April 2024 - Robotics-seminar - Engineering Mailing Lists

Robotics Seminar 5/3: Michael Gleicher (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
by Smart, William 29 Apr '24

29 Apr '24

Roboticists, Please join us this Friday for the next Robotics Seminar, when Mike Gleicher from the University of Wisconsin, Madison will be talking about his recent work with ranged kinematics and time-of-flight sensors. Usual time, usual place, usual coffee and cake. Rogers 230, 10am, Firday 5/3. cheers -- Bill Ranged Kinematics and Time of Flight Sensors for Shared Autonomy Robotic Systems Michael Gleicher, University of Wisconsin, Madison Abstract: Shared autonomy mixes manual control and automation to make robots feasible in situations where fully automated (or fully manual) solutions are not. In this talk, I will describe our efforts to provide cost-effective solutions to two technical challenges that arise in building shared-autonomy robot manipulation systems: the need for responsive kinematics and the need for short-range (non-contact) sensing. First, I will describe our work on Ranged Kinematics, where we exploit task tolerances to provide flexibility in robot motion generation. I will describe how we integrate tolerances into an inverse kinematics solver to provide an approach that is responsive in under both manual and automated control. Second, I will describe our work on using small, low-cost time-of-flight distance sensors to provide near-range information for robotics applications. I will describe how we can enhance the performance of commodity sensors by modeling their operation carefully and using their internally collected data. I will show how we can perform precise localization and small obstacle detection, using sensors that are typically only used for distance measurements. Bio: Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof. Gleicher is founder of the Department's Visual Computing Group and co-directs both the Visual Computing Laboratory and the Collaborative Robotics Laboratory at UW-Madison. His research interests span the range of visual computing, including data visualization, robotics, and virtual/extended reality. His recent work includes exploring perceptual issues in visualization, the use of visual simulation for robotics, and geometric approaches to enhance robot perception and interaction. He has been Papers Chair for EuroVis and Area Chair for IEEE Vis. Prior to joining the University, Prof. Gleicher was a researcher at The Autodesk Vision Technology Center and in Apple Computer's Advanced Technology Group. He earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science (1994) from Carnegie Mellon University, and earned a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University (1988). In 2013-2014, he was a visiting researcher at INRIA Rhone-Alpes. Prof. Gleicher is an ACM Distinguished Scientist. In 2023-2024, Prof. Gleicher holds a concurrent appointment as a Design Scholar at Amazon Robotics.

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Robotics Seminar 4/19: A Handful of HRI Papers
by Smart, William 18 Apr '24

18 Apr '24

Roboticists, Please join us tomorrow for A Handful of HRI Papers at this week’s seminar. Five, count them, five short talks, covering the range of HRI that Oregon State University roboticists presented at the recent Human-Robot Interaction conference in Boulder, CO. Come and hear about some of the HRI research happening around you. Come to drink coffee. Come to eat cake. Rogers 230, 10am, 4/19 cheers -- Bill

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Robotics Seminar 4/19: A Handful of HRI Papers
by Smart, William 18 Apr '24

18 Apr '24

Roboticists, Please join us for A Handful of HRI Papers at this week’s seminar. Five, count them, five short talks, covering the range of HRI that Oregon State University roboticists presented at the recent Human-Robot Interaction conference in Boulder, CO. Come and hear about some of the HRI research happening around you. Come to drink coffee. Come to eat cake. Rogers 230, 10am, 4/19 cheers -- Bill

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Sameh Tawfick Seminar Today (04/15) at 2pm
by Roach, Devin 15 Apr '24

15 Apr '24

Hi roboticists, Sameh Tawfick from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be giving a seminar focused on artificial muscles later today (04/15), at 2pm in Rogers 226. Hope to see you all there! Devin Materials, Mechanics, and Performance of Artificial Muscles in Robotics Sameh Tawfick (The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Abstract: My group is developing a roadmap for elastic actuators inspired by natural muscles to replace bulky electric motors in miniature robots requiring large mechanical work output. First, I will describe the material microstructure and geometric mechanics of polymeric coiled muscles made by twisting nylon fishing lines, and how these actuators use internal strain energy to achieve record breaking performance. Next, I will describe their use to actuate the dynamic snapping of insect-scale jumping robots. The combination of strong but slow muscles with a fast-snapping beam gives rise to dynamic buckling cascade phenomena leading to effective robotic jumping mechanisms. These examples shed light on the future of robotics propelled by new bioinspired materials, nonlinear mechanics, and unusual manufacturing processes. Bio: Sameh Tawfick is a Ralph A. Andersen Scholar and Associate Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois. He studies advanced materials, nonlinear mechanics, and manufacturing processes. Sam obtained his PhD from the University of Michigan, was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Beaufort Visiting Fellow in St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge in 2023. He is the recipient of young investigator awards from the US Air Force, ASME, SME, and The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research at Illinois. His teaching awards at the University of Illinois include The Everitt Award for Teaching Excellence, The Two-year Alumni Teaching Award, and The Engineering Council Stanley H. Pierce Award for Empathetic Student faculty Cooperation. Devin J Roach, PhD Assistant Professor | Mechanical, Industrial, & Manufacturing Engineering C: (505)-228-7722 Lab Website<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fvamoslab.o…> || Google Scholar<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscholar.g…> || Twitter (X)<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.c…> [cid:590e7f1e-4e02-43d8-8165-b2957c59feff]

