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 [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Harsh Agarwal – MSR Thesis Talk

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/99544484313   Title   DeepBLE - Generalizing RSSI based Localization Across Different Devices   Abstract   Accurate smartphone localization ( < 1-meter error) for indoor navigation using only RSSI received from a set of BLE beacons remains a challenging problem, due to the inherent noise of RSSI measurements. To overcome the large variance in [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Xia Chen – MSR Thesis Talks

ZOOM Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/93785335144   Title: Combining Semantic and Geometric Understanding for Modern Visual Recognition Tasks Abstract: For autonomous driving perception, visual data, such as camera image and LiDAR point cloud, consists of two aspects: semantic feature and geometric structure. While usually studied separately, these two properties can be combined and jointly used by a unified framework. [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Himanshi Yadav – MSR Thesis Talk

TBA

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/96397153508 Title: A Comprehensive Study of Unsupervised Classification Techniques for Hyperspectral Datasets Abstract: Unsupervised learning and in this specific research, clustering regional composition in hyperspectral images, poses significant challenges in the fields of machine learning and remote sensing. Hyperspectral images capture the spectral information in many wavelengths, as opposed to typical images that [...]

MSR Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Alan Zhao – MSR Thesis Talk

Zoom Link: https://cmu.zoom.us/j/98144379626   Title   Learning Precise and Task-oriented Grasps for Robotic Assembly   Abstract   Robust, precise, and task-oriented grasp planning is vital for autonomous robotic assembly. It requires reasoning about the object geometry and preconditions of a task so as to properly grasp an object and complete the down-stream tasks. However, achieving such [...]

PhD Speaking Qualifier
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Task-Driven Modular Networks for Zero-Shot Compositional Learning

Zoom Link Abstract: One of the hallmarks of human intelligence is the ability to compose learned knowledge into novel concepts which can be recognized without a single training example. In contrast, current state-of-the-art methods require hundreds of training examples for each possible category to build reliable and accurate classifiers. To alleviate this striking difference in [...]

VASC Seminar
Qi Guo
PhD Student
Harvard University

Bio-inspired depth sensing using computational optics

Virtual Seminar:  https://cmu.zoom.us/j/249106600   Abstract:  Jumping spiders rely on accurate depth perception for predation and navigation. They accomplish depth perception, despite their tiny brains, by using specialized optics. Each principal eye includes a multitiered retina that simultaneously receives multiple images with different amounts of defocus, and distance is decoded from these images with seemingly little [...]

PhD Thesis Proposal
Robotics Institute,
Carnegie Mellon University

Active Vision: Autonomous Aerial Cinematography with Learned Artistic Decision-Making

Zoom Link Abstract: Aerial cinematography is revolutionizing industries that require live and dynamic camera viewpoints such as entertainment, sports, and security. Fundamentally, it is a tool with immense potential to improve human creativity, expressiveness, and sharing of experiences. However, safely piloting a drone while filming a moving target in the presence of obstacles is immensely [...]