Guest Speaker: Dr Guillaume Gourmelen
Graduate School of Media Design
Keio University
Guillaume Gourmelen received his Engineering Degree in Electronic and Automation, then his PhD in Robotics and Control at LIRMM in Montpellier, south of France. His research focuses mainly on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI), including haptics, Computer Vision-based AI, admittance and impedance control, human arm impedance estimation, tele-operation, supra-numerary robotic limbs, and embodied robotics.
Since his PhD, he has worked as a Temporary Lecturer at the University of Montpellier, as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Waseda University, and then as a Researcher at Honda Research on the Avatar Robot project.
He is now a Project Assistant Professor at Keio University, Embodied Media Lab under Japan research Moonshot program and a Visiting researcher at Waseda University, Iwata Lab.
Abstract
This talk explores the intersection of robot control, embodiment, and deep learning through a series of research projects spanning teleoperation, wearable robotics, and human-robot skill transfer.
Drawing on work from PhD research and postdoctoral positions at LIRMM in France, Waseda, Honda Research, and Keio University, we examine how human impedance can be estimated and transferred to robotic systems, how deep learning can capture expert motion for autonomous agents, and how haptic feedback shapes the sense of agency when interacting with embodied robots. These questions extend into medical applications, with ongoing work on echocardiography teleoperation where a robotic arm teleoperates ultrasound probe manipulation directly from medical expert.
Beyond robotics, this research thread connects to broader accessibility challenges: from enriching the sport experience of Deaf athletes at the Tokyo Deaflympics through real-time atmosphere rendering.
Ongoing works consist of developing intuitive haptic feedback and embodied control systems for people with severe physical disabilities under Japan's Moonshot Research Program. Each project builds toward a broader question: how can robots and human-centered technology meaningfully extend human physical capability.
