MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

MSR Thesis talk – Vasu Agrawal

NSH 4305

Title: Ground Up Design of a Multi-modal Object Localization System   Abstract:   Rapid situational awareness is the key to enabling a successful response from first responders during an emergency, where time is of the essence. Emergency personnel are often sent into incident scenes to gather information, but this is often a dangerous and slow process.  Subterranean environments [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

MSR Thesis Talk – Swaminathan Gurumurthy

GHC 4405

Title: Improving generalization in data-driven models with task-specific knowledge Abstract: With the rise of the over-parameterized deep learning models and massive datasets, many have started advocating towards minimizing the amount of prior knowledge added to a learning model. Ironically, the traditional machine learning community advocated for exactly the opposite. Whereas the latter assumes knowledge of [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Aditya Dhawale – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Title: Hierarchical Gaussian Distributions for Real-Time SLAM ZOOM Link: (Virtual Presentation) https://cmu.zoom.us/j/7210519673 Abstract: We present Gaussian distributions as structure primitives in a hierarchical multi-fidelity framework to enable accurate real-time Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using uncertain depth data. Real-time mapping and localization capabilities on a mobile robot can enable deployment of robots in real-world scenarios. An autonomous system must [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Qian Long – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

ZOOM Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/7263914910   Title: Evolutionary Population Curriculum for Scaling Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Abstract: In multi-agent games, the complexity of the environment can grow exponentially as the number of agents increases, so it is particularly challenging to learn good policies when the agent population is large. We introduce Evolutionary Population Curriculum (EPC), a curriculum learning [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Wen-Hsuan Chu – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

ZOOM Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/4417558334 Title: Neural Batch Sampling with Reinforcement Learning for Semi-Supervised Anomaly Detection Abstract: We are interested in the detection and segmentation of anomalies in images where the anomalies are typically small (i.e., a small tear in woven fabric, bro-ken pin of an IC chip). From a statistical learning point of view, anomalies have [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Chendi Lin – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/95571441174   Title: Online Connectivity-aware Dynamic Distribution for Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Systems   Abstract: In many multi-robot applications the robot team needs to execute multiple tasks simultaneously with different task-related controllers. To ensure effective coordination and at the same time avoid collisions, the robots have to stay connected. In this work, we consider the problem where a [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Robert Li – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/91465601940   Title: Solving Puzzles Like A Human With Two Stage Random Search   Abstract: Humans are remarkably good at solving novel physical puzzles and tasks, with only a basic understanding of abstract concepts like kinematics, gravity, mass, friction, and inertia. We wanted to replicate how a human would explore the search space of a problem. [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Samantha Speer – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/98546775449   Title: Grounding Abstract Concepts With Robotic Manipulatives   Abstract: Technology in education has been on the rise for a long time, developing from computer manipulatives to mobile apps and finally into robotics. Robotics has the unique affordances of the classic physical manipulatives and virtual manipulative, providing both a physical aspect along with [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Vaibhav (Vai) Viswanathan – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/2112607862   Title: Bitwise Trajectory Elimination: An Efficient Method for Filtering Trajectory Libraries for Quadrotor Navigation   Abstract: Quadrotor flight in unknown environments is challenging due to the limited range of perception sensors, state estimation drift, and limited onboard computation. In this work, we tackle these challenges by proposing an efficient, reactive planning approach. We introduce [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Xi (Sandy) Sun – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Zoom link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/94541819048   Title: Visual-Inertial Source Localization for Co-Robot Rendezvous   Abstract: We aim to enable robots to visually localize a target person through the aid of an additional sensing modality -- the target person's 3D inertial measurements. The need for such technology may arise when a robot is to meet a person in [...]