PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Mikio Umeda

Also known as Umeda Mikio, 梅田 幹雄

Mikio Umeda is an agricultural robotics researcher whose work connects field machinery with precision agriculture. He studied agricultural engineering at Kyoto University, worked at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and joined Kyoto's agricultural engineering faculty. He received the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery's 1993 Academic Award and coauthored studies of a hydraulic agricultural manipulator in 1995 and variable-rate fertilizer application in 2003. He served as CIGR secretary general from 2014 to 2018 and became its honorary president in 2018. He is professor emeritus at Kyoto University and a corporate executive advisor at Yanmar Agribusiness.

Now at
Kyoto University and Yanmar Agribusiness
Born
1945
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1968–1992

    Agricultural engineering degrees

    He earns a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering at Kyoto University in 1968 and an M.S. in 1970. He completes a Dr. Eng. in Agricultural Science at Kyoto University in 1992.

  2. 1970–1981

    Engineer at Mitsubishi

    At Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, he works as an engineer from April 1970 to September 1981.

  3. 1981–1987

    Senior and principal engineer

    He becomes a senior engineer at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1981 and principal engineer of the Co-generation System Development Group at Sagamihara Machinery Works in 1987.

  4. 1987–1994

    Kyoto faculty and an award

    He joins Kyoto University as a lecturer of Agricultural Engineering in 1987 and becomes an associate professor in 1992. He receives the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery's 38th Academic Award in 1993 and holds the Kyoto associate professorship through February 1994.

  5. 1995–2007

    Field robotics and fertilizer applicators

    In 1995, he coauthors a study of a hydraulic agricultural manipulator with two wrist joints controlled by hydraulic proportional valves. He becomes Professor of Field Robotics and Precision Agriculture in the Division of Environmental Science and Technology at Kyoto University's Graduate School of Agriculture in 1997 and coauthors a variable-rate fertilizer applicator paper in 2003. He holds the professorship through March 2007.

  6. 2014–2018

    Secretary general of CIGR

    From 2014 to 2018, he serves as CIGR secretary general. He becomes CIGR's honorary president in 2018.

  7. 2024

    Yanmar development adviser

    In 2024, he is an adviser in Yanmar Agribusiness's Development Division and professor emeritus at Kyoto University.

  8. Since 2014

    Advisor to Yanmar Agribusiness

    He becomes a corporate executive advisor at Yanmar Agribusiness in April 2014 and continues in the role. He is professor emeritus at Kyoto University.

Career

  1. Since 2014Yanmar AgribusinessCorporate Executive Advisor
  2. Since 1987Kyoto UniversityLecturer of Agricultural Engineering, Associate Professor
  3. 2014–2018International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems EngineeringSecretary General, Honorary President
  4. 1997–2007Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto UniversityProfessor of Field Robotics and Precision Agriculture
  5. 1970–1987Mitsubishi GroupEngineer, Senior Engineer; Principal Engineer, Co-generation System Development Group at Sagamihara Machinery Works

Education

  1. 1992Kyoto UniversityDr. Eng. in Agricultural Science
  2. 1970Kyoto UniversityM.S.
  3. 1968Kyoto UniversityB.S. in Agricultural Engineering

From the biography.

  1. 23% of people shaping AI who left a university for a company later returned to a universityIncludes Mikio Umeda. We estimate that 468 of the 2,011 people shaping AI who left a university for a company (23%) later returned to a university after a median of 5 years, and 163 of 829 (20%) made the reverse round trip.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Kyoto University. 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 Kyoto University. 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 Kyoto University. 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 Mikio Umeda yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Umeda Mikio - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Studies on Agricultural Hydraulic Manipulator (Part 2) jstage.jst.go.jp. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Development of Variable Rate Fertilizer Applicator for Precision Agriculture jstage.jst.go.jp. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. CIGR History cigr.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Food Value Chain Training Course in Partnership with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 2024 aseanhrdproject.com. Checked 20 October 2026.