Itaru Kuramoto
Papers
7
Total Citations
184
H-Index
6
About
Itaru Kuramoto is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, with a focused expertise on deploying social robots in hospitality and service environments. His work uniquely bridges the gap between autonomous systems and teleoperation, exploring how robots can deliver "heartwarming" service—a concept central to his most influential studies. Kuramoto’s major contributions include demonstrating that a humanoid robot can successfully engage in emotionally resonant, heartwarming interactions at a hotel (39 citations) and that teleoperated robots, when perceived as autonomous, significantly boost customer satisfaction (27 citations). He has also investigated the critical challenge of sustaining user attention in offices (17 citations) and compared the effectiveness of smart speakers versus social robots in private hotel rooms (15 citations). With his most-cited paper, "Continuous Hospitality with Social Robots at a hotel" (73 citations), Kuramoto has helped define a new frontier in service robotics. His work is notable for its practical, real-world testing in operational hotels, moving beyond lab settings to prove that robots can enhance, not replace, the human touch in hospitality.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Continuous Hospitality with Social Robots at a hotel73 citations · 2020
- 2Can a Humanoid Robot Engage in Heartwarming Interaction Service at a Hotel?39 citations · 2018
- 3Teleoperated Robot Acting Autonomous for Better Customer Satisfaction27 citations · 2020
- 4Can a humanoid robot continue to draw attention in an office environment?17 citations · 2020
- 5Smart Speaker vs. Social Robot in a Case of Hotel Room15 citations · 2020
- 6Soliloquising Social Robot in a Hotel Room10 citations · 2019
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