PhD Speaking Qualifier
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Vision-based Proprioceptive and Tactile Sensing for Soft Robots

Abstract: Soft robotic manipulators present many unique advantages in difficult manipulation tasks. The inherent compliance of soft robots' constituent deformable material makes them safe and reliable in delicate tasks such as harvesting fruit and assisting in household work. To address challenges in proprioceptive and tactile sensing for soft robots, we present a family of vision-based [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
MSR Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

MSR Thesis Talk: Lucas Casanova De Oliveira Nogueira

Newell-Simon Hall 4305

Title: SuperLoop: a LIDAR-based SLAM Back-end for Underground Exploration Abstract: Robots deployed in underground scenarios require a SLAM system that can handle a variety of challenges, such as the absence of GPS, large scale maps, bad illumination, and geometrically degenerate environments. It is nearly impossible for any SLAM solution to handle all these challenges perfectly, specially [...]

PhD Thesis Defense
PhD Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Learning via Visual-Tactile Interaction

NSH 1305

Abstract: Humans learn by interacting with their surroundings using all of their senses. The first of these senses to develop is touch, and it is the first way that young humans explore their environment, learn about objects, and tune their cost functions (via pain or treats). Yet, robots are often denied this highly informative and [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
Engineer II
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

MSR Thesis Talk: Neil Khera

TBD

Title: PyCubed-Mini: A Low-Cost, Open-Source Satellite Research Platform   Abstract: Satellite development has become more accessible with decreasing launch costs and shrinking hardware. However, the expenses associated with pre-built satellite kits remain high, making it difficult for student and hobbyist teams to participate. The lack of standardized satellite hardware and software further adds to the challenge, [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
MSR Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Strategy assessment for solving rich physical problems

NSH 4305

Abstract: We present a framework that acts as an "intuitive physics reasoner" which takes in strategies expressed in natural language (whether from a human or LLM), and assesses their validity based on a physics knowledge library. We believe the ability to quickly determine whether a strategy is worth considering and allocating further resources to planning [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
MSR Student
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

MSR Thesis Talk: Siva Kailas

1305 Newell Simon Hall

Title: Multi-Robot Information Gathering for Spatiotemporal Environment Modelling Abstract: Learning to predict or forecast spatiotemporal (ST) environmental processes from a sparse set of samples collected autonomously is a difficult task from both a sampling perspective (collecting the best sparse samples) and from a learning perspective (predicting unseen locations or forecasting the next timestep). We investigate [...]

MSR Thesis Defense
MSR Alumna
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

MRS Thesis Talk: Ruijie Fu

Newell-Simon Hall 3305

Title: Towards Mechanical Communication in Multi-Agent Locomotive Systems: Principally Kinematic Robots on a Shared Platform Abstract: Many biological multi-agent systems exhibit a mechanism for information exchange among individuals known as mechanical communication, which leads to the emergence of collective behavior within the group. One such example is the swarming behavior of bacteria, where they form rafts [...]

Faculty Events

RI Faculty Business Meeting

Newell-Simon Hall 4305

Meeting for RI Faculty. Discussions include various department topics, policies, and procedures. Generally meets weekly.

Faculty Events
Assistant Professor
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Robot Learning, Wearable Sensing, and Teleoperation in Pursuit of Robotic Caregivers

Abstract Designing safe and reliable robotic assistance for caregiving is a grand challenge in robotics. A sixth of the United States population is over the age of 65 and in 2014 more than a quarter of the population had a disability. Robotic caregivers could positively benefit society; yet, physical robotic assistance presents several challenges and [...]