The Robotics Institute

I am interested in the field of mobile manipulation, where mobile robotics and manipulation are wedded. In particular, I see robotic locomotion as the robot manipulating itself in the world or the robot manipulating the world to move around. My research work recently is focused on modeling unconventional locomotion strategies for robots to escape from stuck configurations.

For example, we have demonstrated a new locomotion strategy termed legless locomotion, where a round-bodied high-centered robot locomotes just by wiggling its legs, which don't touch the ground! The fundamental idea is to swing the legs back and forth and excite body oscillations. These motions when coupled with the changing body inertia and the contact constraints result in translation (see our ICRA 2004 paper for more details). The latest problem I am working on is how a car can utilize an active suspension to escape from a slippery ditch.

Previously, I designed, built, and maintained a team of robots for the challenging robotic soccer domain. It was exciting finding the best components, fitting them into tight space requirements, and be the fastest team in the field! I also designed some algorithms for smart interaction between the robots.