VASC Seminar
Arun Ross
Professor
Michigan State University

Biometrics in a Deep Learning World

Newell-Simon Hall 3305

Abstract: Biometrics is the science of recognizing individuals based on their physical and behavioral attributes such as fingerprints, face, iris, voice and gait. The past decade has witnessed tremendous progress in this field, including the deployment of biometric solutions in diverse applications such as border security, national ID cards, amusement parks, access control, and smartphones. [...]

PhD Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Towards Robotic Tree Manipulation: Leveraging Graph Representations

GHC 4405

Abstract: There is growing interest in automating agricultural tasks that require intricate and precise interaction with specialty crops, such as trees and vines. However, developing robotic solutions for crop manipulation remains a difficult challenge due to complexities involved in modeling their deformable behavior. In this study, we present a framework for learning the deformation behavior [...]

PhD Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Tracking Any”Thing” in Videos

NSH 3001

Abstract: Being able to track anything is one of the fundamental steps to parse and understand a video. In this talk, I will present two pieces of work that tackle this problem at different spatial granularities. In the first half of the talk, I will discuss tracking any video pixel or particle through time in [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Exploring Diverse Interaction Types for Human in the Loop Robot Learning

NSH 4305

Abstract: Teaching sessions between humans and robots will need to be maximally informative for optimal robot learning and to ease the human’s teaching burden. However, the bulk of prior work considers one or two modalities through which a human can convey information to a robot—namely, kinesthetic demonstrations and preference queries. Moreover, people will teach robots [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Learning Generalizable Robot Skills for Dynamic and Interactive Tasks

GHC 4405

Abstract: Enabling robots to perform complex dynamic tasks such as picking up an object in one sweeping motion or pushing off a wall to quickly turn a corner is a challenging problem. The dynamic interactions implicit in these tasks are critical for successful task execution. Furthermore, given the interactive nature of such tasks, safety, in [...]

PhD Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Customizing Large-scale Text-to-Image Models

NSH 4305

Abstract: Advancements in large-scale generative models represent a watershed moment. These models can generate a wide variety of objects and scenes with different styles and compositions. However, these models are trained on a fixed snapshot of available data and often contain copyrighted or private images. This assumption makes them lacking in two aspects – (a) [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Building Robot Hands and Teaching Dexterity

NSH 4305

Abstract: Our shared dream is to have robot humanoids with hands complete similar tasks that humans do. While there are a few robot hands available today, the popular opinion is that they are difficult to use, expensive, and hard to obtain which precludes their ubiquitous usage. We argue that this is not an inherent problem [...]

VASC Seminar
Andrea Tagliasacchi
Associate Professor
Simon Fraser University

Neural World Models

Newell-Simon Hall 4305

Abstract: Computer vision researchers have pushed the limits of performance in perception tasks involving natural images to near saturation. With self-supervised inference driven by recent advancements in generative modeling, it can be debated that the era of large image models is coming to a close, ushering in an era focused on video. However, it's worth [...]

PhD Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

How to Design Robotic Hands That Wield Tools

NSH 1305

Abstract: Tool manipulation is an essential human skill. It extends our manipulation capability beyond the capability of the biological hand, and is a defining feature of many important jobs centered on physical interaction with the real world. Yet, wielding a tool is drastically different from generally grasping an object. The prime examples are pens and [...]

RI Seminar
Chien-Ming Huang
John C. Malone Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University

Becoming Teammates: Designing Assistive, Collaborative Machines

1305 Newell Simon Hall

Abstract:  The growing power in computing and AI promises a near-term future of human-machine teamwork. In this talk, I will present my research group’s efforts in understanding the complex dynamics of human-machine interaction and designing intelligent machines aimed to assist and collaborate with people. I will focus on 1) tools for onboarding machine teammates and [...]