Mobile Manipulators for Intelligent Physical Assistance
Abstract:
Since founding the Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech 10 years ago, my research has focused on developing mobile manipulators for intelligent physical assistance. Mobile manipulators are mobile robots with the ability to physically manipulate their surroundings. They offer a number of distinct capabilities compared to other forms of robotic assistance, including being able to operate independently from the user, being appropriate for users with diverse needs, and being able to assist with a wide variety of tasks, such as object retrieval, hygiene, and feeding. My lab has worked with hundreds of representative end users - including older adults, nurses, and people with severe motor impairments - to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with this technology. In my talk, I will provide evidence for the following assertions: 1) many people will be open to assistance from mobile manipulators; 2) assistive mobile manipulation at home is feasible for people with profound motor impairments using off-the-shelf computer access devices; and 3) permitting contact and intelligently controlling forces increases the effectiveness of mobile manipulators. I will conclude with a brief overview of some of our most recent research.
Bio:
Charles C. Kemp (Charlie) is an Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with adjunct appointments in the School of Interactive Computing and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He earned a doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (2005), an MEng, and BS from MIT. In 2007, he joined the faculty at Georgia Tech where he directs the Healthcare Robotics Lab ( http://healthcare-robotics.com ). He is an active member of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Robotics & Intelligent Machines (IRIM) and its multidisciplinary Robotics Ph.D. program. He has received a 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, the Georgia Tech Research Corporation Robotics Award, a Google Faculty Research Award, and an NSF CAREER award. He was a Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellow in 2017. His research has been covered extensively by the popular media, including the New York Times, Technology Review, ABC, and CNN.
Since founding the Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech 10 years ago, my research has focused on developing mobile manipulators for intelligent physical assistance. Mobile manipulators are mobile robots with the ability to physically manipulate their surroundings. They offer a number of distinct capabilities compared to other forms of robotic assistance, including being able to operate independently from the user, being appropriate for users with diverse needs, and being able to assist with a wide variety of tasks, such as object retrieval, hygiene, and feeding. My lab has worked with hundreds of representative end users - including older adults, nurses, and people with severe motor impairments - to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with this technology. In my talk, I will provide evidence for the following assertions: 1) many people will be open to assistance from mobile manipulators; 2) assistive mobile manipulation at home is feasible for people with profound motor impairments using off-the-shelf computer access devices; and 3) permitting contact and intelligently controlling forces increases the effectiveness of mobile manipulators. I will conclude with a brief overview of some of our most recent research.
Bio:
Charles C. Kemp (Charlie) is an Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with adjunct appointments in the School of Interactive Computing and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He earned a doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (2005), an MEng, and BS from MIT. In 2007, he joined the faculty at Georgia Tech where he directs the Healthcare Robotics Lab ( http://healthcare-robotics.com ). He is an active member of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Robotics & Intelligent Machines (IRIM) and its multidisciplinary Robotics Ph.D. program. He has received a 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, the Georgia Tech Research Corporation Robotics Award, a Google Faculty Research Award, and an NSF CAREER award. He was a Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellow in 2017. His research has been covered extensively by the popular media, including the New York Times, Technology Review, ABC, and CNN.