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Hans Moravec
Adjunct Faculty (Adjunct)

Associated center: FRC

Email address: hpm@andrew.cmu.edu

Mailing address:
Carnegie Mellon University
Robotics Institute
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

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Since 1981 the Mobile Robot Laboratory of The Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University has conducted basic research on autonomous robots. We have built three mobile robots, and worked on two others; as a result of this work we have developed and improved new concepts in vision, sonar guided navigation, and robot control. These programs used a variety of approaches, some more successful than others. In the last three years we have concentrated on the most successful, a probabilistic representation of spatial knowledge we call Evidence Grids. Evidence Grids are a powerful and efficient unifying solution for interpretation of vision, sonar, laser and touch and other sensor data, for transforming sensorial information from multiple noisy sources into clear images of the robot's surroundings. We think of them as providing a sense of spatial awareness for our robots.

This section last updated - January 1999.

actuators, field robotics, legged locomotion, mobile robots, and space robotics

• Mobile Robot Lab - Engaging in long-term basic research in perception, control and planning for robots that navigate through complex indoor and outdoor spaces.

• 3D Grid Maps for Mobile Robot Perception - We are developing a 3D grid approach to robot mapping that loves clutter.
• Neptune Mobile Robot - three wheeled robot trike
• Pluto - Flexible platform for computer vision
• Robust Navigation by Probabilistic Volumetric Sensing - We are developing sensor-based software for utility mobile robots used in industrial transport, floor maintenance, security, etc.
• Uranus - mobile robot used for developing 3D mapping and sensing

• When will computer hardware match the human brain?
  H. Moravec
  Journal of Transhumanism, Vol. 1, March, 1998.

• The Senses have No Future
  H. Moravec
  Proceedings of Der Sinn der Sinne International Congress, February, 1997.

• Fractal branching ultra-dexterous robots (Bush robots)
  H. Moravec, J. Easudes, and F. Dellaert
  NASA Advanced Concepts Research Project, December, 1996.

• Robot Spatial Perception by Stereoscopic Vision and 3D Evidence Grids
  H. Moravec
  tech. report CMU-RI-TR-96-34, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, September, 1996. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [3461 KB], ps.gz [6819 KB] copyrighted

• Geisteskinder: Universelle Roboter: In vierzig Jahren haben sie uns uberholt
  H. Moravec
  C'T magazin fur computer technik, Vol. 1996, No. 6, June, 1996, pp. 98:104.

• Simulation, Consciousness, Existence
  H. Moravec
  Telepolis, June, 1996.

• Robot Evidence Grids
  M.C. Martin and H. Moravec
  tech. report CMU-RI-TR-96-06, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, March, 1996. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [778 KB], ps.gz [1039 KB] copyrighted

• Korper, Roboter, Geist
  H. Moravec
  Kunstforum, Vol. 133, February, 1996, pp. 98:112.

• Book Review: Roger Penrose's Gravitonic Brains
  H. Moravec
  PSYCHE, Vol. 2, No. 1, May, 1995.

• Book Review: Brainmakers by David H. Freedman
  H. Moravec
  IEEE Spectrum, February, 1995.