Nozomi Kuki

About

Nozomi Kuki investigates the intersection of human-agent interaction, exploring how users perceive and respond to on-screen versus robotic agents. Her work centers on understanding the psychological and design factors that influence user engagement and social reactions to artificial agents. In her foundational 2009 study, Kuki demonstrated that users were significantly less likely to react to an on-screen agent’s invitation to play a Shiritori word game compared to a physical robotic agent, highlighting a critical gap in virtual agent design. She then extended this research to identify key contributing factors—such as embodiment, presence, and interaction cues—that could bridge this gap, making on-screen agents as compelling as their robotic counterparts. Though her citation counts are modest (11 and 8 respectively), these studies are pioneering in the field of social robotics and human-computer interaction, laying groundwork for more immersive and responsive virtual agents. Kuki’s work is notable for its clever use of a simple game-based paradigm to reveal deep insights about user psychology, offering practical guidance for designing more engaging and socially believable on-screen characters.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Can users react toward an on-screen agent as if they are reacting toward a robotic agent?

   11 citations · 2009
2. 2
   Investigating the contributing factors to make users react toward an on-screen agent as if they are reacting toward a robotic agent

   8 citations · 2009

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links