-
Autonomous Driving
Principal Investigator: Joydeep Biswas
Research Educator: Nathan Tsoi | nathantsoi@utexas.edu
The Autonomous Driving FRI stream provides a broad introduction to autonomous driving, with applications from self-driving cars and last-mile delivery to search-and-rescue robots. Students will address core challenges in perception, planning, and control that are fundamental to autonomy, engaging with both state-of-the-art solutions and open research problems.Through independent, hands-on course projects, students will investigate a wide range of topics, including:
- Accurate and robust motion control for on-road and off-road driving
- Multi-sensor fusion, including image, LiDAR, and IMU data, for perceiving relevant entities and other agents
- Long-term localization and mapping in dynamic environments
- Decision-making strategies in multi-agent scenarios
- Hierarchical planning, from high-level mission objectives to low-level trajectories
These topics will be approached through a combination of mathematical analysis, principled algorithm design, and efficient implementation. Methods will include analytical modeling as well as machine learning paradigms such as supervised learning and reinforcement learning.
Course projects will be completed by groups of two students working on real 1/10th and 1/5th scale autonomous vehicles. To train and evaluate computationally demanding algorithms, students will have access to the high-performance computing resources at the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
-
Autonomous Robots
Principal Investigator: Peter Stone
Research Educator: Justin Hart
The Autonomous Robots stream focuses on creating intelligent service robots that can operate safely and smoothly in human-centered environments such as offices, hallways, and homes, with special emphasis on artificial intelligence and human-robot interaction.
Students investigate questions likewhat capabilities general-purpose service robots need and how to implement them, through projects such as social navigation—teaching robots to use human social cues (body language, gaze) to move gracefully around people rather than just following rigid rules. In the lab, students learn the Robot Operating System (ROS), safe robot operation, mathematical reasoning about spatial transformations, how to evaluate “good robotics research,” and how to generate and communicate original research ideas via proposals, manuscripts, and conference-style presentations.
The stream trains students in teamwork, peer review, and written and oral communication, and outstanding projects can lead to publications at major robotics and AI venues (e.g., IROS, ICRA, AAAI, IJCAI), contributing to the broader Texas Robotics effort to develop general-purpose service robots for real-world human environments.
-
Medical Robotics & Haptics
Principal Investigator: Ann Majewicz Fey
Research Educator: Ross Neuman | ross.neuman@utexas.edu
The Medical Robotics Stream is aimed at those interested in the intersection of medical care and cutting-edge robotics research—from exoskeletons to surgical robots to devices that improve accessibility. Develop your skills to become a part of this fast-growing field and work on research projects in Texas Robotics labs or through clinical and community partners. Students in the stream will learn:
- how to make/manufacture/build your own mechatronic device.
- programming for robot control.
- human-centered design principals.
Research Goals:
- Create richer technology interactions via human touch
- Work on robotic devices aimed at improving human health and performance
- Design haptic interfaces for enhanced human sensing, perception, and control in the real world
- Showcase the effectiveness of your technology with real end-users in fun interactive demo event
- Dig deeper through formalized testing and evaluation potentially leading to high-impact publications in international haptics/robotics conference
-
Space & Robotics
Principal Investigator: Luis Sentis
Research Educator: TBD
The Space & Robotics Stream seeks to introduce students to the exciting challenges relevant to space exploration. Beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere, extreme conditions such as intense radiation, freezing cold, searing heat, vacuum, and microgravity make survival difficult for people and machines alike. Communication delays, the absence of air or water, and the impossibility of immediate rescue further raise the stakes. Because of these hazards, robots are often sent where humans cannot safely go.In this stream, students will:- learn how robots are designed, built, and controlled to survive and operate in such an unforgiving environment
- learn the basics of robot mechanics, sensing, autonomy, and system design
- gain an appreciation for the unique challenges of space exploration