Chief Senior Research Scientist
Human Informatics Research Institute
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

Professor
School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Visiting Fellow
The AgeLab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Prof. Takanori Shibata was born in 1967 and received B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Electronic and Mechanical Engineering from Nagoya University in 89, 91 and 92, respectively. He was a research scientist at AIST from 93 to 98. Concurrently, he was a visiting research scientist at the Artificial Intelligence Lab., Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 95 to 98, and a visiting research scientist at the Artificial Intelligence Lab., Univ. of Zurich in 96. At the AIST, Dr. Shibata was a senior research scientist from 98 to 13. Concurrently, he was the Deputy Director for Information and Communication Technology Policy, Bureau of Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan in 2009 and 2010. Since 2013, he has been the current position, and concurrently, a Professor at the School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology and a Visiting Fellow at the AgeLab., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests include human-robot interaction, robot therapy, mental health for astronauts in long-term missions (e.g. to Mars), and humanitarian de-mining. He was certified as the inventor of a seal robot named PARO, the World’s Most Therapeutic Robot, by Guinness World Records in 2002. He has received many awards including the Japanese Prime Minister’s Award in 2003, The Outstanding Young Person (TOYP) of the world by Junior Chamber International (JCI) in 2004, and the Robot of the Year by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan in 2006. In 2015, PARO was awarded the “Patient Trophy” as innovation of non-pharmacological therapy for dementia by the AP-HP (Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris), France, that is one of the largest medical groups in the World. In 2017, PARO was awarded the “Best of the Best” by the Argentum (organization of senior living communities) in the US. In 2018, Dr. Shibata was awarded the “Ryman Prize” that is the most prestigious award in the fields of geriatric medicine, welfare and health. In 2019, he had an invited talk at a symposium on “AI for Older Persons” at the headquarters of United Nation in NY.