IEEE ICMA 2026 Conference

Keynote Speech 2

Development of Biomimetic Dynamic Robots

Aiguo Ming, Ph.D.

Professor

Robotics and Mechatronics Lab

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems

The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan

http://www.rm.mce.uec.ac.jp/ming/

Abstract:

In this talk I will describe our progress on the development of two types of biomimetic robots: (1) Biomimetic hyperdynamic robots and (2) Soft biomimetic robots.

The first part of the talk will focus on the mechanism and motion control skill commonly used by humans and animals but mostly avoided by conventional robots, such as utilization of joint stop mechanisms and dynamically-coupled driving in hyper dynamic motions. These issues exploit the nonlinear mechanisms and dynamics to realize natural hyperdynamic motions by a smart structure.

In the second part of the talk I will describe our work on how to introduce creatures' structure and propulsion mechanism into soft robots to realize high mobility, efficiency and creature like motions. The main challenge topic is how to design and control the soft robots with considering the synergetic coupling between soft structure and environment (air, water, etc.). I will show our basic approach toward the synergy and some examples of the developed soft biomimetic robots (fast caudal fin propulsion underwater robot, holonomic underwater robot using two-dimensional propulsion, very soft underwater robot, flapping robot with asymmetric and nonlinear structure, etc.).

Aiguo Ming (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree in precision machinery engineering from The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, in 1990. He is currently a Professor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems, at The University of Electro-Communications (UEC), Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Ming is an editor of International Journal of mechatronics and Automation and was an editor of the International Journal of Robotics. His current research interests include biomimetic hyperdynamic robotics, soft biomimetic robotics, robotic hands with proximity sensors, and precise gear measurement systems.