PhD Thesis Defense

Abstract: Robotic automation is generally welcomed for tasks that are dirty, dull, or dangerous, but with expanding robotic capabilities, robots are entering domains that are safe and enjoyable, such as creative industries. Although there is a widespread rejection of automation in creative fields, many people, from amateurs to professionals, would welcome supportive or collaborative creative [...]

Abstract: In mass casualty events and resource-constrained scenarios, limited responder capacity leads to preventable deaths. Time is of the essence particularly in severe trauma: the sooner individuals receive care, the higher their chances of survival. Yet a single responder can only manage a few patients simultaneously, leaving others unattended. This thesis addresses this capacity constraint [...]

Abstract: This thesis explores how explicit 3D geometric representations, trained at scale on synthetic data, can serve as priors to enhance robotic manipulation. Even with recent progress in geometric understanding, generalization to unseen objects and environments remains constrained by the scale and diversity of existing 3D training data. Although more large-scale 3D datasets have been [...]