Yasunori Ozaki

Ritsumeikan University, NTT (Japan), CyberAgent (Japan)

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Yasunori Ozaki is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, specializing in the development of socially aware robots for public and service environments. His work focuses on how humanoid robots can autonomously engage with pedestrians in crowded, real-world settings—such as shopping malls—without causing discomfort or disruption. Ozaki’s major contributions include designing and testing robot behaviors that attract attention, initiate conversation, and predict human decision-making during encounters. His 2022 study on behavioral assessment of a humanoid robot in a mall (31 citations) provides foundational insights into how robots can effectively draw pedestrians while maintaining social appropriateness. Earlier work on decision-making prediction for human-robot engagement (9 citations) explores how robots can anticipate human actions to improve interaction quality. Ozaki has also investigated user-centered reinforcement learning to minimize discomfort during greetings (3 citations), and examined the effectiveness of different attention-getting behaviors like greeting, dancing, and appearing troubled (8 citations). His research is critical for advancing social robots in customer service, advertising, and receptionist roles, bridging the gap between robotic capability and human social expectations.