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About

Hideaki Kuzuoka is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI) and computer-supported cooperative work, whose scholarship has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how nonverbal communication governs both human-human and human-robot relationships. His work spans gesture-mediated remote collaboration, robot social behavior, and the design of socially intelligent robotic systems deployed in real-world environments. Kuzuoka's early contributions, including the influential GestureMan system (2000, 120 citations), established foundational principles for supporting remote physical task instruction through nonverbal expression and body arrangement. He subsequently extended these insights into mobile robotics, developing the concept of "dual ecologies" to describe the distinct communicative environments navigated by remote collaborators using robots as media (2004, 61 citations). His museum guide robot research (2007, 136 citations) and studies on precision timing in HRI (2008, 131 citations) demonstrated how head gestures, body orientation, and turn-taking cues are critical to creating genuinely sociable robots. His work on F-formation reconfiguration (2010, 95 citations) further showed how robot body orientation actively shapes group spatial dynamics. Kuzuoka also served as a key organizer of HRI 2013 in Tokyo, reflecting his sustained leadership in the international research community. His cumulative citations exceed 800, underscoring his lasting influence across robotics, CSCW, and social science.