- Robotics-seminar - Engineering Mailing Lists

Robotics Seminar 5/30: Ravi Balasubramanian (Oregon State University)
by Fitter, Naomi 28 May '25

28 May '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! We'll have a talk from our very own Dr. Balasubramanian this week, on integrating robotics and human control systems. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ______________________________________________________________ Ravi Balasubramanian, Assoiate Professor at Oregon State Talk Title: Integrating robotics and human control systems Talk Abstract: This talk will provide an overview of research in OSU's Robotics and Human Control Systems Lab directed by Prof. Balasubramanian. Prof. Balasubramanian's work seeks to simultaneously draw inspiration from the human body's control system to advance robotic systems and to use robotic systems to understand the human body and improve quality of life. This viewpoint spawns many unique research questions across domains. In this talk, Prof. Balasubramanian will highlight ongoing research work in robotics-inspired passive implant design for orthopedic surgery for re-engineering the mechanics of movement and force transmission from within the body, focusing on their benefits and challenges. Speaker Bio: Prof. Ravi Balasubramanian is an Associate Professor in the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CoRIS) Institute and the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University (OSU). He directs the Robotics and Human Control Systems Laboratory at OSU. Born in India, Prof. Balasubramanian received his B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore with top honors and his PhD from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He did a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington in computational neuroscience and biomechanics, was a researcher at Intel Labs Seattle in personal robotics, and then was a research scientist at Yale University. Prof. Balasubramanian has received the NSF CAREER grant, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries Research Award, Best Manipulation Paper Finalist award from the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2016, the Oregon State University Impact Award for Outstanding Scholarship in 2017, the Outstanding Researcher Award from the NIH National Center for Simulation in Rehabilitation Research in 2013, and the Best Student Paper finalist award at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2004. Speaker Website: http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~balasubr/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.engr.o…>

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Robotics Seminar 5/23: Julie A. Adams (Oregon State University)
by Fitter, Naomi 23 May '25

23 May '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! We'll have a talk from our very own Dr. Adams this week, on the interesting and evolving topic of how many robots one human operator can successfully command. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi P.S. In entertaining science communication news, there's also an exciting event coming up this Friday (5/23) at the Majestic Theater with professional science communicator/comedian Ben Miller: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=273951<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fl.faceboo…>. I encourage anyone who is interested to attend! Please let me know if you'd be interested in connecting with Ben to learn more about creative science communication while he's in town (similarly to the seminar with IEEE's Evan Ackerman in the Fall). ______________________________________________________________ Julie A. Adams, Professor at Oregon State Associate Director of Research Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute Bio: Dr. Adams is the founder of the Human-Machine Teaming Laboratory and the Associate Director of Research of the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CoRIS) Institute. Adams has focused on human-machine teaming and distributed artificial intelligence for thirty-five years. Throughout her career she has focused on unmanned systems, but also focused on crewed civilian and military aircraft at Honeywell, Inc. and commercial, consumer and industrial systems at the Eastman Kodak Company. Her research, which is grounded in robotics applications for domains such as first response, archaeology, oceanography, and the U.S. military, focuses on distributed artificial intelligence, swarms, robotics and human-machine teaming. Dr. Adams is an NSF CAREER award recipient, a Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Fellow as well as a member of the National Academies Board on Army Research and Development and the DARPA Information Science and Technology Study Group. Talk Title: The Human-Robot Ratio (m:N) Theory: Limitations and Considerations Abstract: The traditional human-to-robot ratio, or m:N theory states that the number of robots limits humans ability to manage and maintain overall team performance. This theory was developed primarily based on ground robot capabilities 10-15 years ago. While some traditional m:N limitations persist, both applied research and commercial systems debunk this traditional theory, particularly for very large numbers of robots (m<<N). This keynote will discuss the limitations of the theory, provide evidence that contradicts the theory, and discuss human factors aspects that will have an impact on the number of robots a single human can safely deploy. Results and examples will include simulated large autonomous uncrewed aircraft with associated necessary interactions with air traffic control, heterogeneous swarms deployed in urban environments, and commercial delivery uncrewed aircraft.

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Robotics Seminar 5/16: Stavros Vougioukas (University of California, Davis)
by Fitter, Naomi 12 May '25

12 May '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! We'll have a visit from Stavros Vougioukas, an expert in robotics and agriculture. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ____________________________________________________________ Stavros G. Vougioukas, University of California, Davis Presentation Title: "Overcoming current limitations of fruit-harvesting robots" Abstract: Harvesting fresh fruit is labor-intensive, and growers face challenges from rising farm labor costs and shortages. Harvesting robots represent a promising technology that could significantly reduce the labor required for harvesting. Despite many years of research and development by academic groups and start-up companies, cost-effective robots demonstrating high fruit-picking efficiency and throughput are still unavailable. This talk will present the main factors contributing to harvesting underperformance, discuss ongoing work on multi-armed robots to drastically increase picking speed, and suggest approaches to enhance efficiency through improved perception. Bio: Stavros G. Vougioukas is a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis, where he serves as vice chair and undergraduate faculty advisor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, specializing in Robotics and Automation under a Fulbright fellowship. Before joining UC Davis, he was a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Engineering at Aristotle University, Greece. His work focuses on robotic harvesting, labor-saving technologies, and precision yield mapping, with funding from USDA-NIFA, grower commodity boards, and industry.

