Naoko Matsumoto

Kyushu University, Tokyo Institute of Technology

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About

Naoko Matsumoto is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, with a focused interest in long-term, in-home relationships between people and intelligent artifacts. Her work centers on understanding how robots can evolve from mere tools into cohabitants within domestic spaces. Matsumoto’s major contributions stem from two landmark studies conducted in a “Ubiquitous Home” environment. In her most cited work, she conducted an unprecedented 16-day continuous experiment, using video and conversation log analysis to examine the natural, unscripted communication between a home robot and its human users. By applying protocol analysis to voice recognition data, she revealed the subtle dynamics of how people personify and build rapport with a machine over time. This research provides foundational insights into the design of companion robots that are socially accepted in everyday life. Though her citation counts are modest, her work is notable for its methodological rigor and its early, prescient focus on the long-term, ecological validity of human-robot relationships—a topic now central to the field.