Shoya Higa Email Address

Space Robotics Engineer

GITAI specializes in artificial intelligence and robotic research.

I am working at GITAI as a space robotics engineer. I completed the Advanced Course of Okinawa National College of Technology and received a bachelor's degree from NIAD-UE (National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation) in 2012, and received his master's degree and Ph.D. (Engineering) from Tohoku University in 2014 and 2017, respectively. My research interests focus on mobility performance analysis of lunar/planetary rovers, particularly wheel–soil interaction (terramechanics), sensing and estimation of rover's wheel performance, robot autonomy, in-situ terrain assessment, and ice climbing robots. In my PhD, I was working on experiment-based measurement and modeling of wheel-soil interactions (normal stress and shear stress) and has developed sensing wheel system for lunar/planetary rovers. At JPL, I have worked on development of driving energy predictions for wheeled rovers, ice climbing robot, and IR camera-based terrain assessment technology. In GITAI, I have been working on development of robotic systems that will work in space.