Yuki Shirai

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Ph.D. in Robotics

Email: yukishirai1926"AT"gmail.com

[Resume][Linkedin][Google Scholar][GitHub]

About

I am Yuki Shirai, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL). At MERL, I have been working on bimanual manipulation using trajectory optimization & deep reinforcement & imitation learning using vision and touch sensing toward multimodal learning.

What's new:

[2025 Jun]: Our work is accepted for IROS2025! Also, our workshop, "IROS workshop on Climbing Robotics," was accepted for IROS2025!

[2025 Mar]: I was appointed as an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L)!

[2025 Jal]: My work during my internship at BDAI and my work at MERL are accepted for 2025ICRA!

[2025 Sep]: I was appointed as an Associate Editor for 2025 ICRA!

[2024 Jul]: We were invited as a speaker to the "Theory and Algorithms for Chance Constrained Optimization session", in the "Continuous Stochastic Programming stream", at the ISMP 2024!

[2024 Jun]: Our paper, "Robust Pivoting Manipulation Using Contact Implicit Bilevel Optimization", has been accepted for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics (TRO)!

Old news can be found here.

Selected Publication

Learning Pivoting Manipulation with Force and Vision Feedback Using Optimization-based Demonstrations

Keywords: Learning from Demonstrations; Contact-Implicit Trajectory Optimization; Non-Prehensile Manipulation; Reinforcement Learning

preprint.

Yuki Shirai, Kei Ota, Devesh K. Jha, Diego Romeres

[arxiv][video]

Learning Visuotactile Tool Manipulation through Extrinsic Contact

Keywords: Multimodal Learning; Dexterous Manipulation; Visuotactile Estimation

under review.

Zhengtong Xu and Yuki Shirai

[coming...]

Goal-Conditioned Residual Diffusion Policy

Keywords: Imitation Learning, Dexterous Manipulation

under review.

Yuki Shirai, Zhengtong Xu, Kei Ota, Diego Romeres

[coming...]

Hierarchical Contact-Rich Trajectory Optimization for Multi-Modal Manipulation using Tight Convex Relaxations

Keywords: Dexterous Manipulation; Planning through Contact

ICRA 2025.

Yuki Shirai, Arvind Raghunathan, Devesh K. Jha

[arxiv][video][IEEE Video Friday][poster]

Is Linear Feedback on Smoothed Dynamics Sufficient for Stabilizing Contact-Rich Plans?

Keywords: Dexterous Manipulation; Control through Contact; Differentiable Simulation

ICRA 2025.

Yuki Shirai, Tong Zhao, H.J. Terry Suh, Huaijiang Zhu, Xinpei Ni, Jiuguang Wang, Max Simchowitz, Tao Pang

[arxiv][video][blog][IEEE Video Friday][poster]

Tactile Tool Manipulation

Keywords: Dexterous Manipulation; Manipulation Planning; Optimization and Optimal Control

ICRA 2023. [Best Paper in the workshop, "Embracing contacts."! ]

Yuki Shirai, Devesh Jha, Arvind Raghunathan, and Dennis Hong

[arxiv][video][poster][presentation][IEEE Video Friday]

Robust Pivoting: Exploiting Frictional Stability Using Bilevel Optimization

Keywords: Manipulation Planning, Optimization and Optimal Control, Dexterous Manipulation

ICRA 2022 & IEEE TRO.

Yuki Shirai, Devesh Jha, Arvind Raghunathan, Diego Romeres.

[arxiv][poster][brief video][TRO video][TRO][IEEE Video Friday]

Simultaneous Contact-Rich Grasping and Locomotion via Distributed Optimization Enabling Free-Climbing for Multi-Limbed Robots

Keywords: Legged Robots, Optimization and Optimal Control, Grasping

IROS2022

Yuki Shirai, Xuan Lin, Alexander Schperberg, Yusuke Tanaka, Hayato Kato, Varit Vichathorn, and Dennis Hong.

[arxiv][video][presentation][poster]

Analytic Conditions for Differentiable Collision Detection in Trajectory Optimization

Keywords: Optimization and Optimal Control; Collision Avoidance; Computational Geometry

IROS 2025.

