PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Seiji Inokuchi

Also known as 井口 征士

Seiji Inokuchi is a computer vision researcher whose work connects 3D range imaging with robot vision. At Osaka University, he earned degrees in electrical and nuclear engineering and held academic posts in its control engineering department. With Kousuke Sato, he developed a liquid-crystal range finder in 1988. In 1998, his coauthored range-image paper received MVA's Most Influential Paper over the Decade award. In 2010, he coauthored a Kansei-engineering paper on car dashboards; by December 2024, he is Professor Emeritus at Osaka University and a part-time lecturer at Takarazuka University.

Works
150
Citations
632
h-index
11
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1940–1980

    Education and academic posts

    He is born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, in 1940 and lives in Keelung, Taiwan, from 1942 to 1945. He graduates from Hiroshima University Affiliated Fukuyama High School in 1958, earns a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Osaka University in 1962, and completes a master's degree in nuclear engineering there in 1964. He joins Osaka University's Department of Control Engineering as an assistant in 1965, works as a visiting researcher at Saclay Nuclear Research Institute under a French government scholarship in 1966–1967, becomes an associate professor in Osaka University's Department of Control Engineering in 1969, and visits the University of Southern California's Image Processing Institute in 1979–1980.

  2. 1988

    Liquid-crystal range imaging

    In 1988, he and Kousuke Sato develop a liquid-crystal-shutter range finder for high-speed 3D imaging and stable robot vision.

  3. 1998

    An MVA award and invited talk

    In 1998, his coauthored paper, Range Image Processing for Bin-Picking of Curved Object, receives MVA's Most Influential Paper over the Decade award. At MVA 1998, he gives an invited talk on recent trends in range imaging.

  4. 1999–2000

    A reactive range-finder project

    From 1999 to 2000, he leads an Osaka University project to develop a reactive range finder for real-time measurement of moving objects.

  5. 2000

    An IAPR fellowship

    In 2000, he becomes an IAPR Fellow for contributions to 3D computer vision and service to the association.

  6. 2003–2005

    Retirement and later professorships

    In March 2003, he retires from Osaka University and becomes Professor Emeritus. In 2003, he joins Hiroshima International University's Faculty of Human and Social Environment, Department of Kansei Information. In 2005, he becomes a professor in Takarazuka University's Faculty of Media Content.

  7. 2010

    Kansei engineering for dashboards

    In 2010, he coauthors a paper on real-time virtual prototyping for Kansei engineering of leather grain patterns on car dashboard panels.

  8. By December 2024

    Professor emeritus and lecturer

    By December 2024, he is Professor Emeritus at Osaka University and a part-time lecturer at Takarazuka University.

Career

  1. 2005–2013Takarazuka University of Arts & CraftsProfessor
  2. 2003–2006Hiroshima International University
  3. 2003–2005Faculty of Human and Social Environment
  4. 1979–1980University of Southern CaliforniaVisiting researcher
  5. 1979–2004University of Osaka
  6. 1966–1967Saclay Nuclear Research InstituteVisiting researcher
  7. 1965–2003Osaka UniversityAssistant, Associate Professor

Education

  1. 1964Osaka UniversityMaster's degree in nuclear engineering
  2. 1962Osaka UniversityBachelor's degree in electrical engineering

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. The mental workload of a ship’s navigator using heart rate variability2004 · Interactive Technology and Smart Education · 51 citations
  2. The Kansei Music System1989 · Computer Music Journal · 43 citations
  3. A Recognition System for Printed Piano Music Using Musical Knowledge and Constraints1992 · Springer eBooks · 42 citations
  4. Basic Evaluation of Performance of Bridge Resource Teams Involved in On-Board Smart Education: Lookout Pattern2006 · 27 citations
  5. A Basic Study on Teammates' Mental Workload among Ship's Bridge Team2004 · IEICE Transactions on Information and Systems · 26 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Osaka University. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Osaka University. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Osaka University. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  4. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes University of Southern California. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Seiji Inokuchi yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Seiji Inokuchi - My portal - researchmap researchmap.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Liquid Crystal Range Finder｜ロボ學 - ROBOGAKU robogaku.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. MIPOD Awards in MVA mva-org.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. Archives mva-org.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. KAKEN — Researchers | INOKUCHI Seiji (90029463) nrid.nii.ac.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Chronological List of IAPR Fellows – International Association for Pattern Recognition iapr.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Lab History · UOsaka XR Group xr.sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. Virtual Prototyping with Real-Time Rendering for Kansei Engineering of Leather Grain Patterns on Car Dashboard Panels jstage.jst.go.jp. Checked 21 October 2026.