Robust Rearrangement Planning using Nonprehensile Interaction
Event Location: GHC 6501Abstract: As we work to move robots out of factories and into human environments, we must empower robots to interact freely in unstructured, cluttered spaces. Humans do this easily, using diverse, whole-arm, nonprehensile actions such as pushing or pulling in everyday tasks. These interaction strategies make difficult tasks easier and impossible tasks [...]
Learning Policies for Shared Autonomy
Event Location: NSH 3305Abstract: In shared autonomy, user input and robot autonomy are combined to control a robot to achieve a goal. Most prior work accomplishes this by augmenting user input with some autonomous strategy for that goal. We take a different viewpoint, treating the user as a policy minimizing some cost function. Our aim [...]
Analysis of Angle of Attack for Efficient Slope Ascent by Rovers
Event Location: GHC 2109Bio: Hiroaki Inotsume is a Masters student in the Robotics Institute advised by David Wettergreen. His research focuses on vehicle-terrain interaction analysis for design, planning, and control of planetary rovers. He holds a B.E. and a M.E. degrees in Aerospace Engineering.Abstract: What direction should a rover drive to efficiently ascend slope of [...]
Direct Multiple View Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping
Event Location: NSH 1305Abstract: We propose a direct, featureless, Lucas-Kanade-based method as a reliable Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (VSLAM) solution in challenging environments, where feature detection and precise subpixel localization may be unreliable. Current state-of-the-art direct methods have been shown to perform well on a range of challenging datasets. Nonetheless, they have been limited [...]
Pose Machines: Estimating Articulated Pose from Images and Video
Event Location: NSH 1305Abstract: The articulated motion of humans is varied and complex. We use the range of motion of our articulated structure for functional tasks such as transport, manipulation, communication, and self-expression. We use our limbs to gesture and signal intent. It is therefore crucial for an autonomous system operating and interacting in human [...]
Neya Systems: How to Bootstrap a Robotics Company in 5 (not-so) Easy Years
Event Location: GHC 6115Bio: Dr. Parag Batavia is the founder of Neya Systems, LLC, in Wexford PA. He is a 1999 graduate of the CMU Robotics Institute Ph.D. program, and a 2009 graduate of Drexel’s MBA program. At Neya, he is responsible for all areas of company growth, and has taken the company from 1 [...]
Removing Common Assumptions from Large Scale Structure-from-Motion
Event Location: NSH 1507Bio: Chris Sweeney is currently a PhD candidate in the 4 Eyes Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests include multi-view geometry, structure from motion, and augmented reality. His main research interest is in using unorganized photo collections from the internet to create a complete and up-to-date 3D [...]
Mathematica and WolframAlpha in Education and Research
Event Location: GHC 2109Abstract: During this free seminar, we will explore using Mathematica and WolframAlpha for a wide variety of practical and theoretical applications across a variety of disciplines. Attendees will not only see new features in Mathematica 10 and WolframAlpha, but will also receive examples of this functionality to begin using immediately. No experience [...]
Stochastic Models in Robotics
Event Location: NSH 1305Bio: Gregory S. Chirikjian received undergraduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University in 1988, and the Ph.D. degree from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, in 1992. Since 1992, he has been on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, where he has been a full professor since 2001. [...]