On March 26th,2025, Nagai Laboratory from IRCN participated in the "Let’s Take a Peek Inside UTokyo Lab" program, and hosted a lab visit for high school students. This program, launched in 2012, aims to deepen students’ understanding of the university’s research and educational activities, as well as to inspire them to pursue higher education.
The lab visit, conducted entirely in English, was themed "What is it like to be a cognitive robotics researcher?" Dr. Youtao Lu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (JSPS International Research Fellow), shared his experiences working at the intersection of human cognition and robotics. He alsospoke alongside researchers from various countries in the Nagai Laboratory about conducting research in international environment. They also led interactive activities, allowing participants to engage firsthand with ongoing research projects. It was a valuable opportunity for students to learn about cutting-edge research.
Comment from Dr. Youtao Lu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (JSPS International Research Fellow)
I am really grateful for this wonderful opportunity to introduce interdisciplinary research on human cognition and robotics to a group of exceptionally promising high school students. The students showed great enthusiasm as they actively participated in discussions, interacted with the robot, and explored a virtual reality experience designed to reflect neurodivergent perspectives. Many of them expressed strong interest in the research and even shared their ongoing science projects with us. I hope this event has highlighted the excitement of scientific discovery and inspired them to pursue research in the future.
【Nagai Laboratory】
https://developmental-robotics.jp/en/home/
