems

    DOI： 10.56884/94wt27wy 　

  6. Evaluation Of The Multi-Pass Effect Of An Exploration Rover By Single Wheel Testing Assuming Lunar Gravity And Soil

    Tomomi Tanaka, Keisuke Takehana, James Hurrell, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 21st International and 12th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the ISTVS　2024

    Publisher: International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems

    DOI： 10.56884/u5vdlhln 　

  7. Lunar rover discrete element method study and calibration

    James Hurrell, Keisuke Takehana, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 16th European-African Regional Conference of the ISTVS　2023

    Publisher: International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems

    DOI： 10.56884/xuac7188 　

  8. Evaluation and comparison of driving performance of a lunar exploration rover wheel in different soils

    Keisuke Takehana, Shino Kizaki, Kentaro Uno, Tomomi Tanaka, Gentaro Suda, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 16th European-African Regional Conference of the ISTVS　2023

    Publisher: International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems

    DOI： 10.56884/jsfs4189 　

  9. Render-to-real image dataset and CNN pose estimation for down-link restricted spacecraft missions

    Andrew Price, Kentaro Uno, Swapnil Parekh, Til Reichelt, Kazuya Yoshida

    2023 IEEE AEROSPACE CONFERENCE　2023

    DOI： 10.1109/AERO55745.2023.10115874 　

    ISSN： 1095-323X

  10. RAMP: Reaction-Aware Motion Planning of Multi-Legged Robots for Locomotion in Microgravity

    Warley F. R. Ribeiro, Kentaro Uno, Masazumi Imai, Koki Murase, Kazuya Yoshida

    2023 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION (ICRA 2023)　11845-11851　2023

    DOI： 10.1109/ICRA48891.2023.10161185 　

    ISSN： 1050-4729

    eISSN： 2577-087X

  11. Path and Gait Planning of Limbed Climbing Robots for Planetary Cliff Exploration Peer-reviewed

    Keigo Haji, Kentaro Uno, Warley F, R. Ribeiro, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 33rd International Symposium on Space Technology Science (ISTS)　2022/03

  12. Lunar Skylight Exploration by a Limbed Climbing Robot Using a Hand-Eye System Peer-reviewed

    Taku Okawara, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 33rd International Symposium on Space Technology Science (ISTS)　2022/03

  13. Low-Reaction Trajectory Generation for a Legged Robot in Microgravity Peer-reviewed

    Warley F. R. Ribeiro, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration (SII)　505-510　2022/01/09

    DOI： 10.1109/sii52469.2022.9708772 　

    ISSN： 2474-2317

  14. Simulation-Based Climbing Capability Analysis for Quadrupedal Robots Peer-reviewed

    Kentaro Uno, Giorgio Valsecchi, Marco Hutter, Kazuya Yoshida

    Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems　324 LNNS　179-191　2022

    DOI： 10.1007/978-3-030-86294-7_16 　

    ISSN： 2367-3370

    eISSN： 2367-3389

  15. ClimbLab: MATLAB Simulation Platform for Legged Climbing Robotics Peer-reviewed

    Kentaro Uno, Warley F.R. Ribeiro, Yusuke Koizumi, Keigo Haji, Koki Kurihara, William Jones, Kazuya Yoshida

    Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems　324 LNNS　229-241　2022

    DOI： 10.1007/978-3-030-86294-7_20 　

    ISSN： 2367-3370

    eISSN： 2367-3389

  16. HubRobo: A Lightweight Multi-Limbed Climbing Robot for Exploration in Challenging Terrain Peer-reviewed

    Kentaro Uno, Naomasa Takada, Taku Okawara, Keigo Haji, Arthur Candalot, Warley F. R. Ribeiro, Kenji Nagaoka, Kazuya Yoshida

    2020 IEEE-RAS 20th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids)　2021/07/19

    Publisher: IEEE

    DOI： 10.1109/humanoids47582.2021.9555799 　

  17. Analysis of Motion Control for a Quadruped Ground-Gripping Robot for Minor Body Exploration on Uneven Terrain Peer-reviewed

