PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Shigeo Hirose

Also known as 広瀬茂男

Shigeo Hirose is a Japanese robotics engineer whose snake-like and walking robots take their designs from living animals. Born in Tokyo in 1947, he demonstrated the 2m snake robot ACM-III in 1972, earned his Tokyo Institute of Technology doctorate in 1976, became a professor there in 1992 and Professor Emeritus in 2013. His 1993 book Biologically Inspired Robots coined the research field of biologically inspired robotics, and he co-founded the robot company HiBot in 2004. He received the 2014 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award and the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 2021. He is Professor Emeritus at Tokyo Institute of Technology and director of the Hyper-Environmental Robots (HERO) Laboratory, which develops decommissioning robots for sites such as Fukushima Daiichi.

Born
1947
Works
524
Badges

Years link to their sources. Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.

Timeline

  1. 1971–1976

    The ACM-III snake robot

    Born in Tokyo in 1947, he graduates from Yokohama National University in 1971 and joins Yoji Umetani's laboratory at Tokyo Institute of Technology, where his first project is a snake-like robot. His 2m ACM-III shows smooth undulating motion in 1972, the first such demonstration in the world, and he receives his doctorate in 1976 for a biomechanical study of real snakes and snake-like robots.

  2. 1976–2013

    Professor at Tokyo Tech

    He serves as assistant professor from 1976, associate professor from 1979 and professor from 1992, then distinguished professor from 2011 until 2013, when he becomes Professor Emeritus. At the Institute he mentors 41 doctoral students and more than 300 master's students.

  3. 1979–1980

    A stair-climbing walking robot

    In 1979, the second model of his six-legged robot climbs an entire set of stairs without falling, helped by tactile sensors. The robot catches the attention of an Ohio State University professor and leads to an invitation to join a DARPA project in 1980.

  4. 1993

    Biologically Inspired Robots

    He publishes Biologically Inspired Robots with Oxford University Press in 1993, and in it he coins the research field of biologically inspired robotics.

  5. 2004–2016

    Founding HiBot

    He co-founds HiBot in 2004 with students of his laboratory. The amphibious snake-like robot ACM-R5 is first introduced to the public at the 2005 Aichi Expo, and in 2016 HiBot receives the Top Performer Award in robotics and advanced technology at the 3rd Rise Up Festa, with him present as its chairman.

  6. 2014

    IEEE Robotics and Automation Award

    IEEE names him the recipient of its 2014 Robotics and Automation Award for contributions to the design and construction of nonconventional robotic systems such as snakelike, quadruped walking, wall climbing, and swarm robots. His earlier honours include the IEEE Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award in 1999 and the Joseph Engelberger Robotics Award in 2009.

  7. 2021

    Order of the Sacred Treasure

    The Japanese government awards him the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 2021, one of nearly 80 awards that also include the IEEE Most Influential Paper Award in 2018.

  8. As of October 2026

    Director of the HERO Lab

    He is Professor Emeritus of Tokyo Institute of Technology and director of the Hyper-Environmental Robots (HERO) Laboratory, also called the Extreme Environment Robot Research Institute. The lab, established in 2020, develops decommissioning robots for places people cannot enter, such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Career

  1. Since 1976Institute of Science TokyoAssistant Professor, Associate Professor
  2. From 2004HiBotCo-founder, Chairman

Education

  1. 1976Institute of Science TokyoDoctorate
  2. 1971Yokohama National University

From the biography.

  1. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Shigeo Hirose. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Institute of Science Tokyo. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Institute of Science Tokyo. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  4. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Institute of Science Tokyo. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Shigeo Hirose yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Oral-History:Shigeo Hirose - Engineering and Technology History Wiki ethw.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Shigeo Hirose - Relentless passion for the creation of robots titech.ac.jp. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Shigeo Hirose Named Recipient 2014 IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION AWARD ieee-ras.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Tokyo Tech-rooted HiBot top performer at 3rd Rise Up Festa titech.ac.jp. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Robot Research and Development – IROS 2022 iros2022.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Members of the Extreme Environment Robotics Research Institute have received the 2026 Robotics and Mechatronics Division ROBOMECH Award (Industrial and Practical Field) from the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers ipros.com. Checked 20 October 2026.