Naoki Mukawa
Papers
7
Total Citations
52
H-Index
4
About
Naoki Mukawa is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, specializing in the subtle dynamics of conversational turn-taking and social communication. His work focuses on how robots can use verbal and bodily fillers—such as "ummm" sounds or chin-stroking gestures—to recover from awkward silences and ease conversational flow. Mukawa’s most cited paper (26 citations) introduces a conversational robot that employs these fillers to signal intent and recommence dialogue, directly addressing a common social discomfort. He further explores how such behaviors can mitigate embarrassment during silences (9 citations) and facilitate graceful conversation closure (5 citations), revealing humans’ tendency to hesitate when ending interactions with robots. His development of the "Neut" system (4 citations) demonstrates a communication support robot that designates speakers in multi-party conversations, helping groups recover from lulls. By modeling autonomous turn-taking behaviors, Mukawa bridges robotics and social psychology, offering practical designs for socially appropriate robots. His contributions are vital for creating machines that interact naturally, with applications in assistive technology and collaborative environments.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 5Autonomous Turn-Taking Agent System Based on Behavior Model3 citations · 2009
- 6Visual Trajectory Tracking by Preview Control.3 citations · 1997
- 7Neut: “Hey, Let Her Speak”2 citations · 2015