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Okada-Hijikata Lab
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A lab that designs human-friendly robots and artificial hearts, from the standpoint of mechanisms and control.
AboutAbout the lab
Aiming to design machines that are kind and useful to people.
The Okada-Hijikata Lab studies the design and control of robots and medical devices, aiming for machines that are kind and useful to people.
The Okada Group works on the design of mechanisms, control, and motion, based on ideas from physics and mathematics.
From the viewpoint of "learning from living organisms and guiding with engineering," the Hijikata Group studies artificial hearts, artificial skin, and more, using technologies based on electromagnetics.
Key terms
- Trajectory attractor
- A specific trajectory toward which motion is drawn as time passes. Even if the motion is pushed off course along the way, it returns to this trajectory
- Magnetic levitation
- A mechanism that uses the force of magnets to float an object and support it without touching anything. In an artificial heart, it levitates the impeller
- Blood clot
- A mass formed when blood coagulates. It forms easily when blood comes into contact with artificial materials
NewsLab news
The lab held a lab tour for applicants to the graduate school entrance exam
A master's student received the Excellent Student Award from the Japan Society for Design Engineering
A master's student received the Presentation Award at the Mechanical Engineering Course interim presentation
An undergraduate and a master's student received the Young Researcher Excellence Award at the Artificial Heart and Assisted Circulation Forum
A doctoral student received the Asia-Pacific Young Researcher Award at the international conference ISMCS
ResearchResearch themes
The Okada Group works on making machines that are kind and useful to people through the design of mechanisms, control, and motion. The Hijikata Group advances research that integrates machines with living bodies, such as artificial hearts, using mechanical engineering, especially technologies based on electromagnetics.
*Illustrative imageControl using trajectory attractors
The lab builds dynamical systems that are drawn into a specific trajectory as time passes, and uses them for control. Because the motion is not bound to time, this approach is well suited to robots that work together with people.
*Illustrative imageSemi-autonomous control for remote excavation
In remote operation, communication delays make machines hard to operate. The lab builds control systems that move autonomously using trajectory attractors, and designs the mechanisms and interfaces that let a human step in and intervene through operation.
*Illustrative imageAn artificial heart levitated by thrust and magnetic force
The lab combines the thrust generated as the impeller, the blade wheel that pumps blood, rotates with magnetic force. It aims for a new type of artificial heart in which the impeller levitates without feedback control.
*Illustrative imageAn artificial heart equipped with artificial intelligence
The lab uses the magnetic levitation mechanism itself as a sensor and combines it with machine learning. It is developing control that adapts to the heart's subtle pulsations, as well as technology to prevent blood clots and detect them early.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Okada-Hijikata Lab consist of faculty and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasafumi OkadaPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorWataru HijikataPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorAtsushi TakataPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “UR16e robot arm” Auledas / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Control using trajectory attractors: “VanDerPolPhaseSpace” User:XaosBits at English Wikipedia / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Semi-autonomous control for remote excavation: “Two excavator buckets” Cjp24 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- An artificial heart levitated by thrust and magnetic force: “‘Heartmate’ left ventricular-assist device, United States Wellcome L0066304” Wellcome Images / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- An artificial heart equipped with artificial intelligence: “Ventricular assist device” Madhero88 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tadano Lab): “Instruments for laparoscopic Hernia Operation” Anpol42 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Takeda-Sugahara Lab): “Hexapod positioner aka Stewart platform x2” User Mike1024 on en.wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Takayama Lab): “Worm drive ( )” Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nakanishi-Chujo Lab): “Canadarm2 during Expedition 62 (ISS062-E-055099)” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
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