Shotaro Kobayashi

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Shotaro Kobayashi is a robotics researcher whose work centers on human-robot interaction (HRI), ontology-driven knowledge systems, and safe physical collaboration. His most influential contribution is the development of WioNA (Wikipedia Ontology NAo), an integrated framework that combines Japanese speech interfaces, semantic interpretation, and two novel ontologies—Japanese Wikipedia Ontology and Robot Action Ontology—deployed on the humanoid robot Nao. This work, cited 25 times, significantly advanced how robots understand and act upon human language by leveraging structured web knowledge. Kobayashi further extended this concept by aligning multiple ontologies—including behavior and kinematics models—to enable multi-level HRI, allowing robots to switch between knowledge-based, behavioral, and physical interaction layers. More recently, he has addressed safety in physical HRI by designing a passive collision force suppression mechanism for human-friendly robots, a critical step toward safe co-working environments. Though his citation counts are modest, Kobayashi’s contributions are notable for their interdisciplinary approach, merging artificial intelligence, linguistics, and mechanical safety into a coherent vision for more intuitive and trustworthy robotic companions.