Gentiane VENTURE
Roboticist
Professor, the University of Tokyo, Japan
A French Roboticist working in academia in Tokyo for more than 15 years. Her research is grounded in human motion science and robot control to design system and create technological ecosystems.
Her work is highly interdisciplinary and she collaborates with philosophers, artists, designers, psychologists and athletes…
★ Research
> March 2022 - now
Professor with the University of Tokyo (Tokyo - Japan).
> April 2018 - now
Joint appointed fellow with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science & Technology (AIST), Intelligent systems research institute (Tsukuba - Japan).
> July 2016 - February 2022
Distinguished Professor with the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Tokyo - Japan).
> May 2016 - March 2018
Scientific advisor for the company "solution", Tokyo, Japan.
> October 2012 - March 2018
Visiting Researcher with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science & Technology (AIST), Humanoid group (Tsukuba - Japan).
> October 2013 - October 2015
Research collaborator with the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with disabilities (Tokorozawa - Japan)
> March 2009 - June 2016
Associate Professor with the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Tokyo - Japan).
> November 2006 - March 2009
Project Assistant Professor in Nakamura & Yamane Lab. (YNL), The University of Tokyo (Tokyo - Japan), on the IRT project to support Man and Aging Society.
> December 2004 - October 2006
Researcher in Nakamura & Yamane Lab., The University of Tokyo (Tokyo - Japan), supported by the JSPS: Dynamic modelling and control of a musculo-skeletal animal-like (or human) robot.
> January 2004 - December 2004
Researcher with the French Nuclear Agency CEA (Paris - France), department of Robotics and Intelligent Systems: Force feed-back teleoperation of the micromanipulator robot Mu-mad. Work in collaboration with the laboratoire de robotique de Paris.
> November 2000 - November 2003
PhD fellow with the car manufacturer PSA-Peugeot Citroen: Identification of the dynamic parameters of a car using robotics formalism.
★ Current services apointments (look here for detailed services activities)
> Advisory board member, CRC 1261 - Magnetoelectric Sensors: From Composite Materials to Biomagnetic Diagnostics
> IFToMM International Honors and Awards Advisory Panel member
> Elected representative (term 2023~2027) for the Robotics Society of Japan.
> Senior Editor IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.
> Associate Editor Interaction Studies.
> Associate Editor Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics.
> Nomination Committee Member, International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science.
> Committee Member, IEEE RAS CARES (Committee to Aid Reporting on Misconduct Concerns).
> Ethic board member, ERC project EMTHEC Emotional Machines: the technological transformation of intimacy in Japan.
★ Visiting Invited Professor
> 2021-4-1~now
Academia in Residence, Landing Pad Tokyo, Japan.
> 2020-4-1~now
Invited professor Robotics by design, Strate, France.
> 2018-3-14~2018-3-25
Visiting professor Adaptative systems laboratory, Waterloo University, Canada.
> 2016-8-1~2016-8-14
Visiting professor Adaptative systems laboratory, Waterloo University, Canada.
> 2013-6-1~2013-6-15
Visiting researcher Laboratoire de Physiologie et Perception de l'action, College de France, France.
★ Education
> 2003
PhD degree in robotics from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Robotics lab of the IRCCyN (France)
> 2000
+ French DEA (M.Sc.), graduate degree in applied robotics (with honours): Movement generation for a non-holonomic car like robot. Robotics lab of the IRCCyN (France)
+ Engineer diploma from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France): general higher education in engineering. Special skills in Automation and Robotics.
> 1997
Bachelor degree in mathematics (with honours)
★ Awards
+ Our robot Yokobo was awarded the honorable mention award in the 2023 IEEE RoMAN Robot design competition. In partnership with Orange, LS2N and Strate in France.
+ Irene FRIZZA, PhD 3rd year received the IEEE/RAS Humanoids 2022 Kanako Miura award.
+ Our paper on "Robot public speakers’ effect on audience affective reaction and attention allocation" at BCS Human-Computer Interaction conference 2022 received the best presenttaion award, July 2022. In partnership with Queen Mary University London, UK and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
+ Gentiane Venture was promoted Knight of the French National Order of Merit, March 2022.
+ Gentiane Venture received the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology president special award, March 2022.
+ Our robot Yokobo was awarded the 2021 Kawaii design award. In partnership with Orange, LS2N and Strate in France.
+ Yue HU, assistant professor, finalist of the Young Investigator Best Paper Award during the IFToMM Japanese Council conference 2020 for her paper "Active Physical Human-Robot Interaction: An Experiment Towards Quantifying Human Interactions".
+ Seiji YAMAGUCHI, master 1st year, finalist of the Young Investigator Best Paper Award during the IFToMM Japanese Council conference 2019 for his paper "Development of expressive intelligence during collaborative tasks with humans".
+ Suraj PATTAR, master 2nd year student, finalist of the Best student paper award for his paper "Intention and Engagement Recognition for Personalized Human-Robot Interaction, an integrated and Deep Learning approach" at the IEEE Int. Conf. on Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics 2019.
+ Sumire FUTAMURE, master 2nd year received the IEEE/RAS Humanoids 2016 Kanako Miura award.
+ Saki KATO, undergraduate 4th year, received the IEEE TOWER 2016 Outstanding presentation award for our work on “Development Handover Robot System considering recipient's posture judgement”.
+ Misato BABA, undergraduate 4th year, received the IEEE TOWER 2016 WIE presentation award for our work on “Developing assistive grasping power device with MR fluid”.
+ Our paper in collaboration with the JRL CNRS-AIST on "Parameter Identification of Humanoid Robot - Systematic Exciting Motion Generation and Optimization" presented at SI 2014 by E. Yoshida has received the "excellent presentation award".
