Shohei Sugano

Chiba Institute of Technology, Funabashi Orthopaedic Hospital

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Shohei Sugano is a pioneering researcher in the emerging field of kawaii engineering, a discipline that quantifies and applies the aesthetic and emotional qualities of "cuteness" to human-robot interaction and design. His most influential work, "Study of Kawaii-ness in Motion – Physical Properties of Kawaii Motion of Roomba" (2013, 19 citations), established foundational metrics for analyzing how robotic movement—specifically the trajectory, speed, and hesitation patterns of a Roomba—can evoke perceptions of cuteness. This research bridges robotics, psychology, and product design, offering concrete parameters for creating more endearing and socially acceptable autonomous agents. Sugano further refined these concepts in "Kawaii-ness in Motion" (2019, 4 citations), expanding the framework to broader motion types. Though his citation counts are modest, his work has been instrumental in legitimizing kawaii as a serious research domain within human-robot interaction, influencing designers and engineers seeking to make technology more approachable. Sugano’s contributions highlight a unique intersection of cultural aesthetics and empirical science, demonstrating that emotional design can be systematically studied and engineered.