Atsuko Shimamura
Papers
6
Total Citations
129
H-Index
5
About
Atsuko Shimamura is a prominent researcher specializing in care robotics, aging policy, and the ethical dimensions of assistive technology for older adults. Her work sits at a critical intersection of gerontology, healthcare ethics, and human-robot interaction, with a particular focus on how societies grapple with demographic aging and workforce shortages in caregiving. Shimamura's most significant contributions center on understanding how older adults, family caregivers, and home-care professionals perceive and engage with care robots. Her most-cited work (53 citations) pioneered cross-national comparative analysis, examining attitudes toward home-care robots across Finland, Ireland, and Japan — revealing both cultural commonalities and divergences in acceptance. Complementing this, her ethical investigations into Japan's carebot landscape (34 citations) highlighted the moral complexities facing a nation confronting an acute "care crisis," offering policymakers a grounded empirical foundation for decision-making. What distinguishes Shimamura's scholarship is its international scope and practical orientation. By surveying multiple stakeholder groups across three countries, she has constructed explanatory models of users' ethical perceptions and willingness to adopt care technologies. Her research has collectively accumulated over 129 citations, making her an increasingly influential voice in global debates about robotics-assisted care and sustainable aging policy.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 5The essential needs for home-care robots in Japan10 citations · 2020
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