Executive Research Director

Title
Professor of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering,
Executive Research Director at the Center for Cybernics
Research,
Director at the R&D Center for Frontiers of MIRAI in
Policy and Technology, University of Tsukuba
President and CEO of CYBERDYNE, Inc.
Program Director of SIP (Strategical Innovation Promotion Program) promoted by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan

• Profile

  • Yoshiyuki Sankai earned a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Tsukuba in Japan in 1987.
    He has progressed from being a research fellow at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (“JSPS”) to assistant professor, associate professor, and then professor at the Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba.
    Dr. Sankai is also a visiting professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas in the United States.
    Currently, he is a professor, the Executive Research Director at the Center for Cybernics Research and the Director at the F-MIRAI for the University of Tsukuba, the President and CEO of CYBERDYNE Inc., and a Program Director of SIP promoted by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan.

    He was appointed as a leader of the Global COE (Center of Excellence) program for Cybernics, by MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan)(2007-2012).
    He was selected as one of the top 30 Japanese scientists and his research plan/project obtained financial support from the “Funding Program for World Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology”(2010-2014). He was a Program Manager of the Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive Technologies (“ImPACT”) program (2014-2018), initiated by the Cabinet Office of Japan, and also Business producer of Program for Building Regional Innovation Ecosystem by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (“MEXT”). And he was Director of Center for Cybernics Research (2011-2017).
    He also served as an Executive Board Member of Advanced Robotics, a member of Global Agenda Council on Robotics & Smart Devices, a Center Partner of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a member of the Global Future Council of Production, and a member of the Global Precision Medicine Council of the WEF.Now,
    he is a fellow of the Robotics Society of Japan (“RSJ”) and the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (“SICE”). And he is also appointed as an International Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (“IVA”).

    Dr.Sankai led the intellectual property strategy and international standard setting by ISO and IEC as an expert member of the committee on the medical robotics field and personal-care robotics field.
    He has pioneered innovative cyborg-type robot technology in a new academic field, “Cybernics: the fusion and combination of humans, robots and AI/information systems,” and established a social
    problem-solving venture company “CYBERDYNE, Inc.” in 2004.
    In March 2014, the company was listed in the “Mothers” section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, as the first company to issue class shares in Japan.
    In addition, due to its distinctive advanced technology and growth probability, the company was awarded FY2013’s ”IPO of the Year” and FY2014’s “Innovative Equity Deal of the Year” by Thomson Reuters Market, becoming the first company ever to receive an award two years in a row.
    Now, Dr. Sankai is acting as a core member of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Smart City Project/Tsukuba Promotion Council, as well as a founding core member of the Tsukuba Conference.
    He has received numerous awards, including: The 2005 World Technology Award (2005), Good Design Gold Award (2006), Award from the Minister of Economy(2007), the 21st century Invention Award from Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (2009) , Gold Prize of 2014 Edison Awards, DealWatch Awards 2013 IPO of the Year (Thomson Reuters) (2014), DealWatch Awards 2014 Innovative Equity Deal of the Year (Thomson Reuters) (2015), the 7th Robot Award (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare award) (2016), the Prime Minister’s Award (the third Nippon Venture Awards) (2017) , MEXT Award
    in the 7th Technology Management and Innovation Awards(2019), Ichimura Prize in Industry for Distinguished Achievement(2019), The Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon(2019) awarded by the Emperor, Intellectual Property Achievement Awards, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Awards(2020) and many more.

Director of Center

Title
Professor of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, Director of Center for Cybernics Research, Principle Investigator of Life Engineering Laboratory, University of Tsukuba.

• Profile

  • He is currently a Professor of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, Director of Center for Cybernics Research and also Principle Investigator of Life Engineering Laboratory, University of Tsukuba.
    He received the B.S. in Integrated Human Studies, M.S. and Ph.D. in Informatics from Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 2000, 2003 and 2005, respectively.
    He was a Project Assistant Professor with the Grad. Sch. of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2013, he was an Assistant Professor with the Grad. Sch. of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka. From 2013 to 2016, he was an Associate Professor with the Cybermedia Center, Osaka University, Osaka.
    From 2016 to 2019, he was an Associate Professor with the Grad. Sch. of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka.
    In 2019, he joined the University of Tsukuba, and is now a director of the Center for Cybernics Research, University of Tsukuba.

    He is served as elected board members of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan, Human Interface Society of Japan, and
    Japanese Society of Medical Virtual Reality.
    His primary research interests include biomedical simulation, sensory feedback technologies, Cybernics, biomedical image processing, medical artificial intelligence, medical systems, and assistive systems with a seamless fusion of cyber and physical spaces.
    He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers. He is currently a member of IEEE and ACM.

Vice Director of Center

Title
Advisor to the President,
Professor of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering,
Vice Director of Center for Cybernics Research,
Dupty Director, Center for Innovative Medicine and Engineering, University of Tsukuba.

Advisor at the City of Tsukuba (Smart City / Super City)

• Profile

  • He is currently a Professor of the Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems, Director of Center for Cybernics Research and also Principle Investigator of Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, University of Tsukuba.
    He received the B.S. in Physics, M.E. and Dr. Eng. in Pure and Applied Physics from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 1997, 2000 and 2003, respectively.
    He was awarded a research fellowship by the Japan Society for Promotion of Science. Prior to joining the University of Tsukuba in 2005, he was a Research Associate with the Dept. of Applied Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo from 2003 to 2005.
    From 1997 to 1999, he was a visiting researcher at the Laboratory of Musical Information, University of Genoa, Italy, where he was engaged in a project of Human-robot interaction, Theatrical Museal Machine.
    In 2009, he was a visiting researcher at LPPA, Laboratory of Physiology of Perception and Action, at the College de France, Paris.
    He is now a director of the Center for Cybernics Research, and an active member of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research at the University of Tsukuba.
    He is served as an elected administrative committee member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Societysince 2019.

    His primary research interests include artificial intelligence, Cybernics, wearable robotics and devices,
    affective computing, social robotics and assistive robotics with a particular emphasis on machine learning, pattern classification and dynamical modeling approaches.
    A special emphasis is laid on the design of empowering people, particularly for elderly, adults and children with special needs.
    He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and presented a number of invited talks and contributions at conferences in these areas.
    He also leads several funded research projects, including JST PRESTO and CREST project, which is recognized as a significant early career contribution.
    He is currently a member of IEEE and ACM.