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Events for April 14, 2015
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CS Colloquium: Anca Dragan (Carnegie Mellon) - Interaction as Manipulation
Tue, Apr 14, 2015 @ 09:45 AM - 10:50 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Anca Dragan, Carnegie Mellon
Talk Title: Interaction as Manipulation
Series: CS Colloquium
Abstract: The goal of my research is to enable robots to work with, around, and in support of people, autonomously producing behavior that reasons about both their function -and- their interaction with humans. I aim to develop a formal understanding of interaction that leads to algorithms which are informed by mathematical models of how humans interact with robots, enabling generalization across robot morphologies and interaction modalities.
In this talk, I will focus on one specific instance of this agenda: autonomously generating motion for coordination during human-robot collaborative manipulation. Most motion in robotics is solely functional: industrial robots move to package parts, vacuuming robots move to suck dust, and personal robots move to clean up a dirty table. This type of motion is ideal when the robot is performing a task in isolation. Collaboration, however, does not happen in isolation, and demands that we move beyond solely functional motion. In collaboration, the robot's motion has an observer, watching and interpreting the motion - inferring the robot's intent from the motion, and anticipating the robot's motion based on its intent. My work develops a mathematical model of these inferences, and integrates this model into motion planning, so that the robot can generate motion that matches people's expectations and clearly conveys its intent. In doing so, I draw on action interpretation theory, Bayesian inference, constrained trajectory optimization, and interactive learning. The resulting motion not only leads to more efficient collaboration, but also increases the fluency of the interaction as defined through both objective and subjective measures. The underlying formalism has been applied across robot morphologies, from manipulator arms to mobile robots, and across interaction modalities, such as motion, gestures, language, and shared autonomy with assistive arms.
The lecture will be available to stream HERE.
Biography: Anca Dragan is a PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, and a member of the Personal Robotics Lab. She was born in Romania and received her B.Sc. in Computer Science from Jacobs University in Germany in 2009. Her research lies at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and human-robot interaction: she works on algorithms that enable robots to seamlessly work with, around, and in support of people. Anca's research and her outreach activities with children have been recognized by the Intel Fellowship and by scholarships from Siebel, the Dan David Prize, and Google Anita Borg. Anca served as General Chair in the Quality of Life Technology Center's student council, as associate editor for ARSO'14, and as program chair for three workshops on collaborative manipulation at RSS, ICML, and HRI.
Host: CS Department
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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Epstein Institute / ISE 651 Seminar Series
Tue, Apr 14, 2015 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Shmuel S. Oren, Earl J. Isaac Chair Professor in the Science and Analysis of Decision Making, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department, University of California at Berkeley
Talk Title: Smart Markets for a Smart Electricity Grid
Series: Epstein Institute Seminar Series
Abstract: Socio economic forces, development in generation technologies and environmental considerations have led to restructuring of the electric power systems in part of the USA and in many systems worldwide, transforming them from vertically integrated regulated monopolies to competitive market based systems. From a supply chain perspective competitive electricity markets represent, perhaps, the most challenging supply chain. The commodity is non-storable; demand is uncertain and highly correlated with weather, all the demand must be satisfied instantaneously with a high level of reliability (one day in ten years criteria for involuntary load curtailment). In addition service is provided over a network that is prone to congestion, flows over transmission lines cannot be directly controlled as in a transportation system (flows follow Kirchhoffâs laws) and the market is encumbered by numerous externalities and market power. In spite of such obstacles there has been fascinating developments in the design and operations of competitive electricity markets over the last fifteen years through the use of state of the art optimization tools and economic principles. This talk will describe some of the key challenges in designing and operating competitive electricity markets. I will review the basic elements and alternative approaches adopted in different systems and discuss what we have learned so far in this area. I will also discuss new challenges and opportunities due to massive integration of renewable resources, proliferation of smart grid technologies and electrification of the transportation sector.
Biography: Shmuel S. Oren is the Earl J. Isaac Chair Professor in the Science and Analysis of Decision Making in the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the Berkeley site director of PSERC - a multi-university Power System Engineering Research Center sponsored by the National Science Foundation and industry members. He is Also member of the California ISO Market Surveillance Committee. His academic research focuses on planning and scheduling of power systems and on electricity market design and regulation. He has been a consultant to various private and government organizations in the US and abroad including the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), EPRI, the Bonneville Power Authority and the California ISO. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University and is a Fellow of the IEEE and of the Institute of Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS)
Host: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
More Information: Seminar-Oren.docx
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 206
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office Information Session
Tue, Apr 14, 2015 @ 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) is opening a satellite office in the Silicon Valley. We will be hiring Patent Examiners in the fields of Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. This presentation is for those interested in learning about what it means to be a patent examiner and answer questions you may have about the USPTO.
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Berlin Graduate Information Session
Tue, Apr 14, 2015 @ 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission
Workshops & Infosessions
Students who have earned or are in the process of earning a Bachelor's degree in engineering, math, or a hard science (such as physics, biology, or chemistry) are welcome to attend to learn more about applying to our graduate programs.
The session will include information on the following topics:
Master's & Ph.D. programs in engineering
How to Apply
Scholarships and funding
Student life at USC and in Los Angeles
There will also be sufficient time for questions. Refreshments will be provided.
Please contact us at viterbi.gradprograms@usc.edu if you have any inquiries about the event.
In order to guarantee seating availability, we request completion of the online registration form using the Eventbrite links on the event pageAudiences: Students with an undergraduate background in engineering, math or science
Contact: William Schwerin
