Hiroshi Ishiguro is a pioneering Japanese robotics scientist renowned for his groundbreaking work in interactive robotics, avatars, and android science. He serves as Director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory and Professor in the Department of Systems Innovation at the Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, where he is also a Distinguished Professor.
In addition, he is Visiting Director of the Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) and an ATR Fellow. He leads a national research initiative as Project Manager of Japan’s Moonshot Research and Development Program and serves as Thematic Project Producer for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. He is also the CEO of AVITA, Inc.
Professor Ishiguro began his academic career as a Research Associate (1992-1994) at Osaka University. He later served as Associate Professor in the Department of Social Informatics at Kyoto University (1998-2000) and was a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, San Diego (1998-1999). He subsequently held positions as Associate Professor (2000-2001) and Professor (2001-2002) at Wakayama University before returning to Osaka University as Professor in the Department of Adaptive Machine Systems (2002-2009).
Since around 2000, Ishiguro has led pioneering research in tele-operated robots, most notably the Geminoid series. By creating highly realistic tele-operated androids modelled on himself, Ishiguro has significantly advanced the study of human presence and the practical application of remote communication.
He received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from University of Yamanashi and earned a Doctor of Engineering in Systems Engineering from Osaka University in 1991. His honours include the Osaka Cultural Award (2011), the Prize for Science and Technology (Research Category) from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2015), the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award (2015), and the Tateisi Prize (2020).
