Research

Overview

Our lab focuses on the intersection of haptics, soft robotics, and community. We work on studying fundamentals of haptic perception, sensory integration, and soft robotics, while also expanding to applications in agriculture, healthcare, and collaborative technologies.

Haptic Device Design and Perception

We design new haptic devices (technology that interacts with humans via touch) for guidance and communication. These devices have applications in AR/VR, human-robot teleoperation, and more.

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K. T. Yoshida, Z. A. Zook, H. Choi, M. Luo, M. K. O'Malley, and A. M. Okamura, "Design and Evaluation of a 3-DoF Haptic Device for Directional Shear Cues on the Forearm," IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2024.
K. T. Yoshida, C. M. Nunez, S. R. Williams, A. M. Okamura, and M. Luo, "3-DoF Wearable, Pneumatic Haptic Device to Deliver Normal, Shear, Vibration, and Torsion Feedback," in 2019 IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pp. 97-102, 2019.

Soft Robot Design, Modeling, and Control

Soft robots are robots made of soft materials making them low-cost and safe for human/environmental interaction. We work on creating new soft robots that can be used for manipulators, grippers, shape displays, and more!

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C. E. Winston, K. T. Yoshida, S. R. Williams, and A. M. Okamura, "Embedded Laser-Cut Constraints for Elastomeric Soft Actuators," in 2021 IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pp. 863, 2021.
K. T. Yoshida, X. Ren, L. H. Blumenschein, A. M. Okamura, and M. Luo, "AFREEs: Active Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures," in 2020 3rd IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), pp. 305-311, 2020.

Agriculture and Caregiving Robots

Soft robots show large potential to be used in outdoor environments for monitoring and sampling. They also show potential to aid in picking fruit and also objects in the in-home environment to ease the burden on caregivers.

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C. Ninatanta, R. Cole, I. Wells, A. Ramos, J. Pilgrim, J. Benedict, R. Taylor, R. Dorosh, K. Yoshida, M. Karkee, and others, "Design and evaluation of a lightweight soft electrical apple harvesting gripper," in 2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), pp. 479-484, 2024.
J. Allen, R. Dorosh, C. Ninatanta, A. Allen, L. Shui, K. Yoshida, J. Luo, and M. Luo, "Modeling and Experimental Verification of a Continuous Curvature-based Soft Growing Manipulator," IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2024.

Crowdsourced Haptics for Mobile Health and Education

We can use smartphones (which feature haptics via vibration) to deliver human perception studies that can be used to assess human populations and even be used for clinical tests for peripheral neuropathy!

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R. A. G. Adenekan, A. G. Reyes, K. T. Yoshida, S. Kodali, A. M. Okamura, and C. M. Nunez, "A comparative analysis of smartphone and standard tools for touch perception assessment across multiple body sites," IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2024.
R. A. G. Adenekan, K. T. Yoshida, A. Benyoucef, A. G. Reyes, A. E. Adenekan, A. M. Okamura, and C. M. Nunez, "Reliability of Smartphone-Based Vibration Threshold Measurements," in 2024 IEEE Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS), pp. 25-32, 2024.
K. T. Yoshida, J. X. Kiernan, R. A. G. Adenekan, S. H. Trinh, A. J. Lowber, A. M. Okamura, and C. M. Nunez, "Cognitive and physical activities impair perception of smartphone vibrations," IEEE Transactions on Haptics, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 672-679, 2023.
K. T. Yoshida, J. X. Kiernan, A. M. Okamura, and C. M. Nunez, "Exploring Human Response Times to Combinations of Audio, Haptic, and Visual Stimuli from a Mobile Device," in IEEE World Haptics Conference, pp. 121-127, 2023.

Collaborative Human-Robot Interfaces and Social Robots

We design new interfaces to interact with robots through teleoperation, motion tracking, and gesture detection. Designing these interfaces will help us normalize robots in daily life.

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F. Stroppa, M. Luo, K. Yoshida, M. M. Coad, L. H. Blumenschein, and A. M. Okamura, "Human interface for teleoperated object manipulation with a soft growing robot," in 2020 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 726-732, 2020.
H. Choi, D. Brouwer, M. A. Lin, K. T. Yoshida, C. Rognon, B. Stephens-Fripp, A. M. Okamura, and M. R. Cutkosky, "Deep Learning Classification of Touch Gestures Using Distributed Normal and Shear Force," in 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 3659-3665, 2022.

Community-Centered Design, Outreach, and Education

We can apply technology from the lab into our community through outreach and education. Different tools like machine learning and skills in robotics can create significant and lasting impact on the broader world!

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C. M. Ferrari-Wong, E. Costello, K. Yoshida, and M. Abella, "Ka Mālamalama O Ka Mahina: Building Pathways for Indigenous Lunar Science in Hawai'i," LPI Contributions, vol. 2679, pp. 2070, 2022.
K. Yoshida and L. Domingo, "Gesture Evolution-Tracking Nonverbal Communication of Creative Design Teams," 2021.
M. K. Abella, T. T. Abella, and K. T. Yoshida, "The Relationship Between Public Interest and Surgical Demand During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Cureus, vol. 15, no. 4, 2023.

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