Available for Collaboration
Masaki Nakada

Masaki Nakada

CEO at NeuralX Inc.  ยท  PhD Computer Science, UCLA

Award Recipient Next 1000 CEO & Co-Founder Ocean Exchange โ€” Neptune Award 2025  $100K
View Products Research LinkedIn CV
About

Bridging Deep Science
& Real-World Innovation

I am the CEO & Founder of NeuralX Inc., an AI company applying deep learning, biomechanics, and artificial life simulation to real-world problems โ€” from AI-powered fitness to sustainable aquaculture. I was recognized as a MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35, featured in Forbes Next 1000, and won the Ocean Exchange Neptune Award 2025 ($100,000).

NeuralX's Nereus platform โ€” developed in collaboration with SoftBank Corp. and Nosan Corporation โ€” uses computer vision and bio-inspired AI to monitor fish farms in real time, reducing operating costs by 20%, cutting pollution by 17%, and increasing profits by 26%. Our fitness platform Toned.ai brings fully AI-generated workout classes and motion analytics to users worldwide.

Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at UCLA CS under Prof. Demetri Terzopoulos. I hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UCLA, an M.Sc. in Physics from Waseda University, and a B.Sc. in Applied Physics from Waseda University.

Open to collaborations and internships in ML, computer vision, biomechanics, and neuroscience.  masaki [at] neuralx [dot] ai

Deep Learning Neuroscience Computer Vision Biomechanics Fashion ร— AI Fitness ร— AI Artificial Life Metaverse Web 3.0
15+
Peer-Reviewed Publications
20+
Students Mentored
$100K
Neptune Award โ€” Ocean Exchange 2025
TR35
MIT Technology Review Innovator
Products

Building the Future of AI

Translating a decade of research into deployed technology โ€” from ocean sustainability to AI-powered fitness.

Aquaculture AI ยท In Collaboration with SoftBank & Nosan Corp.
Nereus
AI-powered fish farm intelligence โ€” real-time biomass monitoring, behavior analysis, and predictive analytics for sustainable aquaculture.

Nereus uses bio-inspired computer vision and synthetic dataset generation (pioneered in our SIGGRAPH Asia research) to automatically count, size, and monitor fish โ€” replacing manual, error-prone processes with precise, continuous AI insight.

โˆ’20%
Operating Costs
โˆ’17%
Environmental Pollution
+26%
Farm Profitability
+33%
Production Speed
Partners: SoftBank Corp. Nosan Corporation ๐Ÿ† Neptune Award $100K
Visit Nereus โ†’
AI Fitness Platform
Toned.ai
Fully AI-generated workout classes with real-time motion analytics โ€” personalized fitness powered by biomechanical human simulation.

Building on NeuralX's deep learning research in biomechanical human animation, Toned.ai brings AI-generated class creation, real-time pose estimation, and speech synthesis together into a seamless fitness experience โ€” no human trainer required.

3D
Biomechanical Motion Analysis
AI
Generated Workouts & Coaching
RT
Real-Time Pose Estimation
Gen
Generative AI & Speech Synthesis
Also: Sharp AIoT JEITA
Visit NeuralX โ†’
Press & Recognition

Featured In

Coverage and recognition from international media, academic institutions, and innovation organizations.

Ocean Exchange
Neptune Award Winner 2025 โ€” $100,000
NeuralX recognized for AI-enabled aquaculture insights that measure biomass, count fish, and monitor behavior for improved sustainability.
Read more โ†’
MIT Technology Review Japan
ไบบๅทฅ็”Ÿๅ‘ฝ่ตทๆฅญๅฎถใŒใ€Œ้ญšใฎ้คŠๆฎ–ใ€ใซใƒ”ใƒœใƒƒใƒˆใ—ใŸ็†็”ฑ
Featured profile on how Masaki pivoted from artificial life research to aquaculture AI, and his journey as an Innovator Under 35.
Read more โ†’
MIT Technology Review
Innovators Under 35 โ€” Masaki Nakada
Recognized for developing biomimetic AI systems that bridge neuroscience and real-world applications in fitness and aquaculture.
Read more โ†’
Forbes
Forbes Next 1000 โ€” Masaki Nakada
Featured among Forbes' Next 1000 entrepreneurs redefining the American dream through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Read more โ†’
The Iroha
AI Innovator โ€” MASAKI NAKADA ไปฒ็”ฐ็œŸ่ผ
In-depth profile on Masaki's path from UCLA research to building AI products at the intersection of biomechanics and entrepreneurship.
Read more โ†’
JP Startups
ใ€Œไธ–็•Œใงๅ‹่ฒ ใ‚’ใ‹ใ‘ใŸใ„ใ€UCLAใงใฎ็ ”็ฉถๆˆๆžœใ‹ใ‚‰ใ‚ขใƒกใƒชใ‚ซใงๅ‰ตๆฅญ
Feature on founding NeuralX from UCLA research and the ambition to compete on the global AI stage from Los Angeles.
Read more โ†’
Johns Hopkins University โ€” AI-X Seminar
Invited Speaker: "Foids: Bio-Inspired Fish Simulation for Generating Synthetic Datasets"
Invited to present research at Johns Hopkins' AI-X seminar series on bio-inspired simulation and synthetic data generation.
Read more โ†’
MIRAISE Venture Capital
NeuralX CEO, Masaki Nakada โ€” Forbes The Next 1000
MIRAISE VC highlights NeuralX's Forbes recognition and Masaki's vision for AI-powered human and environmental analytics.
Read more โ†’
LALALA USA
NeuralX, Inc CEOใƒปไปฒ็”ฐ ็œŸ่ผใ•ใ‚“
Interview on building an AI company in Los Angeles, bridging Japanese research culture with Silicon Valley entrepreneurship.
Read more โ†’
Research

