Hiroki Sato is a creative researcher / designer / programmer.

With a background in architecture and programming, he works on various project concepts and prototypes which cross the realms of art and science. he has a wide interest in cultural history in Japan and overseas as well as the latest technology, and his strength is integrating those into projects and bringing new perspective to people. Recent work includes digital installation inspired by Japanese local performing arts, “BAKERU” (JAPAN HOUSE, Los Angeles), new mobility using soft robotics, “poimo,” etc.

ResearchMap
https://researchmap.jp/hiroki.sato

 

Working Experience

2022 –
Associate Professor
Miyagi University, Sendai, Japan

2021
Project Manager
ZOZO NEXT (ZOZO Technologies), Tokyo, Japan

2017 – 2022
Researcher
The University of Tokyo (JST ERATO Kawahara Universal Information Network Project, RIISE), Tokyo, Japan

2012 – 2021
Technical Director / Programmer / Creative Director
WOW inc., Tokyo/Sendai, Japan

 

Awards

GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2024, Regional co-creative platform Miyagi University Design Study Center, Japan Institute of Design Promotion
Hiroki Sato, Kenji Toki, Masashige Motoe, Izumi Kainuma, Daichi Komatsu, Toru Nakaki

トーキン財団奨励賞, 軽く、やわらかく、持ち運び可能なインフレータブル(空気膜)モビリティの開発, 公益財団法人トーキン科学技術振興財団
佐藤宏樹

第7回羽倉賞 優秀賞, Inkjet 4D Print:CGのモデルを現実世界で「折る」, 一般財団法人 最先端表現技術利用推進協会
東京大学 / Nature Architects株式会社 / エレファンテック株式会社 / 宮城大学

Innovative Technologies 2021 Special Prize – Future Mobility-
ACM SIGGRAPH Award
DCAJ Chairman’s Award

東京大学情報理工学系研究科新山研究室, 工学系研究科川原研究室, mercari R4D, “poimo (ポイモ):空気でふくらむ人にやさしい電動モビリティ,” デジタルコンテンツ EXPO(DCEXPO)2021, November 17, 2021

Best Demo Award
R. Niiyama*, H. Sato*, K. Tsujimura, K. Narumi, Y. A. Seong, R. Yamamura, Y. Kakehi, and Y. Kawahara, “poimo: Portable and Inflatable Mobility Devices Customizable for Personal Physical Characteristics,” Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST’20), pp. 912–923, Virtual (previously Minneapolis, US), Oct. 2020 (* Authors contributed equally).

Best Paper Award Runner Up
K. Narumi, H. Sato, K. Nakahara, Y. Seong, K. Morinaga, Y. Kakehi, R. Niiyama, and Y. Kawahara, “Liquid Pouch Motors: Printable Planar Actuators Driven by Liquid-to-gas Phase Change for Shape-changing Interfaces,” IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), July 30, 2020.

グランプリ
林寛将,川原圭博,山村亮介,佐藤宏樹,對尾健二,新山龍馬,笹谷拓也,坂井珠麗亜, “無線給電で支援するパーソナルモビリティのシェアリングサービス”, ヨコスカ x スマートモビリティ・チャレンジ、ビジネスアイデアコンテスト 2019, Jan. 2019

最優秀論文賞 & 発表賞
鳴海紘也,中原健一,佐藤宏樹,新山龍馬,川原圭博,”Liquid Pouch Motors: 紙のインタフェースのための薄く軽く柔軟なアクチュエータ,” 第26回インタラクティブシステムとソフトウェアに関するワークショップ(WISS2018), Sept. 28, 2018.

GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2018 – BAKERU, 2018
WOW inc.

 

Education

MAS (Interdisciplinary Information Studies), The University of Tokyo, Japan, 2011.
BArch (Architecture), Waseda University, Japan, 2009.