    Warley F. R. RIBEIRO, Kentaro UNO, Kenji NAGAOKA, Kazuya YOSHIDA

    TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN　19　(5)　794-801　2021

    Publisher: Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences

    DOI： 10.2322/tastj.19.794 　

    eISSN： 1884-0485

  18. Non-Periodic Gait Planning Based on Salient Region Detection for a Planetary Cave Exploration Robot Peer-reviewed

    Kentaro Uno, Yusuke Koizumi, Keigo Haji, Maximilian Keiff, Simon Harms, Warley F. R. Ribeiro, Kenji Nagaoka, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space (i-SAIRAS)　2020

  19. Dynamic equilibrium of climbing robots based on stability polyhedron for gravito-inertial acceleration Peer-reviewed

    Warley F.R. Ribeiro, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida, Kenji Nagaoka

    Robots in Human Life- Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots and the Support Technologies for Mobile Machines, CLAWAR 2020　297-304　2020

    DOI： 10.13180/clawar.2020.24-26.08.18 　

  20. Analysis of Motion Control for a Quadruped Ground-Gripping Robot for Minor Body Exploration Peer-reviewed

    Warley F. R. Ribeiro, Kentaro Uno, Kenji Nagaoka, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 32nd International Symposium on Space Technology and Science　2019/06

  21. Gait Planning for a Free-Climbing Robot Based on Tumble Stability Peer-reviewed

    Kentaro Uno, Warley F.R. Ribeiro, William Jones, Yuki Shirai, Hayato Minote, Kenji Nagaoka, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration, SII 2019　289-294　2019/04

    DOI： 10.1109/SII.2019.8700455 　

  22. Quality of the 3D Point Cloud of a Time-of-Flight Camera Under Lunar Surface Illumination Conditions: Impact Improvement Techniques Peer-reviewed

    Kentaro Uno, Louis-Jerome Burtz, Masafumi Endo, Kenji Nagaoka, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space (i-SAIRAS)　2018

  23. Qualification of a Time-of-Flight Camera as a Hazard Detection and Avoidance Sensor for a Moon Exploration Microrover

    Kentaro UNO, Louis-Jerome BURTZ, Marc HULCELLE, Kazuya YOSHIDA

    TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN　16　(7)　619-627　2018

    Publisher: Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences

    DOI： 10.2322/tastj.16.619 　

    eISSN： 1884-0485

  24. Preliminary Radiation Test Result for Space-Ready Qualification of Lunar Micro Rover Peer-reviewed

    Takuto OIKAWA, Toshiki TANAKA, Yuto SUEBE, Kentaro UNO, Hugo ZULIANI, Louis-Jerome BURTZ, Kazuya YOSHIDA

    TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN　16　(7)　613-618　2018

    Publisher: Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences

    DOI： 10.2322/tastj.16.613 　

    eISSN： 1884-0485

  25. Thermal Design Analysis of Conceptual Flight Model for a Lunar Exploration Rover Peer-reviewed

    Takuto Oikawa, Toshiki Tanaka, John Walker, Kentaro Uno, Paulo Costa, Nathan Britton, Kazuya Yoshida

    Proceedings of the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space (i-SAIRAS)　2016

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Misc. 13

  1. Multi-Robot Collaborative SLAM based on Relative Pose Estimation with Loop-Closure Detection

    Ayumi Umemura, Kentaro Uno, Mickael Laine, Kazuya Yoshida

    #1A1-K12　2022/06

  2. Localization and Mapping of Rover by 3D Laser Scanner and Omnidirectional Camera

    Ryo Aoyoshi, Gen Kudo, Yuto Suebe, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    #1P1-I07　2022/06

  3. Motion Estimation of Objects Using SfM Method

    Hiroki Okabayashi, Kentaro Uno, Toshinori Kuwahara, Kazuya Yoshida

    #1A1-K02　2022/06

  4. Gripping State Estimation of a Legged Climbing Robot Using a Gripper with Built-in Sensors

    Takuya Kato, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    #1A1-K11　2022/06

