Thinker Director Speaks at AI Robotics Study Session, Presents Solutions to Contact Challenges

Keisuke Koyama, a director of Thinker Inc. and a visiting associate professor at Osaka University, spoke at a study session held by AI ROBOT JAPAN on August 20, 2026. He presented technology combining proximity sensors and flexible mechanisms, along with examples such as inserting automotive connectors.

The talk showed how robot hands can handle contact tasks that are vulnerable to damage from misalignment or collisions. It demonstrated how combining proximity sensors, which detect distance and angle without contact, with flexible mechanisms can address tasks such as inserting parts under loads of several kilograms and grasping randomly piled parts.