Deputy Director: Eiji Koyanagi, Ph.D.
researches primarily into design of robots mobile over unlevel surfaces and their travel and attitude. He is engaged in the design and production of highly reliable and safe mechanisms with superior controllability. Current interests include development of field-ready rescue robots and of the Iris residential underfloor inspection robot. He has placed high in numerous robot contests, including three first-places in the Japan national high school robot sumo competition, and solar car competitions. He placed first in 2004 and again in 2005 in the rescue robot league at the world RoboCup, and runner-up in 2006. His August 2006 appearance in the Japanese national broadcaster NHK program "Professional" found nationwide appeal.
Profile
Eiji Koyanagi was born in Kanagawa, Japan, in 1951. He worked for Kanagawa Technical High School as a teacher in mechanical science for 20 years. He received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Tsukuba in 2002. He was a professor in Toin University of Yokohama from 2002. He is currently a Deputy Director of Future Robotics Technology Center in Chiba Institute of Technology.