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Robotics Seminar 5/9: Andy Smith (Sierra Nevada Corporation)
by Fitter, Naomi 08 May '25

08 May '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! We'll have a visit from several members of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, with a seminar from their Director of Technology, Andy Smith, an OSU alum. Andy has experience in industry, the military, and academia, so the seminar should be an interesting discussion for those thinking about next steps after graduation. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ____________________________________________________________ Sierra Nevada Corporation Visit Andy Smith, Director of Technology, Sierra Nevada Corporation Abstract: Join us for a seminar with OSU alumni Andy Smith, Director of Technology at Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), one of the world's largest privately owned defense companies renowned for its agility and technical innovation. With expertise in systems integration and modification, modular & open systems, data & sensor fusion, among many others, SNC stands at the forefront of defense technology. Andy will provide an overview of SNC and some of its key projects, setting the stage for a broader discussion on the current state of the defense industry. He will then discuss how the widespread global adoption of robotic systems is transforming traditional operational concepts, emphasizing the role of ubiquitous sensing provided by large volumes of low-cost systems. Drawing from his experience in the industry, time in the military, and his academic background from OSU's Robotics Program, Andy will share his insights into the evolving landscape of defense technology and offer a few lessons he has learned as an academic working in industry. Bio: Andy Smith is the Director of Technology at Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), where he guides their AI/ML and autonomy/robotics portfolio. SNC is one of the world’s largest privately owned defense companies, focusing on modular open systems, data collection and aggregation, and sensor fusion. Andy joined SNC as a Systems Engineer III in 2018 after graduating with a PhD in Robotics from Oregon State University, where he contributed to distributed multi-agent coordination research. Prior to joining OSU, Andy received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he developed multiple autonomous UAVs while also serving as a member of the Nevada Army National Guard. Andy's wife is completing her medical residency, and they have two children, ages 7 and 8.

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Robotics Seminar 5/2: Rob Ambrose (Texas A&M)
by Fitter, Naomi 01 May '25

01 May '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! We have a special guest this week: Rob Ambrose, who is currently faculty at Texas A&M University. He has an impressive history with NASA, including being the person behind Robonaut. He's a guest of the university president, so we need to make a particularly strong showing at seminar this week - make sure to come help us pack the room. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ____________________________________________________________ Prototyping New Robotic Solutions Rob Ambrose, University Distinguished Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M Abstract: A series of complex problems will be described through the eyes of a team charged with designing and building first generation robotic solutions for space and national security challenges. The evolution of the robot technology will be charted through a series of prototypes, with observations about how the team matured and engaged partners. Challenges in manipulation, wheeled mobility, inspection, telepresence, perception, legged locomotion, autonomy, dexterity, free flyers, wearable systems, and various combinations of mobile-manipulation will be described. Component development will be noted where new inventions enabled the system solution. The talk will finish with new challenges being addressed for the US Army and US Space Force. Abridged Bio:

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Robotics Seminar 4/25: Ryan Quick (Andrews Cooper)
by Fitter, Naomi 22 Apr '25

22 Apr '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! Our speaker for the week is Ryan Quick, an alum of our program, who's joining us from Andrews Cooper, a Pacific Northwest engineering services firm. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ____________________________________________________________ Ryan Quick, Product Design Engineering Consultant at Andrews Cooper Talk Title: Project HORUS: A Case Study of Product Development Abstract: Evaluating novel research questions in academia and delivering a product to market in industry both use "Minimum Viable Products", "Prototypes", or "Proof of Concepts" to answer questions. Their key differences are in what questions we ask and why we care. Project HORUS is a case study of a theoretical consumer product design based on actual research from the OSU Robotics program on a novel mobility aid. We will be diving into what questions we might ask as researchers, and what questions we ask as product designers. I will show how I used my previous research to answer product design questions. Our focus will be on human-centered product design including user comfort, fitment, social acceptability, and product usability. Bio: Ryan Quick is a Product Design Engineering consultant at Andrews Cooper who has worked on product fitment and comfort for AR and Smart Glasses. Ryan is also a graduate of the OSU Robotics program where he studied vibrotactile feedback for use in wearable and handheld devices. His research focus was developing and evaluating a mobility aid for people who are blind to help them find locations of interest beyond the reach of their cane.

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Robotics Seminar 4/18: Cindy Grimm (Intro Course Sequence Presentation)
by Fitter, Naomi 18 Apr '25

18 Apr '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! This week, we will take a moment to discuss the intro sequence, how the previous round of course revisions turned out, and next steps for the classes. In advance of the seminar, if you have taken the intro sequence before, please make sure to complete the survey that Dr. Grimm had distributed recently: https://forms.gle/owWF1Xj2UV7ostm16<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…>. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ____________________________________________________________ Title: Challenges in Creating an Introductory Sequence in Robotics Speaker: Cindy Grimm, Robotics Graduate Program Director Abstract: Robotics combines multiple disciplines, and students coming into a graduate degree in robotics can have vastly different skill sets and expectations. How do you design an introductory sequence that fills in gaps in skill sets? What are the gaps? What should all robotics people “know”? This is partly an analysis of our existing intro sequence (what works, what doesn’t) and partly needs-finding for what should be covered in an intro sequence.

