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About

Hiroaki Kozuka is a pioneering roboticist whose work bridges surgical precision, human-robot interaction, and bio-inspired mechanism design. His research spans three key areas: neurosurgical robotics, compliant parallel mechanisms for high-precision assembly, and assistive robotic arms for human motion support. Kozuka’s most impactful contribution is his neurosurgical robotic system for brain tumor removal (40 citations), which demonstrates his commitment to translating robotics into life-saving clinical applications. He also gained recognition for an early social robot that plays "Rock, Paper, Scissors" (18 citations), integrating real-time hand gesture recognition with expressive emotional feedback through voice and body movements—a notable achievement in human-robot interaction. In precision engineering, Kozuka developed a compliant-parallel mechanism using bio-inspired compliant joints (14 citations), enabling high-accuracy assembly with a wide working range. His later work on motion-assist arms with passive joints (2020) supports precise upper-limb positioning for tasks like milling, allowing humans to focus on force and speed control. With over 98 total citations across eight publications, Kozuka’s research consistently emphasizes safety, precision, and intuitive human collaboration, making him a notable figure in medical and assistive robotics.