Events Calendar

Center of Autonomy and AI, Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things, and Ming Hsieh Institute Seminar Series

Speaker: Yan Gu, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell

Talk Title: Dynamic Modeling, Hybrid Filtering, and Robust Control of Legged Robot Locomotion on Dynamic Rigid Surfaces

Series: Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things

Abstract: Legged robots have the potential to assist humans with a wide range of real-world tasks in dynamic, unstructured environments, such as search and rescue on disaster sites, monitoring of natural resources, home assistance, and delivery and courier services. They can navigate natural and built environments prohibitively challenging for wheeled or tracked robots and adapt to human environments without significant modifications of existing facilities (e.g., ladders, stairs, and narrow passageways). While legged locomotion on stationary (even or uneven) surfaces has been extensively studied, legged locomotion on a dynamic rigid surface (DRS), which is a rigid surface that moves in the inertial frame, remains a new robot functionality that has not been tackled. This new functionality will empower legged robots to perform high-risk tasks such as shipboard firefighting and fire suppression as well as disinfection on moving public transportation vehicles to help contain the spread of infectious diseases. Yet, enabling reliable DRS locomotion presents substantial challenges due to the high complexity of the hybrid, time-varying robot dynamics. In this talk, Dr. Yan Gu will present the latest research progress from her group in tackling the challenges associated with the modeling, state estimation, and control of DRS locomotion.

Biography: Dr. Yan Gu received her B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Zhejiang University (China) in June 2011 and her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in August 2017. She joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) as an Assistant Professor in September 2017. Her research focuses on nonlinear control and hybrid systems with application to legged robots. Her long-term research goal is to realize provably safe and autonomous legged locomotion in dynamic, complex environments. She has received the NSF CAREER Award, the Frederick N. Andrews Fellowship at Purdue University, and the Chu Kochen Scholarship at Zhejiang University. Her research on legged locomotion has been funded by NSF, ONR, ARL, and Verizon's 5G Lab and reported by various media such as Boston Globe, CNET, Robotics Business Review, and NPR.

Host: Pierluigi Nuzzo and Feifei Qian

Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p5OEJlPxQlakO4hqovuGEQ

Location: Online

WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p5OEJlPxQlakO4hqovuGEQ

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Talyia White