Masayuki Nakane

University of Manitoba, Human Computer Interaction (Switzerland)

Papers

Total Citations

162

H-Index

About

Masayuki Nakane explores the psychological and practical dimensions of human-robot interaction (HRI), focusing on how people perceive, obey, and collaborate with robotic systems. His most influential work, “Poor Thing! Would You Feel Sorry for a Simulated Robot?” (115 citations), critically examines whether simulated robots can evoke genuine empathy, revealing key differences in user responses that shape how researchers design and evaluate HRI experiments. Nakane also addresses the physical demands of remote operation, developing an interface for robotic manipulators that significantly reduces task load and operator fatigue (38 citations), a contribution with direct applications in search, rescue, and exploration. In a more provocative study (9 citations), he investigates obedience to robots in positions of authority, raising ethical questions about autonomy and trust as robots take on command roles. By blending empirical rigor with thoughtful consideration of human psychology, Nakane’s work helps bridge the gap between simulated and real-world robotics, offering practical design insights and prompting deeper reflection on our evolving relationships with machines.