Shigeo Hirose Named Recipient 2014 IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION AWARD

Shigeo Hirose, IEEE Fellow, has been named the recipient of the 2014 IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION AWARD for "contributions to the design and construction of multiple nonconventional robotic systems such as snakelike, quadruped walking, wall climbing, and swarm robots."

Dr. Shigeo Hirose succeeded in demonstrating a smooth undulating motion of a 2m long snake-like robot ACM-III in 1972 for the first time in the world. He received the Ph.D. degree with the biomechanical study of real snake and snake-like robots in 1976. At the Tokyo Institute of Technology he had the following academic positions: assistant professor from 1976 to 1979, associate professor from 1979 to 1992, professor from 1992 to 2011, and distinguished professor from 2011 to 2013.

Dr. Hirose published a book with the title "Biologically Inspired Robots" (Oxford University Press) in 1993. In that publication he coined the unique research field of biologically inspired robotics.

Dr. Hirose has always been interested in creative design of robotic mechanisms and in their control system. He developed more than 150 robots including snake-like mobile robots, articulated robot-arms, quadruped walking robots, and wheeled & crawler mobile robots. Main objectives in his works were to realize robots for search and rescue operation, humanitarian demining, medical & welfare and rovers for planetary exploration.

Dr. Hirose was awarded with more than 50 academic awards, including the Joseph Engelberger Robotics Award from Robotic Industries Association (2009), Medal with Purple Ribbon from Japanese government (2006), Award of Merits from IFToMM (2004), the first Pioneer in Robotics & Automation Award (1999) from IEEE Robotics & Automation Society.

Dr. Hirose is an IEEE Fellow and he is currently holding the CTO position at HiBot Corporation (founded by his former students at the Hirose Robotic Laboratory) a position as Professor Emeritus of Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Visiting Professor at Ritsumeikan University.

Dr. Hirose will receive this most prestigious IEEE-level award in a formal presentation at a 2014 IEEE venue to be determined. If you think you know someone in the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society who may be eligible for an IEEE Technical Field Award, please visit www.ieee.org/awards for more information on eligibility and general award criteria.

The nomination deadline for the 2015 IEEE Technical Field Awards is 31 January 2014.

 

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