Yoshinori Kuno
Saitama University, The University of Osaka, Toshiba (Japan)
Papers
164
Total Citations
2,386
H-Index
23
About
Yoshinori Kuno is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, assistive robotics, and intelligent systems, whose work has fundamentally advanced how robots perceive, interpret, and respond to human behavior. His research spans two particularly influential domains: robotic wheelchairs and socially intelligent museum guide robots. In the field of assistive mobility, Kuno developed robotic wheelchairs capable of integrating observations of both users and their environments, interpreting intentions through facial direction, hand gestures, and behavioral cues — work that has accumulated over 275 citations across multiple studies. His contributions directly address the growing needs of aging populations worldwide. Equally significant is his groundbreaking research into museum robotics, where he applied sociological and ethnographic methods to design robots capable of nuanced, nonverbal communication — including head gestures, gaze control, and precision timing — during exhibit explanations. His "Revealing Gauguin" project (81 citations) exemplifies this human-centered design philosophy. With over 800 total citations, Kuno's work stands out for its rare combination of technical rigor and deep grounding in human social behavior, making him a distinctive and influential voice in socially aware robotics research.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Museum guide robot based on sociological interaction analysis136 citations · 2007
- 3Precision timing in human-robot interaction131 citations · 2008
- 4Revealing Gauguin81 citations · 2009
- 5Robotic wheelchair based on observations of people using integrated sensors59 citations · 2009
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9Robotic wheelchair based on observations of both user and environment48 citations · 2003
- 10Multimodal presentation method for a dance training system44 citations · 2005