Isao Makino

Toyo University, Toyo Engineering (Japan)

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Isao Makino is a researcher at the forefront of geriatric rehabilitation and human-robot interaction, focusing on how companion robots can alleviate mental health challenges and caregiver strain in aging populations. His work is particularly notable for its timeliness and real-world application, as demonstrated by his most-cited study, "Reduced family care burden by using a communication robot: Case report" (2020, 4 citations), which provided early evidence that robotic companions can meaningfully ease the emotional and practical load on families caring for older adults. Building on this, his 2023 study, "The use of a companion robot to improve depression symptoms in a community-dwelling older adult during the coronavirus disease 2019 state of emergency" (2 citations), directly addressed the acute isolation and mental health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. By documenting how a robotic companion improved diurnal mood variation in a home-visit rehabilitation patient, Makino offered a scalable, low-cost intervention for a vulnerable population. Though his citation counts are modest, his contributions are highly impactful in the niche of socially assistive robotics, bridging the gap between technological innovation and compassionate elder care during a global health emergency.