Toward Resilient Robot Autonomy through Learning, Interaction and Semantic Reasoning
Speaker
Sonia Chernova
Georgia Tech
Abstract:
Robotics is undergoing an exciting transition from factory automation to the deployment of autonomous systems in less structured environments, such as warehouses, hospitals and homes. One of the critical barriers to the wider adoption of autonomous robotic systems in the wild is the challenge of achieving reliable autonomy in complex and changing human environments. In this talk, I will discuss ways in which innovations in learning from demonstration and remote access technologies can be used to develop and deploy autonomous robotic systems alongside and in collaboration with human partners. I will present applications of this research paradigm to robot learning, object manipulation and semantic reasoning, as well as explore some exciting avenues for future research in this area.
Bio:
Sonia Chernova is the Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early-Career Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, where she directs the Robot Autonomy and Interactive Learning research lab. She received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, and held positions as a Postdoctoral Associate at the MIT Media Lab and as Assistant Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute prior to joining Georgia Tech in August 2015. Prof. Chernova’s research focuses on developing robots that are able to effectively operate in human environments. Her work spans robotics and artificial intelligence, including semantic reasoning, adjustable autonomy, human computation and cloud robotics. She is the recipient of the NSF CAREER, ONR Young Investigator and NASA Early Career Faculty awards.
Robotics is undergoing an exciting transition from factory automation to the deployment of autonomous systems in less structured environments, such as warehouses, hospitals and homes. One of the critical barriers to the wider adoption of autonomous robotic systems in the wild is the challenge of achieving reliable autonomy in complex and changing human environments. In this talk, I will discuss ways in which innovations in learning from demonstration and remote access technologies can be used to develop and deploy autonomous robotic systems alongside and in collaboration with human partners. I will present applications of this research paradigm to robot learning, object manipulation and semantic reasoning, as well as explore some exciting avenues for future research in this area.
Bio:
Sonia Chernova is the Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early-Career Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, where she directs the Robot Autonomy and Interactive Learning research lab. She received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, and held positions as a Postdoctoral Associate at the MIT Media Lab and as Assistant Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute prior to joining Georgia Tech in August 2015. Prof. Chernova’s research focuses on developing robots that are able to effectively operate in human environments. Her work spans robotics and artificial intelligence, including semantic reasoning, adjustable autonomy, human computation and cloud robotics. She is the recipient of the NSF CAREER, ONR Young Investigator and NASA Early Career Faculty awards.