+ "ベースリンクの運動方程式を用いた脚ロボットの力学パラメータの可同定性 - Inertial Parameters Identifiability of Legged Robots Using Base-link Dynamics" finalist of Best Paper Award Robot Symposia 2009
+ Our PhD student Ko Ayusawa received the 2008 SI部門賞 若手奨励賞 for our paper 「床反力計測に基づくヒューマノイドの全身力学パラメータの同定」 presented at Robot Symposia 2008.
+ IEEE/RAS Best performance design award in the Hands on Robot Contest of the IEEE/RAS and ISRS International School of Robotics Science 2005
+ "Passive Stiffness Estimation of Human Joints and its Medical Applications Based on Musculoskeletal Dynamics Model and Motion-Capturing - 筋骨格モデルとモシオンカプチャーを用いた人間の関節受動的スティフネス推定とその医療応用", finalist for the Young Investigator Best Paper Award during the IFToMM Japanese Council conference 2006
★ GV's activities in the press & Consulting for media
+ A mention of our work on Yokobo published in .able, "".able Journal Publishes Research Through Images", Hyperallergic, April 5th 2023.
+ An other short article about Yokobo in "RT Flash", 2023-01-24.
+ A short article about Yokobo in French economy magazine "Les echos", 2022-12-20.
+ An article about Yokobo on the French website of the Institut Carnot Telecom et societe numerique 2022-11-25.
+ An interview in "the curious podcast, listen to women in Science and Tech share their insights", about robots, education, and career path 1/2022. Listen here
+ "Yōkobo, le robjet récompensé par le prix « Kawaii Kansei Design Award »", Veille scientifique et technologique, Japon, 11/2021
+ "Yōkobo: Finding a Discreet Place for Robots in Connected Homes", Cyril Pasteau, Hello Future Orange, 10/2021
+ “50 women in robotics you need to know about”, 2021/10/12
+ Interview GV talks on IROS TV about living with robots, 2019-11-6, view on Youtube (in English)
+ 【解説】人類とロボットをつなぐ「ソフトロボティクス」最前線", Newspick, 2019/8/29 read in Japanese
+ टोक्यो विवि. में एनआइटी के प्रोफेसर के शोध की प्रशंसा, Dainik Jagran, 2019-5-7 read in Hindi
+ "Professor Anup Nandy’s research gives a solution to support healthy aging", India Education Diary, 2019-5-7 read in English
+ "La place de la robotique au Japon", HUB Institute, August 2018. watch on youtube
+ "Chatty robots in Japan begin to make all the right moves", Nikkei Asian review, April 6th, 2018.
+ 日経産業新聞 「感情表現ロボット開発急ぐ」 , by Sayuka Nakajima, March 27th, 2018.
+ "Le 1", "Les japonais rêvent-ils d’amis robotiques ?", by Rafaele Brillaud, January 31st, 2018.
+ Online news, November 2017.
+ Online news, November 2017.
+ "Les nouvelles frontières de la robotique japonaise" in "Swissquote", by Jonas Pulver, pp. 58, No. 4, September 2015.
+ The Daily Beast, Japan's Robots Are Reading Your Emotion, by Angela Kubo & Jake Adelstein, August 6th, 2014.
+ 産経ニユース, 2014.7.20
+ 日刊工業新聞, July 2014,
+ My Navy news
+ Yahoo news Japan
+ Interview for Les dossiers de La Recherche, Humanoïde je t’aime, moi non plus, Rafaele Brillaud, pp. 59-65, No 8, février 2014. Download the pdf
+ Interview for France Culture, Le magazine de la redaction: Robot ergo sum: vivre avec les robots , Septembre 6th 2013. (in French)
+ Interview for a special issue on Robotics in Japan "Les Cahiers Science & Vie", Rafaele Brillaud, No135, p98-103, Feb. 2013. Download the pdf (in French).
+ Interview for the「日経産業新聞」2011年10月6日, on our research on "biometrics from gait", Download the pdf (in Japanse).
+ Mix et Remix the famous cartoonist for the Swiss journal L'Hebdo visited us in August 2011. He made a cartoon of his visit published in "L'Hebdo: Numero special anniversaire" No 39, September 2011. Read the cartoon in pdf here (in French).
+ Interview for the journal 「向学新聞」of the International Foreign Students Association publication. Download the pdf (bad scan - in Japanese)
+ Based on "Les Echos" article, an other publication, on Themavision, a French organization for innovation and industries. Read the article here (in French).
+ Interview for the French business magazine "Les Echos" here (in French)
+ Consulting for Paris Science Museum (Cite des Sciences La Villette) journalist, February 2010.
+ Interview for the "Radio Suisse Romande", for the program "Urbanites": the role of robotics nowadays and in the future, Octobre 30th 2009. listen to it now
+ Interview for TSR (Swiss TV), February 2009. see it now
+ Advisor for French journalists in the making of an article about Robotics in Japan (Sciences et Vie, special issue on Robotics) Outline here (select No.247)
+ Advisor for French journalists in the making of a reportage for the TV show "Science on tourne" about commercial robotics in Japan, August 2007.
+ Advisor for French journalists in the making of a reportage for the TV show "Un oeil sur la planete" about Robotics in Japan, March 2008.
+ Interview for Radio-France International and France Inter "Et pourtant elle tourne" broadcast, January 2008.
+ Interview for France Inter "Interception" broadcast, June 2008.
★ Extra
> Curator for the exhibition "Human and robot: shaping the future", Nature & Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan. 5-27-2017~9-9-2017
> Cooking teacher, cooking blogger @In Gentiane's kitchen 
Bronze medal for the Cooking and story contest 2016 of the Japanese soya sauce association