This research division, UTARC, is established in 2004 in
order to lead the research in robotics area of the University
of Tsukuba. UTARC, the acronym for "University
of Tsukuba, Division of Advanced Robotics
and Cybernics," is a cross-disciplinary
research group beyond the frame of academic institutions
in the Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering.
Our group is engaged in active robotics researches in varied
fields and aims to create an interdisciplinary research
basis on Advanced Robotics and Cybernics.
Cybernics is a new horizen to explore the relationship
among human, machine and information. The research on Cybernics
is based on Cybernetics, but it extends to interdisciplinary
studies that cover mechatronics, robotics, physiology and
medical engineering, electronics, physics and mathematics.
The research incorporates both experimental and copmutational
methods in various channels such as sensory module (vision,
hearnig, tactics etc.) / motion and behavior / physiological
aspects, in order to construct future machines with a central
focus on Cybernics research basis. The UTARC group challenges
the studies; Robot Suit for the assistance of human
motion, a mobile robot in a living and situated environment,
advanced medical system based on Cybernics technology, Dexterous
hand more than human hand, Recognition of human behavior
with the aid of "intelligenced" environment,
task teaching and augumented reality by a hybrid control
system, augumented cognition, social interaction and sociable
robots, human-humanoid cooperation.
Yoshiyuki Sankai, Dr. Eng.
URATC Director Professor of Intelligent Interaction Technologies
University of Tsukuba
