Naomi Yamashita

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About

Naomi Yamashita is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction and social telepresence, whose work explores how technology can bridge the gap between physical and remote presence. Her key contributions focus on designing systems that make autonomous robots feel genuinely human-operated, addressing a critical challenge in creating believable social robots. In her highly cited 2016 paper, "Teleoperated or Autonomous?: How to Produce a Robot Operator's Pseudo Presence in HRI," Yamashita proposed an innovative method to generate the illusion of human teleoperation in autonomous robots without costly equipment—a breakthrough that has garnered over 37 citations and shaped subsequent research in the field. She has also advanced mirror-type social telepresence systems, as demonstrated in her 2017 work on a robotic table and bench that enhances the feeling of togetherness in remote collaboration. By tackling the fundamental question of how to make robots feel present and socially engaged, Yamashita's research has profound implications for everything from remote work to assistive robotics. Her work stands out for its practical, cost-effective solutions that bring sophisticated social interaction capabilities to everyday robotic systems.