Tetsuya Tanioka
Tokushima University, Florida Atlantic University, AZ Groeninge
Papers
36
Total Citations
821
H-Index
17
About
Tetsuya Tanioka is a pioneering nursing researcher whose work sits at the transformative intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and geriatric care. Based in Japan, Tanioka has dedicated his career to addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing modern healthcare: delivering quality nursing care amid an aging population and critical workforce shortages. His research explores how humanoid robots can serve as compassionate, capable partners in nursing practice rather than mere mechanical tools. Tanioka's most significant contributions include the development of the Transactive Relationship Theory of Nursing (TRETON), a groundbreaking theoretical framework explaining how meaningful relationships can form between elderly patients, nurses, and humanoid robots. His highly cited investigations into robots expressing artificial empathy and delivering rehabilitative care — including work with the Pepper robot for patients with dementia and schizophrenia — have helped establish foundational principles for ethical and effective robot integration in clinical settings. With over 490 citations across his top works, Tanioka has profoundly shaped global discourse on nursing robotics. His scholarship bridges nursing theory, compassionate communication, and cutting-edge technology, offering students and clinicians a compelling vision of how human caring values can be preserved — and even enhanced — through thoughtful technological innovation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Nursing and Rehabilitative Care of the Elderly Using Humanoid Robots78 citations · 2019
- 2Robots and Robotics in Nursing75 citations · 2022
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- 8Disruptive Engagements With Technologies, Robotics, and Caring32 citations · 2019
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