Koichi Hirota

The University of Tokyo, University of Electro-Communications

Papers

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About

Koichi Hirota is a pioneering researcher in the field of haptics and human-computer interaction, best known for his foundational work on force feedback in virtual environments. His seminal 1995 paper, “Providing force feedback in virtual environments” (38 citations), established core principles for integrating the sense of touch into digital simulations, demonstrating that force feedback dramatically improves task efficiency and accuracy in virtual and telerobotic systems—a concept that has influenced decades of VR and robotics research. More recently, Hirota has ventured into unconventional, socially-oriented robotics with his project “Licker: A Tongue Robot for Representing Realistic Tongue Motions” (2019, 3 citations). This innovative robot mimics human tongue motions to explore cross-species social bonding through licking, highlighting his willingness to tackle novel, emotionally resonant interfaces. Across his career, Hirota has bridged technical haptic engineering with imaginative applications, from enhancing virtual object manipulation to creating robots that foster connection. His work continues to inspire students and researchers interested in the sensory and social dimensions of human-robot interaction.