Osawa, Yukiko

写真a

Affiliation

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics （Yagami）

Position

Assistant Professor/Senior Assistant Professor

Related Websites

Remarks

Yukiko Akiyama (Official name)

External Links
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Profile Summary 【 Display / hide 】

  • Dr. Yukiko Osawa received her B.E. degree (2015) in system design engineering and the M.E. (2016) and Ph.D. degrees (2019) in integrated design engineering from Keio University, Yokohama, Japan. She was a Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) from 2017 to 2019. From 2019 to 2021, she was a JSPS Overseas Research Fellow and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at CNRS, LIRMM in France, involved in IDH (Interactive Digital Humans) team. From 2021 to 2024, she worked at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tokyo, Japan. She currently works as a Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics at Keio University, Yokohama, Japan. She was the recipient of the Distinguished Paper Award from the Institute of Electric Engineers of Japan (IEEJ) in 2017, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Ikushi Award in 2018, and the SICE International Young Authors Award in 2022. Her research interests include human interface, human-robot interaction, haptics, and thermal systems. She is a Member of IEEJ, SICE, RSJ, and IEEE.

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Other Affiliation 【 Display / hide 】

  • Industrial CPS Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology , Collaborative researcher

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Career 【 Display / hide 】

  • 2017.04
    -
    2019.03

    Keio University, JSPS Research Fellow (DC1)

  • 2019.04
    -
    2021.03

    JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, CNRS-UM LIRMM

  • 2021.04
    -
    2024.03

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Industrial CPS Research Center

  • 2024.04
    -
    Present

    Keio University, Faculty of Science and Technology Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics

  • 2024.04
    -
    Present

    Industrial CPS Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Collaborative researcher

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Academic Background 【 Display / hide 】

  • 2011.04
    -
    2015.03

    Keio University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of System Design Engineering

    University, Graduated

  • 2015.04
    -
    2016.09

    Keio University, Department of Integrated Design Engineering

    Graduate School, Completed, Master's course

  • 2016.09
    -
    2019.03

    Keio University, Department of Integrated Design Engineering

    Graduate School, Completed, Doctoral course

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Academic Degrees 【 Display / hide 】

  • Doctor (Engineering), Keio University, Coursework, 2019.03

    Modeling and Control of Heat Conduction System Based on Spatial Information

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Research Areas 【 Display / hide 】

  • Manufacturing Technology (Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Chemical Engineering) / Control and system engineering

  • Informatics / Human interface and interaction

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Research Keywords 【 Display / hide 】

  • Human Interface

  • Physical Human-Robot Interaction

  • Tactile/Thermal Sensing and Control

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Papers 【 Display / hide 】

  • A Cybernetic Avatar System to Embody Human Telepresence for Connectivity, Exploration, and Skill Transfer

    Rafael Cisneros-Limón, Antonin Dallard, Mehdi Benallegue, Kenji Kaneko, Hiroshi Kaminaga, Pierre Gergondet, Arnaud Tanguy, Rohan Pratap Singh, Leyuan Sun, Yang Chen, Carole Fournier, Guillaume Lorthioir, Masato Tsuru, Sélim Chefchaouni-Moussaoui, Yukiko Osawa, Guillaume Caron, Kevin Chappellet, Mitsuharu Morisawa, Adrien Escande, Ko Ayusawa, Younes Houhou, Iori Kumagai, Michio Ono, Koji Shirasaka, Shiryu Wada, Hiroshi Wada, Fumio Kanehiro, Abderrahmane Kheddar

    International Journal of Social Robotics （Springer Science and Business Media LLC)   2024.01

    Joint Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted,  ISSN  1875-4791

    　View Summary

    This paper describes the cybernetic avatar system developed by Team JANUS for connectivity, exploration, and skill transfer: the core domains targeted by the ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition, for which Team JANUS was a finalist. We used as an avatar a humanoid robot with a human-like appearance and shape that is capable of reproducing facial expressions and walking, and built an avatar control system that allowed the operator to control the avatar through equivalent mechanisms of motion; that is, by replicating the upper-body movement with naturalness and by stepping to command locomotion. In this way, we aimed to achieve high-fidelity telepresence and managed to be well evaluated from the point of view of the operator during the competition. We introduce our solutions to the integration challenges and present experimental results to asses our avatar system, together with current limitations and how we are planning to mitigate them in future work.

