Prof. KOSUGE, Kazuhiro
Chair Professor of Robotic Systems
- PhD., Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1988
- M.S., Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1980
- B.S., Tokyo Institute of Thechnology, 1978
Research Interests
- Robotics and Automation
- Manipulation of Objects Made of Soft Materials
- Bi-manual Manipulation
- Designing and Control of Robotic Systems
Education
- PhD., Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1988
- M.S., Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1980
- B.S., Tokyo Institute of Thechnology, 1978
Current Position
- 06/2026 - Present: Chair Professor of Robotic Systems, Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Professional Experience
- 06/2021-06/2026: Chair Professor of Robotic Systems, ECE Department, The University of Hong Kong.
- 2018-2021: Tohoku University Distinguished Professor, Tohoku University, Japan.
- 2003-2021: Professor, Department of Robotics, Tohoku University, Japan.
- 1995-2003: Professor, Department of Machine Intelligence and Systems Engineering, Tohoku University, Japan.
- 1990-1995: Associate Professor, Nagoya University, Japan.
- 1989-1990: Visiting Research Scientist, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
- 1982-1990: Research Associate, Department of Control Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology.
- 1980-1982: DENSO Corporation, Aichi, Japan.
Honors and Awards
- Excellent Paper Award, FA and Robot Foundation, 2023
- Life Fellow, IEEE, 2022
- Doctor Honoris Corsa, Obuda University, Hungary, 2022
- IEEE RAS George Saridis Leadership Award in Robotics and Automation, 2021
- Rudolf Kalman Award, IEEE Hungary Section and Obuda University, 2020
- JSME Medal for Distinguished Engineers, 2020
- Member of the Engineering Academy of Japan, 2019 – Present
- Medal of Honor, Medal with Purple Ribbon (紫綬褒章), The Government of Japan, 2018
- Fellow, Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, 2016
- Technical Committee Contribution Award, Society of Automotive Engineers Japan, 2013
- IROS Harashima Award for Innovative Technologies, 2013
- Honorary Professor, Obuda University, Hungary, 2013
- Conference Best Paper Award, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation, 2009
- Fellow, Robotics Society of Japan, 2008
- Good Design Award, Japan Institute of Design Promotion, 2008
- Achievement Award, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers/Robotics Mechatronics Division, 2007
- Fellow, Society of Instrument and Control Engineers, 2006
- The Industrial Robot Innovation Award, the 9th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR), 2006
- Excellent Paper Award, FANUC FA and Robot Foundation, 2006
- Fellow, IEEE, 2006
- Best Paper Award, Robotics Society of Japan, 2005
- Best Paper Award, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2005
- Achievement Award, Society of Instrument and Control Engineers/System Integration Section, 2004
- Excellent Paper Award, FANAC FA and Robot Foundation, 2003
- Best Paper Award, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2002
- Academic Achievement Award, Robotics and Mechatronics Division, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1999
- Nakamura Prize for IROS’97 Best Paper, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 1998
- Young Researcher’s Award, Society of Instrument and Control Engineers, 1979
Publications
- S. Shimizu, K. Abe, M. Watanabe, K. Tadakuma and K. Kosuge, "Three-Dimensional Sewing Using Conical Rollers With Biaxial Anisotropic Friction," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, doi: 10.1109/TMECH.2026.3695660.
- B. Jin, K. Tang, N. C. Tien and K. Kosuge, "Modeling and Control for Automated Sewing of Stretchable Fabrics of Different Shapes," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, doi: 10.1109/TMECH.2026.3693767.
- A. Seino, A. Kobayashi, F. Tokuda, K. Tang and K. Kosuge, "Design and Development of an End-Effector for Fabric Edge Folding Along a Convex Curve With Multiple Pleats," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, doi: 10.1109/TMECH.2026.3687606.
- N. Gu, Y. Li, K. Kosuge and M. Hayashibe, "Language-Driven Multi-Task Manipulation With Action-Mask-Enhanced Multimodal Learning," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 5550-5557, May 2026, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2026.3674003.
- H. Cheng, F. Tokuda and K. Kosuge, "Automated Action Generation Based on Action Field for Robotic Garment Smoothing and Alignment," in IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 23, pp. 5884-5896, 2026, doi: 10.1109/TASE.2026.3667879.
- F. Tokuda, A. Seino, A. Kobayashi, K. Tang and K. Kosuge, "Transformer Driven Visual Servoing for Fabric Texture Matching Using Dual-Arm Manipulator," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 1522-1529, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3643335.
- Bingchen Jin, Akinari Kobayashi, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Akira Seino, Fuyuki Tokuda, Norman Chihnan Tien, Kazuhiro Kosuge, "Automated Straight-Line Sewing of Stretchable Fabrics With Different Lengths," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 10, no. 11, pp. 12165-12172, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3619791.
- L. Li, F. Tokuda, A. Seino, A. Kobayashi, N. C. Tien and K. Kosuge, "Fabric Dynamic Motion Modeling and Collision Avoidance With Oriented Bounding Box," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 10, no. 9, pp. 9542-9549, Sept. 2025, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3595026.
- Kai Tang, Xuzhao Huang, Akira Seino, Fuyuki Tokuda, Akinari Kobayashi, Norman C. Tien, Kazuhiro Kosuge, "Fixture-Free Automated Sewing System Using Dual-Arm Manipulator and High-Speed Fabric Edge Detection," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 10, no. 9, pp. 8962-8969, Sept. 2025, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3592145.
- N. Gu, K. Kosuge and M. Hayashibe, "TactileAloha: Learning Bimanual Manipulation With Tactile Sensing," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 10, no. 8, pp. 8348-8355, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3585396.
- Xuzhao Huang, Akira Seino, Fuyuki Tokuda, Akinari Kobayashi, Dayuan Chen, Yasuhisa Hirata, Norman C. Tien, Kazuhiro Kosuge, "SIS: Seam-Informed Strategy for T-Shirt Unfolding," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 10, no. 7, pp. 7342-7349, July 2025, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3574966.
- A. Seino, F. Tokuda, A. Kobayashi and K. Kosuge, "Passive Actuator-Less Gripper for Pick-and-Place of a Piece of Fabric," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 5856-5866, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1109/TMECH.2025.3543557.
- F. Tokuda, R. Murakami, A. Seino, A. Kobayashi, M. Hayashibe and K. Kosuge, "Fixture-Free 2D Sewing Using a Dual-Arm Manipulator System," in IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 22, pp. 7927-7940, 2025, doi: 10.1109/TASE.2024.3474914.
- K. Tang, F. Tokuda, A. Seino, A. Kobayashi, N. C. Tien and K. Kosuge, "Time-Scaling Modeling and Control of Robotic Sewing System," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 3166-3174, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1109/TMECH.2024.3398713.
- J. Zhou, J. Huang, X. Ma, A. Lee, K. Kosuge and Y. -H. Liu, "Design, Modeling, and Control of Soft Syringes Enabling Two Pumping Modes for Pneumatic Robot Applications," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 889-901, April 2024, doi: 10.1109/TMECH.2023.3345458.