Shinjiro Kawato

Mitsubishi Electric (Japan), Mitsubishi Group (Japan), Kyoto Seika University

Papers

Total Citations

395

H-Index

About

Shinjiro Kawato is a robotics and computer vision researcher whose work has fundamentally advanced the field of omnidirectional sensing and autonomous mobile robot navigation. He is best known for pioneering the Conic Projection Image Sensor (COPIS), a landmark innovation that enables robots to acquire a full 360-degree panoramic view of their environment in real-time using a single conic mirror — eliminating the need for mechanical camera scanning. His seminal 1994 paper introducing COPIS has garnered 216 citations, demonstrating its enduring influence on the robotics community. Building upon this foundation, Kawato further developed COPIS as a global positioning system for mobile robots, with his 2002 panorama scene analysis work accumulating an additional 143 citations and cementing his reputation as a leading voice in vision-guided navigation. His research on collision avoidance using omnidirectional imaging extended these principles into practical safety-critical applications. Later in his career, Kawato broadened his scope to human-robot interaction, exploring conversational agents capable of collaborating with humans on goal-directed tasks. Across his body of work, Kawato's contributions represent a significant bridge between perceptual sensing technology and intelligent autonomous systems.