Jun Yamashita

Papers

Total Citations

133

H-Index

About

Jun Yamashita is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, with a specialized focus on the spatial dynamics that govern how robots and people share physical space. His work is foundational in understanding how a robot’s physical orientation and movement can intuitively guide human behavior, drawing deeply from sociological theories of spatial relationships. Yamashita’s most impactful contribution is his pioneering study on reconfiguring F-formation arrangements—the invisible social bubbles people create when interacting—by manipulating a robot’s body torque. His seminal 2010 paper on this topic has garnered over 95 citations, establishing a core principle for designing information-presenting robots that can non-verbally manage group formations and personal space. This research demonstrates that a simple rotation of a robot’s body can effectively signal a change in the interaction’s focus, allowing the robot to subtly reshape a social circle. With a combined citation count exceeding 130 for his key works, Yamashita’s insights are critical for engineers and designers aiming to create socially aware robots that move and position themselves with human-like spatial intelligence, making them more effective and comfortable partners in shared environments.