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About

Yoshikazu Miwa is a pioneering researcher in embodied communication and human-robot interaction, with a focus on how physical presence and spatial dynamics shape remote collaboration. His work centers on the concept of "Maai"—the perceptive distance crucial for establishing communicative atmosphere—drawing from Japanese cultural practices like Kendo to inform interface design. Miwa's major contributions include developing the "eye-ball robot" as a bodily media for generating co-existing feeling or "Ba" among remote users, and creating the "Interactive Spatial Copy Wall" to express remote partners' presence in shared virtual spaces. His research demonstrates that face-to-face bodily interaction is essential for fostering a sense of togetherness in computer-mediated communication. While his citation counts (ranging from 3 to 8) reflect a specialized niche, his work has been foundational in exploring embodiment as a design principle for communication systems. Miwa's integration of traditional Japanese concepts with cutting-edge robotics offers a unique perspective on how physicality and spatial awareness can bridge the gap between remote individuals, making his research particularly valuable for students interested in culturally-informed approaches to human-computer interaction and telepresence.