Publications & Manuscripts

Selected publications at top-tier venues in computer graphics, vision, machine learning, and robotics.

DeepFoids
NeurIPS 2022 โ€” Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems
DeepFoids: Adaptive Bio-Inspired Fish Simulation with Deep Reinforcement Learning
Y. Ishiwaka *, X. Zeng *, S. Ogawa, D. Westwater, T. Tone, M. Nakada  (*equal contribution)
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Motion Transition
International Symposium on Intelligence Design 2022
Motion Transition and Tiredness Controllers for Deep Reinforcement Learning based Character Animation
A. Hadj-Chaib, M. Nakada, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿฅ‡ Best Poster Award
Foids
ACM Transactions on Graphics (SIGGRAPH Asia 2021)
Foids: Bio-Inspired Fish Simulation for Generating Synthetic Datasets
Y. Ishiwaka *, X. Zeng, M. Eastman, S. Kakazu, S. Gross, R. Mizutani, M. Nakada *  (*equal contribution)
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Neuromuscular Control Face
International Symposium on Visual Computing 2021
Neuromuscular Control of the Face-Head-Neck Biomechanical Complex With Learning-Based Expression Transfer From Images and Videos
X. Zeng, S. Dwarakanath, W. Lu, M. Nakada, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Facial Expression Transfer
ACM Symposium on Computer Animation 2021
Facial Expression Transfer from Video Via Deep Learning
X. Zeng, S. Dwarakanath, W. Lu, M. Nakada, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Active Vision
International Conference on Pattern Recognition 2021
Locally-Connected, Irregular Deep Neural Networks for Biomimetic Active Vision in a Simulated Human
M. Nakada, H. Chen, A. Lakshmipathy, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Deep Learning Humanoid
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) 2020
Deep Learning of Neuromuscular and Visuomotor Control in a Biomimetic Simulated Humanoid
M. Nakada, T. Zhou, H. Chen, A. Lakshmipathy, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Influencer Marketing
The Web Conference (WWW) 2020
Multimodal Post Attentive Profiling for Influencer Marketing
S. Kim, J. Jiang, M. Nakada, J. Han, W. Wang
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Biomimetic Eye
ACM Transactions on Graphics (SIGGRAPH Asia 2019)
Biomimetic Eye Modeling & Deep Neuromuscular Oculomotor Control
M. Nakada, L. Arjun, H. Chen, N. Ling, T. Zhou, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Layout Synthesis
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 2018
Fast and Scalable Position-Based Layout Synthesis
T. Tomer, A. Litteneker, N. Duncan, M. Nakada, C. Jiang, L. Yu, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Sensorimotor Control
International Symposium on Visual Computing 2018
Biomimetic Perception Learning for Human Sensorimotor Control
M. Nakada, H. Chen and D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
SIGGRAPH 2018
ACM Transactions on Graphics (SIGGRAPH 2018)
Deep Learning of Biomimetic Sensorimotor Control for Biomechanical Human Animation
M. Nakada, T. Zhao, H. Chen, T. Weiss, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Biomimetic Visual Perception
ACM Symposium on Applied Perception 2018
Deep Learning of Biomimetic Visual Perception for Virtual Humans
M. Nakada, H. Chen, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Biomimetic Perception CVPR
CVPR Workshop โ€” Mutual Benefits of Cognitive and Computer Vision 2018
Learning Biomimetic Perception for Human Sensorimotor Control
M. Nakada, H. Chen, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
AcFR
CVPR Workshop โ€” Vision Meets Cognition 2017
AcFR: Active Face Recognition Using Convolutional Neural Networks
M. Nakada, H. Wang, D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
Layout Visualization
CVPR Workshop โ€” Vision Meets Cognition 2017
Automated Layout Synthesis and Visualization From Images of Interior or Exterior Spaces
M. Nakada *, T. Weiss *, D. Terzopoulos  (*equal contribution)
๐Ÿ“„ PDF
ISVC 2015
International Symposium on Visual Computing 2015
Deep Learning of Neuromuscular Control for Biomechanical Human Animation
M. Nakada and D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Humanoid Robots
International Symposium on Learning and Adaptive Behavior in Robotic Systems 2010
Learning Arm Motion Strategies for Balance Recovery of Humanoid Robots
M. Nakada, B. Allen, S. Morishima and D. Terzopoulos
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Car Database
IEICE General Conference 2009
Database and GUI Design for Automobile Shape Design
M. Nakada, T. Hayakawa, S. Sugimoto and S. Morishima
๐Ÿ“„ PDF โ–ถ Video
Doctoral Thesis
Thesis
Ph.D. Thesis โ€” UCLA Computer Science, 2017
Deep Learning of Neuromuscular and Sensorimotor Control with Biomimetic Perception for Realistic Biomechanical Human Animation
M. Nakada
๐Ÿ“„ Thesis PDF ๐Ÿ”— eScholarship
Media

Research & Startup Videos

Demonstrations of research results and NeuralX technology in action.