  5. Development and Evaluation of an End-Effector for the ISS Intra-Vehicular Mobile Robot

    #1P1-H05　2022/06

  6. Leg Configuration;Gait Planning;Study for the ISS Intra-Vehicular Mobile Robot

    #1P1-H06　2022/06

  7. HubRobo: 崖登り探査を可能とする脚型ロボットの研究開発

    宇野 健太朗, 大河原 拓, 髙田 尚昌, Warley F. R. Ribeiro, 羽地 啓悟, 吉田 和哉

    第65回宇宙科学技術連合講演会資料　(#3K18)　2021/11

  8. ハンドアイカメラを用いた脚型クライミングロボットのための把持状態判定手法

    大河原拓, 宇野健太朗, 髙田尚昌, 吉田和哉

    第331回計測自動制御学会東北支部研究集会資料　(#331-2)　2021

  9. フリークライミングロボットのための不整地登攀実験環境の設計と開発

    宇野健太朗, 錦織広樹, Arthur Candalot, Louis Mamelle, 吉田和哉

    第328回計測自動制御学会東北支部研究集会資料　(#328-1)　2020/03

  10. 鉤爪型グリッパを有するクライミングロボットのための機械学習を用いた把持状態判定手法

    比内俊樹, 宇野健太朗, 吉田和哉

    第21回計測自動制御学会システムインテグレーション部門講演会資料　(#1H3-04)　2020

  11. Gripping Target Detection in Terrain Based on Geometrical Configuration of a Gripper for Free-Climbing Robots

    Keigo HAJI, Kentaro UNO, Kenji NAGAOKA, Kazuya YOSHIDA

    The Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec)　2020　2P1-B06　2020

    Publisher: Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

    DOI： 10.1299/jsmermd.2020.2p1-b06 　

    eISSN： 2424-3124

  12. フリークライミングロボットのための歩容計画法の提案

    宇野健太朗, Warley F, R. Ribeiro, 白井有樹, 永岡健司, 吉田和哉

    第19回計測自動制御学会システムインテグレーション部門講演会資料　2018

  13. 崖降り・崖登り探査のための脚型ロボットの研究開発

    吉田和哉, 永岡健司, 宇野健太朗, 白井有樹, William Jones

    第62回宇宙科学技術連合講演会資料　2018

Show all ︎Show first 5

Presentations 14

  1. Leg Configuration;Gait Planning;Study for the ISS Intra-Vehicular Mobile Robot

    2022/06

  2. Development and Evaluation of an End-Effector for the ISS Intra-Vehicular Mobile Robot

    2022/06

  3. Gripping State Estimation of a Legged Climbing Robot Using a Gripper with Built-in Sensors

    Takuya Kato, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    2022/06

  4. Motion Estimation of Objects Using SfM Method

    Hiroki Okabayashi, Kentaro Uno, Toshinori Kuwahara, Kazuya Yoshida

    2022/06

  5. Localization and Mapping of Rover by 3D Laser Scanner and Omnidirectional Camera

    Ryo Aoyoshi, Gen Kudo, Yuto Suebe, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida

