Kanako Tomita

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Kanako Tomita is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, focusing on the complex and often troubling dynamics between children and social robots in public spaces. Her work uniquely bridges developmental psychology, robotics ethics, and qualitative methodology. Tomita’s most influential contribution is her “Escalating Model of Children’s Robot Abuse” (2020, 31 citations), which uses the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM) to reveal how children’s playful poking can escalate into serious kicking and punching—a finding critical for designing safe, resilient robots. She further explores the “trivialization” of social robots in public settings (2022, 22 citations), arguing that robots assuming authority roles (e.g., security or guidance) are often ignored or dismissed, undermining their utility. Her recent work (2024, 3 citations) uncovers a surprising counterpoint: former abusers sometimes help robots, suggesting complex moral reasoning in children. Tomita’s research has profound implications for robot design, public policy, and child-robot ethics, making her a leading voice on how society must prepare for robots that are both vulnerable and authoritative.