PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Optimal Modular Robot Design for Mobile Manipulation in Agriculture

NSH 3305

Abstract: Although agriculture is a highly mechanized industry, numerous sectors like horticulture and floriculture heavily depend on manual labor because they require safe handling of plants and produce that can only be left to humans. However, many research and commercial robots have succeeded in several challenging dexterous manipulation tasks like harvesting, pruning, and plant health [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Aligning Robot Task and Interaction Policies to Human Values

Abstract: The value alignment problem considers how robots can learn to behave in accordance with human values. Today, robot learning paradigms enable humans to provide data (e.g., preference labels or demonstrations), which the robot uses to update its behavior (e.g., reward model or policy) to be closer to the human’s values. However, the current paradigm [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Accelerating Robot Task Learning with Large Pretrained Models and Internet Data

NSH 3305

Abstract: Large pre-trained models and internet data sources are key to general and efficient robot task learning. However, learning contact-rich behaviors, semantic task constraints, and robust task planning from internet data sources remains an open challenge. This proposal seeks to make progress towards a general robot task learning system leveraging pre-trained models and internet data. [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Unlocking Generalization for Robotics via Modularity and Scale

GHC 4405

Abstract: How can we build generalist robot systems? Looking at fields such as vision and language, the common theme has been large scale end-to-end learning with massive, curated datasets. In robotics, on the other hand, scale alone may not be enough due to the significant multimodality of robotics tasks, lack of easily accessible data and [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Dynamic Route Guidance in Vehicle Networks by Simulating Future Traffic Patterns

NSH 1305

Abstract: Roadway congestion leads to wasted time and money and environmental damage. One possible solution is adding more roadway capacity, but this can be impractical especially in urban environments and still may not make up for a poorly-calibrated traffic signal schedule. As such, it is becoming increasingly important to use existing road networks more efficiently. [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Multimodal Representations for Adaptable Robot Policies in Human-Inhabited Spaces

NSH 4305

Abstract:  Human beings sense and express themselves through multiple modalities. To capture multimodal ways of human communication, I want to build adaptable robot policies that infer task pragmatics from video and language prompts, reason about sounds and other sensors, take actions, and learn mannerisms of interacting with people and objects. Existing solutions for robot policies [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Sensorized Soft Material Systems with Integrated Electronics and Computing

NSH 1305

Abstract: The integration of soft and multifunctional materials in emerging technologies is becoming more widespread due to their ability to enhance or improve functionality in ways not possible using typical rigid alternatives. This trend is evident in various fields. For example, wearable technologies are increasingly designed using soft materials to improve modulus compatibility with biological [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Towards Underwater 3D Visual Perception

Abstract: With modern robotic technologies, seafloor imageries have become more accessible to both researchers and the public. This thesis leverages deep learning and 3D vision techniques to deliver valuable information from seafloor image observations. Despite the widespread use of deep learning and 3D vision algorithms across various fields, underwater imaging presents unique challenges, such as [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Teaching Robots to Drive: Scalable Policy Improvement via Human Feedback

NSH 3305

Abstract: A long-standing problem in autonomous driving is grappling with the long-tail of rare scenarios for which little or no data is available. Although learning-based methods scale with data, it is unclear that simply ramping up data collection will eventually make this problem go away. Approaches which rely on simulation or world modeling offer some [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Understanding and acting in the 4D world

NSH 4305

Abstract: As humans, we are constantly interacting with and observing a three-dimensional dynamic world; where objects around us change state as they move or are moved, and we, ourselves, move for navigation and exploration. Such an interaction between a dynamic environment and a dynamic ego-agent is complex to model as an ego-agent's perception of the [...]