Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Kazuhiko Shinozawa is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction (HRI), whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how robots communicate with and influence humans in everyday social contexts. His research spans robot-mediated decision-making, nonverbal communication, social robotics, and haptic interaction, with particular emphasis on how robots can be deployed in real-world settings such as retail environments and healthcare. Shinozawa's most influential contribution, cited nearly 200 times, demonstrated that physical robots exert measurably different effects on human decision-making compared to screen-based agents — a foundational insight for the field. His subsequent work on robot recommendations in shopping malls and retail shops extended these findings into practical commercial applications. He has also made significant contributions to robotic nonverbal behavior, showing how responsive gaze, blinking, and eye movement enhance social communication, with multiple papers exceeding 90 citations. His investigations into robotic touch — exploring whether a robot's physical contact can boost human motivation and effort — opened important avenues for therapeutic and educational robotics. Additional work on intention communication through light projection and lexical entrainment further demonstrates his broad, interdisciplinary reach. Across his career, Shinozawa has accumulated well over 700 citations, cementing his reputation as a foundational voice in social robotics research.