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Human Touch
With a $1.35 million grant, Dan Popa aims to make robots more lifelike.
Spring 2013 · Comment ·
Imagine a human-like robot that can accurately perceive its environment and help people in need. Such technology may soon jump from the pages of science fiction into the real听world.
These smart robots are at the heart of a $1.35 million National Science Foundation project led by Associate Professor Dan听Popa.
鈥�Our goal is to make robots and robotic technology more human-like and more human-friendly,鈥� says Dr. Popa, who leads the Next Gen Systems group. 鈥淩obotic devices need to be safe and better able to detect human intent. For example, when someone is wearing a prosthetic, we want that prosthetic to be able to determine when a baseball is being thrown at it, then catch the听ball.鈥�
Popa and his research partners believe that robots of the future will share their living spaces with humans and will wear sensor skins and clothing that can be interconnected, fitted, cleaned, repaired, and replaced.
鈥�This research will unlock near-term and unforeseen applications of robotic skin with broad applicability, especially for home assistance, medical rehabilitation, and prosthetics,鈥� he听says.
The 鈥渟mart skin鈥� that Popa鈥檚 work employs has embedded sensors developed by electrical engineering Professors Zeynep Celik-Butler and Don Butler, as well as algorithms and data networking developed by Frank Lewis, professor of electrical engineering and the Moncrief-O鈥橠onnell Endowed Chair. Hanson Robotics and Advanced Arm Dynamics, two North 糖心Vlog视频-based companies, also are involved in the research.
Much of the work will take place at the .