Motoaki Sugiura
Tohoku University, National Institute for Physiological Sciences
Papers
2
Total Citations
51
H-Index
2
About
Motoaki Sugiura is a pioneering researcher in cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on human-robot interaction, social cognition, and the neural underpinnings of empathy and aesthetic perception. His work bridges robotics and brain science, exploring how humans perceive and emotionally engage with artificial agents. In a landmark 2009 fMRI study (41 citations), Sugiura demonstrated that the smoothness of a robot’s motion—such as in dance—critically influences brain activity in regions tied to aesthetic and social processing, revealing how subtle movement cues shape our interpretation of others’ intentions. Earlier, in 2008 (10 citations), he showed that bipedal humanoid robots, compared to wheel-driven ones, more effectively activate empathy-related neural circuits, highlighting the importance of human-like embodiment in fostering emotional connection. These contributions have advanced understanding of how the brain processes non-human agents, with implications for robotics, rehabilitation, and social neuroscience. Sugiura’s work is notable for its interdisciplinary approach, combining neuroimaging with robotics to unravel the cognitive mechanisms behind social perception. His research continues to inspire new directions in human-robot interaction and embodied cognition.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2