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Robotics Seminar 4/12: Matei Ciocarlie (Columbia University)
by Smart, William 11 Apr '24

11 Apr '24

Roboticists, A reminder to join us tomorrow for the second seminar of the term, from Dr. Matei Ciocarlie from Columbia University, talking about recent advances in dexterous manipulation. Enjoy manipulating some coffee and cake while you listen. Usual place, usual time. Rogers 230, 10am, Friday 4/12. cheers -- Bill We (finally) have dexterous robotic manipulation. Now what? Matei Ciocarlie (Columbia University) Abstract: At long last, robot hands are becoming truly dexterous. It took advances in sensor design, mechanisms, and computational motor learning all working together, but we’re finally starting to see true dexterity, in our lab as well as others. This talk will focus on the path our lab took to get here, and questions for the future. From a mechanism design perspective, I will present our work on optimizing an underactuated hand transmission mechanism jointly the grasping policy that uses it, an approach we refer to as “Hardware as Policy”. From a sensing perspective, I will present our optics-based tactile finger, providing accurate touch information over a multi-curved three-dimensional surface with no blind spots. From a motor learning perspective, I will talk about learning tactile-based policies for dexterous in-hand manipulation and object recognition. Finally, we can discuss implications for the future: how do we consolidate these gains by making dexterity more robust, versatile, and general, and what new applications can it enable? Bio: Matei Ciocarlie is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Columbia University, with affiliated appointments in Computer Science and the Data Science Institute. His work focuses on robot motor control, mechanism and sensor design, planning and learning, all aiming to demonstrate complex motor skills such as dexterous manipulation. Matei completed his Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York; before joining the faculty at Columbia, Matei was a Research Scientist and then Group Manager at Willow Garage, Inc., and then a Senior Research Scientist at Google, Inc. In these positions, Matei contributed to the development of the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS), and led research projects in areas such as hand design, manipulation under uncertainty, and assistive robotics. In recognition of his work, Matei was awarded the Early Career Award by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, a Young Investigator Award by the Office of Naval Research, a CAREER Award by the National Science Foundation, and a Sloan Research Fellowship by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

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Northwest Robotics Symposium, April 26 2024
by Hatton, Ross 08 Apr '24

08 Apr '24

Roboticists, Please join us for the second Northwest Robotics Symposium, to be held at Oregon State University on April 26, 2024. This free, all-day event will bring together undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, industry researchers, and faculty working in robotics in the greater Northwest. We will have a full day of talks, posters, and networking on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. More details are available at the Symposium web site: https://nwrsymposium.github.io/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnwrsympos…> Questions? Email the organizers: nwrsymposium(a)pm.me<mailto:nwrsymposium@pm.me> Call for Presentations: Submit your application to present through our application page<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…>. * The early deadline to apply is Friday April 12, 23:59 Anywhere on Earth time. If there is space remaining in the schedule, we will continue to accept applications until a week before the event, or until we run out of space. * Applications take less than 5 minutes to complete! You only need to report the tile of your presentation, names of contributors, contact information, and presentation format preference (short talk, poster) to apply. * We invite applications from undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty to present both work that has already been published in another venue, and unpublished work. The Symposium will not publish a proceedings, but we will provide links in the schedule to any existing publications. If you do not have anything to present but you are still interested in attending the event, please fill out the registration form<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…>. Thank you. Bill Smart Cristina Wilson Ross Hatton

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Robotics Seminar 4/12: Matei Ciocarlie (Columbia University)
by Smart, William 08 Apr '24

08 Apr '24

Roboticists, Join us this Friday for the second seminar of the term, from Dr. Matei Ciocarlie from Columbia University, talking about recent advances in dexterous manipulation. Enjoy manipulating some coffee and cake while you listen. Usual place, usual time. Rogers 230, 10am, Friday 4/12. cheers -- Bill We (finally) have dexterous robotic manipulation. Now what? Matei Ciocarlie (Columbia University) Abstract: At long last, robot hands are becoming truly dexterous. It took advances in sensor design, mechanisms, and computational motor learning all working together, but we’re finally starting to see true dexterity, in our lab as well as others. This talk will focus on the path our lab took to get here, and questions for the future. From a mechanism design perspective, I will present our work on optimizing an underactuated hand transmission mechanism jointly the grasping policy that uses it, an approach we refer to as “Hardware as Policy”. From a sensing perspective, I will present our optics-based tactile finger, providing accurate touch information over a multi-curved three-dimensional surface with no blind spots. From a motor learning perspective, I will talk about learning tactile-based policies for dexterous in-hand manipulation and object recognition. Finally, we can discuss implications for the future: how do we consolidate these gains by making dexterity more robust, versatile, and general, and what new applications can it enable? Bio: Matei Ciocarlie is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Columbia University, with affiliated appointments in Computer Science and the Data Science Institute. His work focuses on robot motor control, mechanism and sensor design, planning and learning, all aiming to demonstrate complex motor skills such as dexterous manipulation. Matei completed his Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York; before joining the faculty at Columbia, Matei was a Research Scientist and then Group Manager at Willow Garage, Inc., and then a Senior Research Scientist at Google, Inc. In these positions, Matei contributed to the development of the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS), and led research projects in areas such as hand design, manipulation under uncertainty, and assistive robotics. In recognition of his work, Matei was awarded the Early Career Award by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, a Young Investigator Award by the Office of Naval Research, a CAREER Award by the National Science Foundation, and a Sloan Research Fellowship by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

