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About

Yasuyuki Sumi is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-robot interaction, ubiquitous computing, and experience media. His work centers on developing systems that capture, share, and embody human experiences to foster communication and mutual adaptation between people and machines. Sumi’s most influential contribution is the concept of "Ubiquitous Experience Media," which leverages audiovisual and wearable recording technologies as lifelong tools for sharing memory and knowledge. His foundational paper on Wizard-of-Oz (WOZ) experiments for understanding mutual adaptation (31 citations) has guided subsequent research in adaptive human-robot interaction. Sumi is also known for his vision of robots as "embodied knowledge media," where robots extract and embody knowledge from human interactions and physical domains, moving beyond simple task execution. His more recent work explores how guidance robots can encourage conversation among visitors in exhibition spaces, using robot behavior to share experiences and stimulate social interaction. With a career spanning from foundational frameworks to applied robotic systems, Sumi’s research has shaped how we think about robots not just as tools, but as partners in human communication and knowledge sharing.