Yoshihiko Nakamura

Prior to joining MBZUAI, Nakamura had a 33-year association with the University of Tokyo. He is currently Professor Emeritus of the university. Initially joining the Department of Mechano-Informatics in 1991 as Associate Professor, he served as Professor from 1997–2020. Nakamura became Senior Researcher at the university's Research into Artifacts Center for Engineering in 2020–2023, and was named Specially Appointed Researcher at the University of Tokyo Sports Science Initiative in 2023-2024. Meanwhile, Nakamura was Assistant to the President of the university in 2010–2011, and Vice-Dean of the School of Information Science and Technology in 2016–2017. Before his time at the University of Tokyo, Nakamura was Assistant Professor at Kyoto University's Automation Research Laboratory in 1982-1987, and Assistant and Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara in 1987-1991. Alongside his academic career, Nakamura is the Founder and CEO of Kinescopic Inc. — a startup of the video motion capturing and motion analysis, of which founding technology was developed in his laboratory at the University of Tokyo. 

• Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Kyoto University
• Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Kyoto University
• Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Kyoto University

• Robomech Awad (Academic Research), JSME Annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (with Nakanishi et al) 2022
• Tateishi Prize Achievement Award 2022
• Excellency Award, Robotics Symposia (with Nakanishi et al) 2021
• IEEE RAS Pioneer Award 2021
• Advanced Robotics Excellent Paper Award, Robotics Society of Japan (with Ko et al) 2020
• IEEE Life Fellow 2020
• Professor Emeritus at University of Tokyo 2020
• JSME Medal for Distinguished Engineers, JSME 2020
• Mike Stilman Award, IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (with Ko et al) 2018
• Research Promotion Award, SI-Division, SICE (with Yamada et al) 2017
• Best Paper Award, Transactions of Japan Society of Artificial Intelligence (with Takano et al) 2014
• Achievement Award, Robotics Society of Japan 2013
• Best Paper Award, Robotics Symposia (with Kaminaga et al) 2013
• Best Paper Award, Robotics: Science and Systems (with Pham) 2012
• Best Paper Award in Kinematics, 2nd IFToMM Asian Conference on Mechanism and Machine Science (with Ayusawa et al) 2012
• Robotics Symposia Research Promotion Prize (with Ayusawa) 2012
• Best Paper Award, Robotics Symposia (with Ayusawa) 2012
• Excellent Paper Award, Joint Agent Workshop and Symposium (with Takano et al) 2011
• TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professor, Technische Universität München 2011
• Fellow, IEEE 2011
• Research Promotion Prize, System Integration Division, SICE (with Murai et al) 2009
• Fellow, Robotics Society of Japan 2009
• Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science 2007
• Foreign Member, Academy of Engineering Sciences of Serbia and Montenegro 2007
• Most Active Distinguished Lecturer Award, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society 2007
• Best Paper Award, Journal of Robotics Society of Japan (with Sugihara) 2007
• Funai Award, The Second Digital Contents Symposium (with Yamane et al) 2006
• Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society 2006
• Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots (with Sugihara) 2005
• Authoring Award, SICE (with Uchiyama) 2005
• Fellow, JSME 2005
• Best Paper Award, Robotic Symposia (with Sugihara) 2005
• Best Paper Award, Journal of Robotics Society of Japan (with Kishi et al) 2004
• International 3D Award, Technical Innovation Special Award (with Yamane et al) 2003
• Best Paper Award, Annual Conference of Japan Society of Artificial Intelligence (with Takano et al) 2003
• Robomech Award, JSME Annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (with Yamane et al) 2003
• Society Contribution Award, Division of Robotics and Mechatronics, JSME 2003
• King-Sun Fu Memorial Best Transactions Paper Award, IEEE Transaction of Robotics and Automation (with Chung et al) 2002
• King-Sun Fu Memorial Best Transactions Paper Award, IEEE Transaction of Robotics and Automation (with Yamane) 2001
• Best Paper Award, Journal of Robotics Society of Japan (with Yamane et al) 2000
• Academic Contribution Award, Division of Robotics and Mechatronics, JSME 1997
• Best Paper Award, Journal of Robotics Society of Japan (with Sørdalen et al) 1996
• Best Paper Award, SICE (with Hanafusa et al) 1983
• Sawaragi Memorial Research Promotion Prize, SSCIE 1982

Chairing/executive positions

• Executive board member, International Foundation of Robotics Research (2007-)
• Member, IEEE-RAS CARES (2020-)
• EEE-RAS ICRA Steering Committee (2023-)
• Member, IEEE-RAS AdCom (2021-2023)
• Co-Chair, IEEE-RAS Technical Committee on Robotics and Automation in Nuclear Facilities (2012-2022)
• President, International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (2012-2015)

Professor Nakamura has published 166 journal papers, 404 reviewed conference papers, and three books:

• Takuya Ohashi, Yosuke Ikegami, Yoshihiko Nakamura. “Synergetic Reconstruction from 2D Pose and 3D Motion for Wide-Space Multi-Person Video Motion Capture in the Wild.” Image and Vision Computing, Elsevier, 104, 2020.
• Stephane Caron, Quang-Cuong Pham and Yoshihiko Nakamura. "ZMP support areas for multi-contact mobility under frictional constraints". IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2016.
• Quang-Cuong Pham, Stephane Caron, Puttichai Lertkultanon and Yoshihiko Nakamura. "Admissible Velocity Propagation: Beyond Quasi-Static Path Planning for High-Dimensional Robots". International Journal of Robotics Research, 2016.
• Wataru Takano and Yoshihiko Nakamura. “Statistical mutual conversion between whole body motion primitives and linguistic sentences for human motions.” The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 34: pp. 1314-1328, 2015.
• Ko Ayusawa, Gentianee Venture, Yoshihiko Nakamura. “Identifiability and Identification of Inertial Parameters Using the Underactuated Base-Link Dynamics for Legged Multibody Systems.” International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 446-468, 2014.
• Dana Kulic, Christian Ott, Dongheui Lee, Junichi Ishikawa, and Yoshihiko Nakamura. “Incremental learning of full body motion primitives and their sequencing through human motion observation.” The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 31, No. 3: pp. 330-345, March 2012.