Kanji Tamura

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Kanji Tamura is a pioneering roboticist whose work explores the unconventional yet deeply human intersection of social bonding and biomimetic design. His primary research focuses on human-robot interaction and soft robotics, with a particular emphasis on creating machines that can replicate nuanced, intimate forms of non-verbal communication. Tamura’s most notable contribution is the development of "Licker," a flexible tongue robot designed to mimic the realistic motions of a human tongue. By first analyzing and distilling human tongue movements into four fundamental patterns, Tamura engineered a soft actuator capable of replicating these gestures. The underlying aim of this provocative project is to investigate whether cross-species and human-robot social bonds can be strengthened through the act of licking. While a niche area, this work has garnered attention for its bold, thought-provoking approach to affective robotics, challenging conventional assumptions about how machines might express care. With a citation count that reflects the emerging nature of this specific subfield, Tamura’s research stands as a testament to the value of exploring the weird, the wonderful, and the deeply tactile in the quest for more meaningful artificial companions.