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Robotics Seminar 4/11: Marlena Fraune (Plover: Human-Centered Technology Consulting)
by Fitter, Naomi 10 Apr '25

10 Apr '25

Hi everyone, Looking forward to this week's seminar! Our speaker for the week is Dr. Marlena Fraune, who's joining us from Colorado. They focus on human-centered design, with an impressive track record working as a faculty member, an Amazon visiting academic, a professional UX researcher in industry, and as the CEO of a consulting firm within the last decade. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the spring term, we're in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Friday. See you then! Cheers, Naomi ____________________________________________________________ Title: Towards user acceptance and accessibility in today’s robots Speaker: Marlena Fraune, Plover Abstract: To truly help people, current robotic technology must (1) solve a problem users have and (2) be accepted and used in the long-term. In this talk, I describe two overarching research projects on this topic: one with a grant from Toyota Research Institute to reduce social isolation of older adults, and one while working as a Visiting Academic at Amazon to improve usability of a warehouse robot that autonomously moves through shared space with people. I describe my trajectory in these projects from need-finding research to work on longitudinal and accessibility acceptance. Bio: Dr. Marlena R. Fraune (they/them) works to improve today’s robots for diverse users. As Founder and CEO of Plover: Human-Centered Technology Consulting, they draw on their experience in industry and academia. They leverage their real-world experience researching and improving robots for industry, via Toyota Research Institute, Amazon, and Kaleidoscope Innovations, to determine current robot needs and capabilities, and user needs and preferences for those robots. They leverage their decade of academic research experience – including five years as a professor at New Mexico State University, and visiting research positions in Germany and Japan – to develop and answer overarching research questions to meet users’ real needs with robots, such as: How can we promote long-term acceptance of home robots? How can we enhance these robots for interactions across cultures? How can we transcend current accessibility guidelines to create accessible mobile robots? Outside of work, Dr. Fraune enjoys engaging in as many types of dance as possible – from floor work and rolls, to ballroom and fusion, to aerial arts like trapeze – and then sitting down for tabletop games and creative writing.

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Robotics Seminar 4/4: Fuxin Li (Oregon State)
by Fitter, Naomi 04 Apr '25

04 Apr '25

Roboticists, Welcome to spring term of seminar! This week, we're having a talk from our very own Fuxin Li for the Friday seminar. He is an expert in point cloud deep networks, human understanding of deep learning, video object segmentation, multi-target tracking, and uncertainty estimation in deep learning - many relevant topics for us as roboticists. As a reminder, everyone is expected to come to the seminar. We’ve got a strict no-device policy. We also have, as always, coffee and coffee cake. For the winter term, we're again in Rogers Hall 230. Seminar is at 10am Fridays, with a students-only Q&A session following each seminar time. See you Friday! Cheers, Naomi ________________________________________________ From Sparse to Dense, and Back to Sparse Again? Fuxin Li, Associate Professor in EECS, Oregon State University Abstract: Computer vision architectures used to be built on a sparse sample of points in the 80s and 90s. In the 2000s, dense models started to become popular for visual recognition as heuristically defined sparse models do not cover all the important parts of an image. However, with deep learning and end-to-end training approaches, this does not have to continue and sparse models may still have significant advantages in saving unnecessary computation as well as being more flexible. In this talk, I will talk about the deep point cloud convolutional backbones that we have developed in the past few years, including results on point cloud segmentation tasks, as well as recent applications on interaction modeling among objects, point cloud completion and world models for robot manipulation tasks. Point cloud approaches can also work well as 2D image recognition backbones. I will introduce our work AutoFocusFormer that uses point cloud backbones and decoders to work on 2D image recognition, with a novel adaptive downsampling module that enables the end-to-end learning of adaptive downsampling for dense prediction tasks such as segmentation. This is very helpful for detecting tiny objects faraway in the scene which would have been decimated by conventional grid downsampling approaches. Bio: Fuxin Li is currently an associate professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University. He has held research positions at Apple Inc., University of Bonn and Georgia Institute of Technology. He had obtained a Ph.D. degree in the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009. He has won an NSF CAREER award, an Amazon Research Award, CVPR 2024 Best Student Paper runner-up award, (co-)won the PASCAL VOC semantic segmentation challenges from 2009-2012, and led a team to the 4th place finish in the DAVIS Video Segmentation challenge 2017. He is a program chair of CVPR 2025. He has published more than 90 papers in computer vision, machine learning, as well as applications of machine learning and computer vision. His main research interests are point cloud deep networks, human understanding of deep learning, video object segmentation, multi-target tracking and uncertainty estimation in deep learning.

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Microsoft 365 security: You have messages in quarantine
by quarantine＠messaging.microsoft.com 27 Mar '25

27 Mar '25

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