  • Integration of Soft Tactile Sensing Skin with Controllable Thermal Display toward Pleasant Human-Robot Interaction

    Osawa Y., Luu Q.K., Nguyen L.V., Ho V.A.

    2024 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration, SII 2024 （2024 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration, SII 2024)     369 - 375 2024.01

    Joint Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted

    　View Summary

    Safe and pleasant physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) is essential in the robotic skin and related control paradigms. Among approaches, integrating tactile sensing and thermal techniques enables the robot to provide pleasant and gentle touch perceptions, thus enhancing likability and trustworthiness during interactions with humans. However, achieving both accurate tactile sensing and desired thermal comfort perceptions poses significant challenges. In response to these challenges, this paper presents the development of a novel soft skin named Thermo Tac. This innovative skin not only possesses the ability to sense physical touches effectively but also provides thermal comfort sensations. The integration of these capabilities is realized through a carefully designed and strategic system. The developed skin is integrated with vision-based tactile sensing and water circulation systems to evaluate its performance and effectiveness in realistic interaction scenarios. The results of the experiments highlight the potential of ThermoTac as a promising solution for safe and stable human-robot interaction, paving the way for advanced tactile sensing and thermal comfort in robotics.

  • Robotic Thermoregulation for Material Identification using Recycled Inner-Generated Motor Heat

    Yukiko Osawa, Yukiyasu Domae, Ichiro Ogura, Yoshiyuki Furukawa, Abderrahmane Kheddar

    2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO) （IEEE)     1 - 7 2023.12

    Joint Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted

    　View Summary

    The heat generated inside robots originates mainly from energy loss in actuators, onboard electronic circuits, and computation processing units. Typically, it can be dissipated by forced air (most commonly used in robotics) or fluid convection. In this study, we developed a recycled inner-generated heat system inspired by biological thermoregulation mechanism, utilizing the inner heat to the robot's thermal perceptions of a finger-pad (by analogy to human fingertip) for object haptic recognition. Among the fingertips' thermal perceptions, material recognition identifies and distinguishes touched objects, even if the color, stiffness, or roughness are similar. This recognition approach requires a heat source to induce temperature changes at the contact surface to recognize ambient (room) temperature objects. We use an actuator that generates heat in a closed-flow water circuit (by analogy to human cardiovascular system) to induce heat at contact like humans with body temperature and touch. Our thermal method is assessed through experimental simulations of robotic water circulation and a pump system (by analogy to human heart) with the developed finger-pad. The proposed strategy enables it to completely classify three kinds of material covering the same material in 0.7 sec touch.

  • Active Heat Flow Sensing for Robust Material Identification

    Yukiko Osawa, Kei Kase, Yoshiyuki Furukawa, Yukiyasu Domae

    IEEE Access （IEEE Access)  11   143896 - 143906 2023.12

    Joint Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted

    　View Summary

    Thermal properties are significant for recognizing an object's material but cannot be determined via visual and stiffness (or tactile)-based recognition techniques. Most studies have used temperature as a complementary part of multimodal sensing; however, the thermal signal is an unexplored capability that can be beneficial for recognizing target objects. Since changes in thermal responses can result from both material properties and initial temperature, realizing robust and high-accuracy recognition in different environments is a challenging issue. To tackle the issue, this paper proposes a novel strategy for material identification that can actively measure heat flow by heating and cooling a robot gripper, enabling the extraction of the thermal properties of contact materials regardless of the object's initial temperature variation (referred to as 'active heat flow sensing'). We use a robotic task as an example of one possible application of the proposed strategy. For this, we developed a gripper pad embedded in a temperature control system and heat flow sensor to monitor the thermal exchange during contact with a target object. The paper conducted some experiments divided into two scenarios. The first experimental results show that active heat flow sensing is realized within 0.4 sec from first contact for 100% classification of four heated materials. The second experimental results show that the three materials, whose thermal properties are largely different, can be classified within 0.7 sec from first contact using different initial temperatures of the training and test data. These results suggest robustness against environmental change, which has been difficult using conventional temperature-based methods.

