Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Hiroyuki Shinoda is a pioneering robotics and sensing researcher whose work has fundamentally advanced the development of intelligent tactile systems for human-friendly robots. His research spans robot sensor skin technology, wireless tactile sensing, ultrasonic manipulation, and signal transmission, with a consistent focus on creating flexible, full-body sensory systems that enable robots to interact safely and naturally with humans. Shinoda's most influential contribution is the development of tactile sensor skins, particularly his "STAR" (Skin by Touch Area Receptor) system, which mimics the human ability to discriminate object sharpness through contact-area detection — earning over 100 citations. His groundbreaking work on wireless tactile sensing elements embedded in elastic bodies solved the long-standing engineering challenge of wiring vast sensor arrays across three-dimensional robot surfaces, with related papers accumulating dozens of citations across multiple publications. His 2018 work on ultrasonic plane-wave manipulation of spherical objects in mid-air represents a bold extension into aerial robotics without onboard actuators. Across more than two decades of research, Shinoda has demonstrated remarkable breadth — from biologically inspired sensor design to two-dimensional signal transmission and character synthesis — establishing him as a foundational figure in embodied robotics and human-robot interaction research.