Papers
10
Total Citations
55
H-Index
4
About
Hirokazu Kato is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of social robotics, human-robot interaction (HRI), and affective computing, with a focus on how robots can provide emotional and therapeutic support through touch and speech. His major contributions center on developing robots that use multimodal communication—combining gentle stroking, synchronized vocal prosody, and conversational dialogue—to elicit positive emotions, empathy, and even pain relief in humans. For instance, his work on "Robot touch with speech boosts positive emotions" (16 citations) demonstrates that a robot’s gentle touch paired with speech amplifies positive emotional responses, while "Vocal Synchrony of Robots Boosts Positive Affective Empathy" (4 citations) shows that synchronizing a robot’s voice with human speech enhances empathic feelings. Kato also explores practical applications in mental health, such as using robots to assist cognitive restructuring in psychiatric day care, and in human-robot collaboration, where augmented reality interfaces help verify robot learning. His research, spanning from foundational 3-D object recognition to cutting-edge care robotics, has garnered over 50 citations and is shaping the future of socially assistive robots that can build trust and improve well-being through nuanced, human-like interaction.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Augmented Reality interface to verify Robot Learning16 citations · 2020
- 2Robot touch with speech boosts positive emotions16 citations · 2022
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- 4Vocal Synchrony of Robots Boosts Positive Affective Empathy4 citations · 2021
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- 73‐D object recognition using functional models3 citations · 1992
- 8Robot to Play Video Games Together2 citations · 2023
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