  • Material Classification Using Active Temperature Controllable Robotic Gripper

    Yukiko Osawa, Kei Kase, Yukiyasu Domae, Yoshiyuki Furukawa, Abderrahmane Kheddar

    2022 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration (SII) （IEEE)     479 - 484 2022.01

    Joint Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted,  ISSN  23318422

    　View Summary

    Recognition techniques allow robots to make proper planning and control strategies to manipulate various objects. Object recognition is more reliable when made by combining several percepts, e.g., vision and haptics. One of the distinguishing features of each object's material is its heat properties, and classification can exploit heat transfer, similarly to human thermal sensation. Thermal-based recognition has the advantage of obtaining contact surface information in real-time by simply capturing temperature change using a tiny and cheap sensor. However, heat transfer between a robot surface and a contact object is strongly affected by the initial temperature and environmental conditions. A given object's material cannot be recognized when its temperature is the same as the robotic grippertip. We present a material classification system using active temperature controllable robotic gripper to induce heat flow. Subsequently, our system can recognize materials independently from their ambient temperature. The robotic gripper surface can be regulated to any temperature that differentiates it from the touched object's surface. We conducted some experiments by integrating the temperature control system with the Academic SCARA Robot, classifying them based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) using temperature data obtained from grasping target objects.

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Reviews, Commentaries, etc. 【 Display / hide 】

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Research Projects of Competitive Funds, etc. 【 Display / hide 】

  • Recognition and Control Technology Utilizing Robot Self-Heating for Human Robot Interaction

    2023.04
    -
    2026.03

    日本学術振興会, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Yukiko Osawa, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Principal investigator

    　View Summary

    本研究では廃熱を人・機械協調のための付加的な機能として有効活用すべく、機械内部の熱源から外部表面への効率的な熱輸送システムを開発し、廃熱を温度制御・接触対象物の認識に用いた新しい熱マネジメント手法を検討する。効率的な熱輸送を実現するための制御システムの構築について、ハードウェア（デバイス開発）・ソフトウェア（制御アルゴリズム）の双方について取り組む。技術の発展と環境問題の解決を両立した従来の熱対策手法を革新させる基盤技術として、幅広い場面での活用が期待できる。

  • A study on temperature-independent material recognition using soft robotic cover embedded in temperature control system

    2021.08
    -
    2023.03

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up, Yukiko Osawa, Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up, Principal investigator

    　View Summary

    In this research project, a recognition system for contact objects was developed to improve the accuracy of thermal-based material recognition. We investigated approaches that actively utilize heat from both hardware and software perspectives, including developing a temperature-controllable machine (robot) cover and recognition algorithms for contact objects using a time-series temperature database. By adjusting the temperature of the robot gripper according to the temperature of the object, it is possible to prevent deterioration in recognition accuracy due to environmental changes, which was a conventional problem. Furthermore, high-precision classification through machine learning based on temperature information has been achieved for materials with significantly different thermal properties, such as metal and wood, and metals that are difficult to classify using vision and tactile sensors.

  • Development of Robot Covers Considering Softness, Pleasantness and Thermal Touch Properties for Promoting Human-Robot Interaction

    2019.04
    -
    2021.03

    JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, No Setting

  • Control of Distributed Heat Transfer for Development of Interaction with High-Presence Thermal Sensation

