Nakatani, Masashi

After receiving a Ph.D. in Information Physics and Computing in the University of Tokyo, Masashi Nakatani worked for four years in the cosmetic industry where he developed a sensor system that evaluates skin softness. He returned to academic research in the spring of 2012 and started neuroscience study of touch at Keio University in Japan and at Columbia University Medical Center in USA and uncovered physiological characteristics of Merkel cells as a light touch receptor in the skin. He is currently affiliated in Keio University and collaborate with Hokkaido University to conduct comprehensive study of skin sensation from cellular biology to human tactile perception. He also pursues to make a connection between research outcomes in academia and industry, represented by his recent collaborative activity called TECHTILE (TECHnology based tacTILE design). Currently he works on mathematical modeling of skin receptor responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli based on electrophysiological evidence.

Haptic Scientist and Neuroscientist at Keio University. After receiving a Ph.D. in Information Physics and Computing at the University of Tokyo, Masashi Nakatani worked for four years in the cosmetic industry where he developed a sensor system that evaluates skin softness. He had been a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University Medical Center in USA and uncovered physiological characteristics of Merkel cells as a light touch receptor in the skin (Nature 2014). He is currently affiliated in Keio University to conduct a comprehensive study of skin sensation from cellular biology to human tactile perception.

• Haptics
• /Sensor engineering
• /Peripheral Nervous System
• /Perception
• /Tactile illusion
• /Skin sensation
• /Cognitive science