Shingo Murata
Third year PhD student at The Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering
Scientific methods which are used to understand the world around us can be divided into two categories. One category has you observe and analyze the subject in question while the other has you reproduce the system of the subject and put it into motion. My research field, cognitive robotics, falls into the latter category known as the “constructive approach,” and seeks to understand the mechanisms behind the development of human intelligence and perception. This research is based on the repetition of the following three steps: creating a computational model based on facts that have already been understood by previous research as well as on a new hypothesis; implementing this model in a robot; and conducting a learning experiment on the robot.
Just like an infant grows up and learns through interactions with people raising it, a robot learns step by step through interactions with its instructor. I am currently focusing on human beings’ abilities to make predictions and am designing a computational model of the human brain using neural circuits. There are nuances to teaching a robot. In many cases, a robot will not learn the way you might expect if it does not receive appropriate instruction. This leads me to believe that as an instructor I also need to learn effective teaching methods.
After I complete my doctorate program, I would like to engage not only in research activities but also in education and publicity in order to spread awareness regarding cognitive robotics.
Typical daily schedule
- 9:00 Get up and check my email
- 10:30 Go to school
- 11:00 Read research paper
I use software called “Mendeley” for managing my references
- 12:00 Lunch break
- 13:00 Carry out robot experiments
- 15:00 Break
- 16:00 Give research guidance to students on undergraduate
and master’s courses
I have discussions with them and give them some advice every day
- 19:00 Dinner
- 20:00 Write thesis
- 22:30 Leave school
- 23:30 Continue writing thesis
- 02:00 Go to bed
Giving a presentation at an international conference in Hamburg, Germany
Going out with my fellow researchers for something sweet