    2017.04
    -
    2019.03

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, No Setting

    　View Summary

    本研究では温熱技術を用いた人間支援の構築に向けて、高臨場温熱覚を呈示するための分布熱インタフェースの実現を研究目標としている。
    本年度の研究では多熱源系の制御へ拡張すべく、ジュール熱等の非線形なモデルを考慮した制御手法や、二次元平面における温度分布制御手法を提案した。
    非線形なモデルを用いた提案手法の制御補償器では、従来手法において外乱とされていた非線形要素を考慮しているため、補償電流が増えるにしたがって増加するジュール熱等の影響を考慮することができ、温度指令値への追従性の向上を実現できた。温度分布制御手法では、二次元熱拡散方程式に基づいたモデルを用いた制御器の設計を行い、平面上の任意の点における所望の温度制御を可能にした。
    また、本技術を応用した指装着型の温熱覚呈示システムを開発し、指先での繊細な温度分布の再現を可能にした。本システムは4つの熱源と銅板で構成され、4つの熱源による指先での温度分布制御を実現した。さらに前年度に開発した手のひら装着型のサーマルインタフェース（サーモグローブ）を無線化・小型化した。制御PCにはアルディーノを用い、手の甲の部分にすべての回路や制御システムが収まる構成にした。またバッテリー駆動でペルチェ素子に電流を送り込むことができる。さらにグローブ内にバイオメタルファイバーを組み込み、握り動作を再現する収縮機能を搭載した。本技術は「イノベーション・ジャパン2018」にて展示を行い、多くの注目を集めた。
    以上に述べた本研究内容に関して、国内論文誌への論文掲載や多くの査読付き国際会議の発表に結実した。また、日本学術振興会において「第9回（平成30年度）日本学術振興会 育志賞」を受賞し、学術的な視点からも評価された。したがって本年の研究成果は理論の自由度の拡張、ハードウェアの小型化・無線化を行い、理論面・応用面において多いに成果が得られた。

  • Peltier Electronics for Controlling Thermal Sensation

    2015.04
    -
    2017.03

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research, Katsura Seiichiro, FUJII Naotaka, OSAWA Yukiko, INOUE Yuuki, Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research, No Setting

    　View Summary

    This research was focused on bilateral rendering of thermal sensation which will be one of the important factors for improvement of human interaction from remote environments and it executed from both hardware and software points of view. We succeeded in development of flexible Peltier device by evaporating bismuth-tellurium semiconductor on a thin film. In addition, thermal distribution control was considered. As a result, we obtained research outcomes that contribute to the development of "Peltier electronics."

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Awards 【 Display / hide 】

  • Best Paper Award Finalist

    Yukiko Osawa, Quan Khanh Luu, Linh Viet Nguyen, Van Anh Ho, 2024.01, The 2024 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integrations (SII 2024)

  • SICE International Young Authors Award (SIYA-SII2022)

    Yukiko Osawa, 2022.01, IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration (SII 2022)

  • JSPS Ikushi Prize

    Yukiko Osawa, 2019.03, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

  • Fujiwara Prize

    Yukiko Osawa, 2019.03, Keio University

  • IEEJ Distributed Paper Award

    Yukiko Osawa, Hidetaka Morimitsu, Seiichiro Katsura, 2017.06, The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, Control of Thermal Conductance with Detection of Single Contacting Part for Rendering Spatial Sensation

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Courses Taught 【 Display / hide 】

  • PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE

    2024

  • LABORATORY IN SCIENCE

    2024

  • INDEPENDENT STUDY ON FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

    2024

  • GRADUATE RESEARCH ON FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2

    2024

  • GRADUATE RESEARCH ON FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1

    2024

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Memberships in Academic Societies 【 Display / hide 】

  • The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ), 

    2014.12
    -
    Present

  • IEEE, 

    2014.12
    -
    Present

  • The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (SICE), 

    2021.12
    -
    Present

  • The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ), 

    2023.02
    -
    Present
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Committee Experiences 【 Display / hide 】

  • 2024.04
    -
    2026.03

    論文査読小委員会, The Robotics Society of Japan

  • 2024.04
    -
    2026.03

    日本ロボット学会 論文査読小委員会

  • 2023.06
    -
    2024.05

    Committee on utilizing data and controlling for Industry Applications, The institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ)

  • 2023.04
    -
    2025.03

    Editorial Committee on Industry Applications Society, The institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ)

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