Akshay Jaitly, Devesh Jha, Kei Ota, and Yuki Shirai

[arxiv][video]

Covariance Steering for Uncertain Contact-Rich Systems

Keywords: Planning under Uncertainty; Optimization and Optimal Control; Manipulation Planning

ICRA 2023.

Yuki Shirai, Devesh K. Jha, and Arvind U. Raghunathan

[arxiv][presentation][poster]

SCALER: A Tough Versatile Quadruped Free-Climber Robot

Keywords: Climbing Robots, Legged Robots, Grippers and Other End-Effectors

IROS2022 & TRO2025. Got SICE International Young Authors Award.

Yusuke Tanaka, Yuki Shirai, Xuan Lin, Alexander Schperberg, Hayato Kato, Alexander Swerdlow, Naoya Kumagai, Dennis Hong

[arxiv][video][TRO][website]

STOCS: Simultaneous Trajectory Optimization and Contact Selection for Contact-Rich Manipulation

Keywords: Manipulation Planning; Optimization and Optimal Control; Dexterous Manipulation

Mengchao Zhang, Yuki Shirai, Devesh K. Jha, Arvind U. Raghunathan, and Kris Hauser

[poster]

Chance-Constrained Optimization in Contact-Rich Systems for Robust Manipulation

Keywords: Manipulation Planning, Optimization and Optimal Control, Dexterous Manipulation

ACC 2023.

Yuki Shirai, Devesh Jha, Arvind Raghunathan, Diego Romeres.

[arxiv]

LTO: Lazy Trajectory Optimization with Graph-Search Planning for High DOF Robots in Cluttered Environments

Keywords: Motion and Path Planning, Optimization and Optimal Control

ICRA 2021.

Yuki Shirai, Xuan Lin, Ankur Mehta, and Dennis Hong.

[abs][pdf][video][presentation]

Risk-Aware Motion Planning for a Limbed Robot with Stochastic Gripping Forces Using Nonlinear Programming

Keywords: Legged Robots, Motion and Path Planning, Optimization and Optimal Control

RA-L with the IROS 2020 option.

Yuki Shirai, Xuan Lin, Yusuke Tanaka, Ankur Mehta, and Dennis Hong.

[abs][pdf][video][presentation]

An Under-Actuated Whippletree Mechanism Gripper based on Multi-Objective Design Optimization with Auto-Tuned Weights

Keywords: Climbing Robots, Grippers and Other End-Effectors, Mechanism Design

IROS 2021.

Yusuke Tanaka, Yuki Shirai, Zachary Lacey, Xuan Lin, Jane Liu, Dennis Hong.

[abs][pdf]

Passive Spine Gripper for Free-Climbing Robot in Extreme Terrain

Keywords: Space Robotics and Automation, Climbing Robots, Grippers and Other End-Effectors.

RA-L with the ICRA 2018 option

Kenji Nagaoka, Hayato Minote, Kyohei Maruya, Yuki Shirai, Kazuya Yoshida, Takeshi Hakamada, Hirotaka Sawada, and Takashi Kubota.

[abs][pdf][video]

Gait Analysis of a Free-Climbing Robot on Sloped Terrain for Lunar and Planetary Exploration

Keywords: Legged Robots, Space Robotics and Automation

The 14th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space

Yuki Shirai, Hayato Minote, Kenji Nagaoka, and Kazuya Yoshida.

[pdf]

Awards

ICRA 2023 workshop, "Embracing contacts. Making robots physically interact with our world", 1st prize. (250£): Jun. 2023.
Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation Fellowship (The full amount of tuition plus a stipend for living expenses): Sep. 2020 - present
Funai Overseas Scholarship (The full amount of tuition plus a stipend of $2,500 a month for living expenses): Sep. 2018 - Aug. 2020
Hatakeyama Award: No.1 bachelor student in the School of Engineering at Tohoku University: Mar. 2018

Professional Services

Editor experience

IEEE RA-L
2025 ICRA

Workshop organizer

IROS2025 Workshop on Climbing Robotics

Peer-reviewer experience

TRO (2024)
IJRR (2024).
ICRA (2021-2024).
IROS (2020-2023).
CDC (2023)
IEEE Access (2021).
Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence (2021-2022).

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