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NW Robotics Symposium
by Smart, William 05 Apr '24

05 Apr '24

Roboticists, As promised at the seminar today, here’s a resend of the announcement for the NW Robotics Symposium. Please sign up to give a short talk, present a poster, or just attend. I’m hoping that everyone who’s in town will be there, and we’d like to get an accurate headcount for catering and stuff. Sign up today! It only takes 3 minutes. thanks -- Bill Please join us for the second Northwest Robotics Symposium, to be held at Oregon State University ion April 26, 2024. This free, all-day event will bring together undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, industry researchers, and faculty working in robotics in the greater Northwest. We will have a full day of talks, posters, and networking on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. More details are available at the Symposium web site: https://nwrsymposium.github.io/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnwrsympos…> Questions? Email the organizers: nwrsymposium(a)pm.me<mailto:nwrsymposium@pm.me> Call for Presentations: Submit your application to present through our application page<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…>. · The early deadline to apply is Friday April 12, 23:59 Anywhere on Earth time. If there is space remaining in the schedule, we will continue to accept applications until a week before the event, or until we run out of space. · Applications take less than 5 minutes to complete! You only need to report the tile of your presentation, names of contributors, contact information, and presentation format preference (short talk, poster) to apply. · We invite applications from undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty to present both work that has already been published in another venue, and unpublished work. The Symposium will not publish a proceedings, but we will provide links in the schedule to any existing publications. If you do not have anything to present but you are still interested in attending the event, please fill out the registration form<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…>. Thank you. Bill Smart Cristina Wilson Ross Hatton

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Robotics Seminar 4/5: Katherine Tsui (Toyota Research Institute)
by Smart, William 04 Apr '24

04 Apr '24

Roboticists, Just a reminder to join us tomorrow for the first Robotics Seminar of the term. Dr. Katherine Tsui from Toyota Research Institute will be talking about Physical and Social Assistance for Aging Society. Coffee and cake. Yum! Rogers 230, 10am. cheers -- Bill Physical and Social Assistance for Aging Society Katherine Tsui (Toyota Research Institute) Abstract: Aging society is a world-wide crisis. It's been happening in Japan first, and there are many more countries following closely behind including the US. At Toyota Research Institute, we want to improve the quality of life for aging society through both direct and indirect efforts. I've spent the 6 years learning about Older Adults in Japan and in the US and their needs and wants through a human first, technology second perspective. I'll talk about 2 of my collaborative aging-in-place projects - Punyo which looks at Older Adults' needs relating to physical assistance in the home, and I.R.I.S. which focuses on helping Older Adults to achieve and maintain their sense of purpose. Bio: Dr. Katherine (Kate) Tsui is manager of the Human Robot Interaction Research team within the Robotics division at Toyota Research Institute (TRI). Dr. Tsui has 15 years of experience in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research and leads the HRI team and university collaborations. Our HRI research focuses on people's trust towards home robot helpers and using robotic technology to help older adults with social isolation and loneliness. Dr. Tsui holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (2014) and was a postdoctoral associate at Yale University (2014-2016). Dr. Tsui has developed robotic systems and user interfaces and interactions for people with cognitive and motor impairments as the target end-user, including a vision-based wheelchair-mounted robotic arm, social telepresence robots named Hugo and Margo, and a socially assistive robot named Maki. Over the last decade, she has worked with clinicians and end users from several special populations, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, teenagers and young adults with Cerebral Palsy, adults and seniors with Brain Injury, and deaf infants. Her human-robot interaction and human-computer interaction research interests stem from the cross section of computer science, robotics, and assistive technology. Dr. Tsui is passionate about increasing the quality of life for all people using robotic devices.

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Seminars this term
by Smart, William 02 Apr '24

02 Apr '24

Roboticists, As a reminder, the current seminar schedule is always available here<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.goog…>. The seminars scheduled for the Spring term are: 4/5: Katherine Tsui, Toyota Research Institute 4/12: Matei Ciocarlie, Columbia University 4/19: HRI Madness 4/26: Northwest Robotics Symposium 5/3: Mike Gleicher, University of Wisconsin – Madison 5/10: TBD 5/17: TBD (ICRA) 5/24: Dallas Swindle, Independent Artist 5/31: Paul Robinette, UMass Lowell 6/7: ICRA Madness cheers -- Bill

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