Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Masashi Hattori is a multidisciplinary robotics researcher whose work spans human-robot interaction, mobile robot localization, multisensory perception, and surgical robotics. His early career focused on developing intelligent home robotic systems, culminating in a widely recognized positioning system that combines infrared and ultrasonic sensing for rapid indoor localization, which has accumulated 41 citations. Alongside this, he pioneered methods for 3D human detection using depth-from-focus imaging and PTZ cameras, advancing how robots perceive and navigate toward people in domestic environments. Hattori also made notable contributions to multi-modal human-robot interaction, enabling robots to build environmental maps through natural speech and gesture-based communication. His research later evolved toward the fascinating intersection of robotics and neuroscience, where his work on the "Robotically Enhanced Rubber Hand Illusion" (35 citations) explored how robotic systems can exploit multisensory body-ownership phenomena to improve operator immersion and control. This insight informed his subsequent development of a microsurgical robotic system designed to induce multisensory illusions, enhancing intuitiveness in master-slave surgical contexts. His validation study of the Mimic® dV-Trainer further demonstrated his commitment to practical surgical robotics education. Across more than two decades, Hattori's research reflects a rare breadth, connecting fundamental robotics engineering with human perception and clinical application.