Leading Voices - Prof. Takeo Kanade

On September 29, 2026, the Editorial Office of Intelligence & Robotics (IR, ISSN: 2770-3541) had the honor of interviewing Prof. Takeo Kanade, Advisory Editor of IR, U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and Member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), who is widely recognized as a pioneer in computer vision and robotics. The interview was conducted by Dr. Junfei Li, Junior Associate Chief Editor of IR and Assistant Professor at Lakehead University. Prof. Takeo Kanade is the U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Advisory Editor of Intelligence & Robotics. He received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University, Japan, and previously served as Director of the Robotics Institute at CMU. His research interests span computer vision, visual and multimedia technology, and robotics. He has made pioneering contributions to stereo vision, facial recognition, real-time dynamic sensing, and autonomous driving, with a long-standing focus on translating physical, geometric, and optical principles into computational models for intelligent systems. His work has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Kyoto Prize, the Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute, and the ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award. His pioneering work on Virtualized Reality™ and medical robotic systems has also led to impactful applications in sports broadcasting and clinical medicine. Dr. Junfei Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering at Lakehead University, Canada, and Junior Associate Chief Editor of Intelligence & Robotics. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Guelph. His research interests include multi-robot systems, human–robot collaboration, and embodied intelligence, with a focus on combining bio-inspired mechanisms and artificial intelligence for real-time perception, decision-making, and coordination in complex dynamic environments. His research has been published in leading journals and conferences, including IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, and ICRA, with ongoing collaborations with industry to advance practical applications.