Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Naoki Kato is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics and education, best known for developing the android robot SAYA. His primary research areas include human-robot interaction, tele-operated robotics, and the application of lifelike androids in educational and clinical settings. Kato’s most significant contribution is the creation of SAYA, a tele-operated android teacher capable of expressing human-like facial expressions and performing communicative head and eye movements. Through field trials in elementary schools, he demonstrated that such robots can effectively serve as remote class support systems, bridging the gap between limited autonomous robot intelligence and the need for natural, engaging interaction. His work has garnered over 115 citations, with his seminal 2011 chapter on SAYA’s educational system alone cited 63 times. Notably, Kato extended this technology into psychiatric education by developing a depression patient robot, enabling reproducible, realistic training for psychiatrist trainees. By proving that tele-operated androids can function as both educators and simulated patients, Kato has laid foundational groundwork for using humanoid robots to enhance learning and diagnostic skills in real-world environments.