Research Videos
DeepFoids
DeepFoids: Adaptive Bio-Inspired Fish Simulation with Deep Reinforcement Learning (NeurIPS 2022)
Foids
Foids: Bio-Inspired Fish Simulation for Generating Synthetic Datasets (SIGGRAPH Asia 2021)
Facial Expression Transfer
Facial Expression Transfer from Video Via Deep Learning (SCA 2021)
Biomimetic Eye
Biomimetic Eye Modeling & Deep Neuromuscular Oculomotor Control (SIGGRAPH Asia 2019)
Biomimetic Sensorimotor Control
Deep Learning of Biomimetic Sensorimotor Control for Biomechanical Human Animation (SIGGRAPH 2018)
Neuromuscular Control
Deep Learning of Neuromuscular Control for Biomechanical Human Animation (ISVC 2015)
NeuralX Startup Demos
NeuralX AI Fitness
NeuralX: Tech Demo โ€” AI Remote Fitness Platform with 3D Biomechanical Motion Estimation
NeuralX Human Animation
NeuralX: Realistic Human Animation with Deep Learning and Biomechanical Human Simulation
vuSearch Fashion AI
vuSearch: Visual Search AI for Fashion E-Commerce and Trend Analytics
vuSearch Influencer
vuSearch: Visual Search & NLP AI for Micro-Influencer Discovery
Mosaic Editor AI
Automated Mosaic Editor AI for Live TV News Broadcasting
Funning Crowdfunding
Funning: Crowdfunding Platform with Video Content for Talent Discovery
vuPad AR Furniture
vuPad: AR Furniture Visualization for Immersive Online Shopping
vuPad AR Extended
vuPad: AR Furniture Visualization โ€” Extended Demo
Mentoring

Students Mentored

Graduate and undergraduate researchers supervised across computer vision, graphics, and AI.

2020
Xiao Zeng
PhD, Computer Science โ€” Biomechanical Human Face Simulation
2020
Santosh Yadav
PhD, Computer Science โ€” Human Activity Recognition
2020
Deepti Rawat
BS, Computer Science โ€” Human Activity Recognition
2020
Siyal Sonarkar
MS, Computer Science โ€” Human Activity Classification
2020
Xiao Yang
BS, Computer Science โ€” Lighting & Rendering for Synthetic Human Dataset
2019โ€“2020
Surya Dwarakanath
MS, Computer Science โ€” Synthetic Human Motion Dataset
2019โ€“2020
Jianzhi (Ryan) Liu
BS, Computational Mathematics โ€” 3D Human Pose Estimation
2019
Vikas Gupta
MS, Computer Science โ€” Biomechanical Human Pose Estimation
2019
Ian Michael Costello
BS, Computer Science โ€” Particle Effects and Human Pose Estimation
2019
Kevin Chuang
MS, Computer Science โ€” Particle Effects for AR
2018
Sarah Gross
BS, Computational Biology โ€” Biomechanical Human Body Control
2016โ€“2018
Honglin Chen
BS, Math & CS โ€” Biomimetic Human Vision
2017โ€“2018
Arjun Lakshmipathy
MS, CS โ€” Neuromuscular Control of a Biomechanical Human Eye
2017โ€“2018
Dennis Van Ee
BS, CS โ€” Biomechanical Human Ocular Lens Simulation
2018
Gestina Yassa
BS, CS โ€” Biomimetic Cortical Mapping
2018
CJ Ordog
BS, CS โ€” Biomimetic Visual Sampling
2018
Yutian Zhang
MS, CS โ€” Biomechanical Face Swapping
2018
Xin Ling
BS, CS โ€” Biomechanical Human Eye Rendering
2018
Adrien Hadj-Chaib
BS, CS โ€” Deep Reinforcement Learning for Biped Locomotion
2018
Dan Fang
MS, CS โ€” Multiple Viewpoint Face Recognition
2018
Qi Qu
MS, CS โ€” Fine-Grained Flower Image Classification via Deep Transfer Learning
2017
Pranav Sodhani
MS, CS โ€” Face Recognition using Space Variant Sensors
2016
Han Wang
MS, CS โ€” Active Face Recognition using Convolutional Neural Networks
Service

Academic Reviewing

Program committee and reviewer roles at top-tier venues.

2022ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG)
2021ACM Eurographics
2020ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG)
2019ACM SIGGRAPH Asia
2019IEEE Access
2019ACM SIGGRAPH
2018IEEE Trans. Neural Networks & Learning Systems
2018ACM Eurographics
2018ACM SIGGRAPH Asia
2018Int'l Conf. on Pattern Recognition (ICPR)
2011Motion In Games (MIG)