Synopsis
Supports fundamental research in robotics, i.e., machines with sensing, intelligence and mobility. The emphasis is on (1) systems operating in unstructured environments with a high level of uncertainty, (2) interaction and cooperation of humans and robots, and (3) advanced sensory systems, particularly computer vision. Research topics include: theoretical, algorithmic, experimental, and hardware issues in robotics, including those on macro-, micro-, and nano-scale; robotics for unstructured environments including issues of robustness, fault tolerance and reconigurability; personal robots, with an emphasis on human-centered end use; novel and advanced approaches to sensing, perception, and actuation including embedded and highly distributed systems; understanding and processing of visual data; representation, reasoning, and planning for complex physical tasks involving temporal and spatial relationships; robots to extend human capabilities into unknown and hazardous environments; communication and task sharing between humans and machines, and among machines; intelligent cooperation among multiple robots; other research topics in robotic and computer vision applications, such as systems for surgery, undersea, space, search-and-rescue, and agriculture.