Hiroo Iwata, born 1957, is associate professor at the Institute of Engineering Mechanics and Systems at the University of Tsukuba, where he teaches human interface and conducts research projects on virtual reality. He received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1981, 1983 and 1986. He is active in research on haptic interfaces in virtual environments and is interested in how the human ability of recognition and creation can be extended by haptic interfaces.