Hirokazu Kato is a Professor at Kyoto University's Graduate School of Informatics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Physics. He has held academic positions at multiple institutions including Osaka University (PhD 1996), Hiroshima City University (1999-2003), and Nara Institute of Science and Technology (2003-2007). His research spans augmented and virtual reality, human-robot interaction, computer graphics, and healthcare technology. Kato has collaborated extensively with institutions like Chuo University and Nagoya University. Key research areas include AR/VR applications in social interaction, medical training, and industrial automation. He has developed systems for pain relief via robotic touch, AR-enhanced job interview training, and mixed-reality educational platforms. Over 217 publications since 1989 reflect his contributions to fields like near-eye display optimization, gesture recognition, and multimodal interaction design. Notable projects include: Augmented Reality face filters for social anxiety mitigation Huggable robots with intra-hug gesture modeling AR-based physical therapy systems using patient-specific motion simulation General software frameworks for AR industrial tasks His work bridges technical innovation with human-centric applications, emphasizing real-world usability across education, healthcare, and manufacturing domains.
