Hiroshi Shikida

About

Hiroshi Shikida is a pioneering researcher in the emerging field of human augmentation, specializing in the development and embodiment of extra robotic limbs. His work uniquely focuses on using vestigial muscles—specifically the posterior auricular muscles around the ear—to control a wearable extra robotic thumb. Shikida’s major contributions include demonstrating that these unused muscles can be operantly conditioned to provide intuitive, sEMG-based control signals, and that integrating somatosensory feedback significantly improves operability and the user’s sense of embodiment. His research has garnered over 60 citations, with his foundational 2017 paper on the Auricularis-based control interface being the most cited (21 citations). Through a series of studies, he has systematically evaluated how the brain’s body schema and representation shift after using the extra thumb, showing that users can acquire a new body representation for the device. Shikida’s work is notable for pushing the boundaries of wearable robotics, aiming not just to restore lost function but to expand human physical capabilities by harnessing evolutionary leftovers.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Auricularis muscles based control interface for robotic extra thumb

   21 citations · 2017
2. 2
   Operational learning with sensory feedback for controlling a robotic thumb using the posterior auricular muscle

   17 citations · 2019
3. 3
   Somatosensory feedback improves operability of extra robotic thumb controlled by vestigial muscles

   8 citations · 2017
4. 4
   Acquisition of new body representation about extra robotic thumb by use of vestigial muscles

   8 citations · 2017
5. 5
   Evaluating Shifted Body Representation and Modified Body Schema Using Extra Robotic Thumb

   5 citations · 2018
6. 6
   Hand space change after use of extra robotic thumb

   5 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links