    2022/06

  6. Multi-Robot Collaborative SLAM based on Relative Pose Estimation with Loop-Closure Detection

    Ayumi Umemura, Kentaro Uno, Mickael Laine, Kazuya Yoshida

    2022/06

  7. HubRobo: 崖登り探査を可能とする脚型ロボットの研究開発

    宇野 健太朗, 大河原 拓, 髙田 尚昌, Warley F. R. Ribeiro, 羽地 啓悟, 吉田 和哉

    第65回宇宙科学技術連合講演会資料　2021/11

  8. 月縦孔を探査するクライミングロボットのハンドアイカメラによる地形認識および把持状態判定

    大河原拓, 宇野健太朗, 吉田和哉

    第31回アストロダイナミクスシンポジウム　2021/07/27

  9. ハンドアイカメラを用いた脚型クライミングロボットのための把持状態判定手法

    大河原拓, 宇野健太朗, 髙田尚昌, 吉田和哉

    第331回計測自動制御学会東北支部研究集会資料　2021

  10. フリークライミングロボットのための不整地登攀実験環境の設計と開発

    宇野健太朗, 錦織広樹, Arthur Candalot, Louis Mamelle, 吉田和哉

    第328回計測自動制御学会東北支部研究集会資料　2020/03

  11. Gripping Target Detection in Terrain Based on Geometrical Configuration of a Gripper for Free-Climbing Robots

    Keigo HAJI, Kentaro UNO, Kenji NAGAOKA, Kazuya YOSHIDA

    The Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec)　2020

  12. 鉤爪型グリッパを有するクライミングロボットのための機械学習を用いた把持状態判定手法

    比内俊樹, 宇野健太朗, 吉田和哉

    第21回計測自動制御学会システムインテグレーション部門講演会資料　2020

  13. 崖降り・崖登り探査のための脚型ロボットの研究開発

    吉田和哉, 永岡健司, 宇野健太朗, 白井有樹, William Jones

    第62回宇宙科学技術連合講演会資料　2018

  14. フリークライミングロボットのための歩容計画法の提案

    宇野健太朗, Warley F, R. Ribeiro, 白井有樹, 永岡健司, 吉田和哉

    第19回計測自動制御学会システムインテグレーション部門講演会資料　2018

Show all Show first 5

Industrial Property Rights 2

  1. エンドエフェクタ及びロボット

    宇田 昌弘, 澤 健太, 加藤 匠哉, 宇野 健太朗

    Property Type: Patent

  2. Gripping Structure

    Takuya Kato, Kentaro Uno

    Property Type: Patent

Research Projects 5

  1. Space Battery Stable for 100 Years in Extreme Space Environments

    Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

    System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Pioneering)

    Institution: Tohoku University

    2024/06/28 - 2027/03/31

  2. Dynamically Stable Legged Climbing Locomotion by Grasping Performance Evaluation

    Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

    System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

    Institution: Tohoku University

    2023/04/01 - 2026/03/31

  3. 車輪－グリッパ間変形可能ユニットを用いたマルチモーダル移動ロボットの開発

    Offer Organization: 公益財団法人 NSKメカトロニクス技術高度化財団

    System: 研究助成

    2023/04 - 2025/03

  4. ピン配列型把持機構を応用したクライミングロボットの研究開発

    Offer Organization: 公益財団法人JKA

    System: 機械振興補助事業 研究補助（若手研究）

    2023/04 - 2024/03

  5. Autonomous Gait Control for a Free-Climbing Robot in Consideration of the Terrain Information and the Gripping Mechanics

    Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

    System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows

    Category: Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows

    Institution: Tohoku University

    2019/04/25 - 2022/03/31

Teaching Experience 4

  1. Creative Engineering Training　Tohoku University

  2. Seminar II　Tohoku University

  3. Seminar I　Tohoku University

  4. Laboratory Experiment I　Tohoku University

Media Coverage 3

  1. 【TV出演】ｋｈｂ東日本放送 「 チャージ！」VTR出演（将来の月面探査ミッションに向けた脚型クライミングロボットの研究開発について紹介）

    ｋｈｂ東日本放送　チャージ！

    2022/04/20

  2. 【TV出演】ミヤギテレビ 「ミヤギ news every.」 VTR出演（月面探査ロッククライミングロボットの研究開発を紹介）

    ミヤギテレビ　ミヤギ news every.

    2022/02/25

  3. 【新聞掲載】 河北新報社 こども新聞 「未来をつくる科学の力（１）宇宙探査ロボット開発」N

    河北新報社　こども新聞

    2021/11/22

Other 1

  1. 公益財団法人 宇宙科学振興会 研究者支援 国際学会出席旅費支援