Yoichi Miyawaki

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Yoichi Miyawaki investigates the frontiers of human body representation, focusing on how our brains construct and extend the sense of bodily ownership. His key research areas include the neuroscience of body perception, multisensory integration, and the potential for augmenting the human body with artificial limbs. Miyawaki’s major contribution is his pioneering work on the "supernumerary limb" illusion, demonstrating that the brain can perceive ownership of an independent, extra limb that moves autonomously—a significant leap beyond classic rubber-hand illusions. His most-cited paper (2022, 51 citations) provides foundational evidence that our sense of self can flexibly incorporate non-biological, independently moving appendages, challenging traditional models of body schema. This exploratory study has profound implications for neuroprosthetics, rehabilitation, and human augmentation technologies. By revealing the brain’s capacity to accept a limb that is not a replacement but an addition, Miyawaki opens new avenues for understanding neural plasticity and the future of human-machine integration. His work is essential reading for students and researchers in cognitive neuroscience, robotics, and embodied cognition.