Autonomous Vehicles

With increasing traffic congestion and concern regarding the environment, there is need to improve the safety, efficiency, and environmental cleanliness of automobiles. The monitoring of a farm crop, a fish population, and conditions of drought can all benefit from autonomous aerial vehicles. The environmental status of the oceans can be monitored at a variety of depths through the use of autonomous underwater and surface drones or gliders. As an example of the future demand, all of the major automobile companies now conduct and sponsor research and development of systems to either assist the driver or perform autonomous driving. There are a variety of technical concerns to make autonomous operation safe and reliable, that may be addressed with technical research. But another concern is how autonomous or semi-autonomous systems should interact with humans and how they may affect society. These concerns broaden the realm of relevant topics to include psychology and other social sciences. Strong relations to the automobile industry and the excellence of departments throughout the University make UM a leader in this area.

Faculty doing autonomous vehicle research include: Ella Atkins, Kira Barton, Jason Corso, Ed Durfee, Tulga Ersal, Anouck Girard, Vineet Kamat, Edwin Olson, Huei Peng

Human-Robot Interaction

Faculty doing human-robot interaction research include: Ella Atkins, Kira Barton, Cynthia Chestek, Jason Corso, Jia Deng, Brent Gillespie, Ben Kuipers, Emily Mower Provost, Gabor Orosz, Nadine Sarter

Learn more about Human-Robots Interaction

Legged Locomotion

One of the greatest challenges for mobile robots is the negotiation of the environments that humans inhabit. Humans often work and live in environments inhospitable to wheeled vehicles. They locomote over uneven terrain, or in homes full of furniture and other obstacles that can obstruct many robots. Several UM faculty engage in research on new methods to allow legged robots to locomote in challenging environments, and the design of mechanisms to make legged robots more adept or efficient.

Faculty doing legged locomotion research include: Jessy Grizzle, C. David Remy, Shai Revzen

Manufacturing

Modern factories and assembly plants employ a variety of human and mechanical workers. The mechanical devices include computer numerical controlled machining equipment, stamping and bending machines, welding and painting robots, and conveyor or transportation systems. Advances in manufacturing techniques often entail greater degree of adaptability to changing material or precision conditions, compensation for tool wear, and increased safety for human workers. Some of the machines are explicitly referred to as robots, but many others increasingly employ robotics technology to improve precision, speed, or efficiency. For example, computer vision is now used in many manufacturing plants to monitor production and provide detailed data regarding quality. Robotics has played a substantial role in the development of computer vision, with applications far beyond the traditional notion of a robot.

Faculty doing manufacturing research include: Kira Barton, Chinedum Okwudire, Kazuhiro Saitou, Dawn Tilbury, A. Galip Ulsoy

Learn more about Robotics & Manufacturing Research at the University of Michigan

Medical and Rehabilitation Robotics

A number of medical applications can benefit from robotics. Many forms of surgery are improved by methods that require fewer or smaller incisions to the body, such as with miniature robotic tools. Other operations are aided by image-guided devices that make incisions more accurate or direct tools and medicines more precisely. Physical rehabilitation of patients recovering from stroke or spinal cord injury can benefit from intelligent exercise machines that can aid and assess patients during their exercise. Still other devices can improve the operation of powered exoskeletons or prosthetic devices for amputees and the impaired. With a strong School of Medicine, UM is well-suited to the development of new research programs to address these areas.

Faculty doing medical and rehabilitation robotics research include: Cynthia Chestek, Daniel Ferris, Deanna Gates, Brent Gillespie, Jane Huggins, Chandramouli Krishnan, Ben Kuipers, Art Kuo, Sean Meehan, C. David Remy, Rachel Seidler, Kathleen Sienko.

Learn more about Medical & Rehabilitation Robotics.

Mobile and Cooperative Robots

As robots develop in number and capability, it is evident that they may not simply act singly and independently. They must often interact with others, for example when operating an automobile, and could also cooperate together to perform tasks in a distributed manner. The control of multiple, interacting robots or vehicles is related to a range of technical disciplines, including control systems, queueing and logistics, distributed systems, and discrete event systems. Strong faculty involvement in these areas holds greater promise for integration with other collaborators for robotic applications.

Faculty doing mobile and cooperative robots research include: Jason Corso, Ryan Eustice, Anouck Girard, Matthew Johnson-Roberson, Yoram Koren, Edwin Olson