Rei Kimura

About

Rei Kimura is a pioneering researcher in the field of robot-assisted activity and therapy (RAA/RAT), with a career dedicated to understanding how robotic companions can improve human well-being. Her work focuses on the design, application, and remote control of social robots for therapeutic settings, particularly for elderly individuals in nursing homes and hospitalized children. Kimura’s most cited paper (41 citations) establishes the necessary conditions for companion robots in RAA, emphasizing the importance of specific robotic properties for effective therapy. She further advanced the field by demonstrating that remote-controlled robots can be as effective as autonomous ones, enabling caregivers to tailor interactions in real time. Her trials with robotic pets in children’s hospitals showed significant improvements in mood and quality of life, while her fieldwork in aged care homes and pediatric wards provided critical insights for tuning entertainment robots for therapeutic use. Though her citation counts are modest, Kimura’s work laid foundational groundwork for the human-robot interaction community, bridging engineering and healthcare to create empathetic, practical robotic solutions for vulnerable populations.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Studies on necessary condition of companion robot in the RAA application

   41 citations · 2004
2. 2
   Utilization of remote control technique for effective RAA and RAT

   11 citations · 2006
3. 3
   Trial of robot assisted activity using robotic pets in children hospital

   10 citations · 2004
4. 4
   Trial of robot assisted rehabilitation using robotic pet

   7 citations · 2008
5. 5
   Tuning of entertainment robots for RAA/RAT application based on fieldworks at aged people's home and pediatrics ward

   2 citations · 2004

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links