University of Michigan Robotics Department’s Post

Spring inside to what's been happening around Michigan Robotics, including: • making robot tour guides more engaging • measuring multitasking with robot assistance • a day in the life of an Engineering student In our latest newsletter, catch up with recent research, videos, and more! Read: https://lnkd.in/gbdpvAXs

Congratulations to Professor Kira Barton on being elected to Fellow of ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers)! Barton has made exceptional contributions to research and development in manufacturing and in education. From theory to practice, Barton has advanced: • smart manufacturing • robotics • intelligent controls. Her research innovations in modeling, control, and automation have improved diverse manufacturing processes, in particular high-resolution 3D printing. Her development of extensible and reusable digital twin frameworks has demonstrated real-time monitoring, analysis, and decision making. Barton’s research has demonstrated provable performance improvements in robotic and smart manufacturing systems and has pushed the entire research field forward. Her dedication to teaching, mentoring, and outreach has made a lasting mark on students. Get an overview of Barton's research: https://lnkd.in/djMNQj-9

Concerned about security robots? Security robots are becoming more common in public and private spaces, and concerns about public acceptance are increasing. Recent studies indicate that both human gender and the perceived gender of robots may influence this acceptance. A literature review by Xin Ye, Lionel Robert, and Samia Bhatt of University of Michigan - School of Information found mixed evidence on whether gender affects interactions with security robots. It is an Association for Information Systems AMCIS 2024 Best Paper nominee: https://lnkd.in/gWMxDDSs

The instructors of this Robotic Mechanisms course earned the University of Michigan College of Engineering ADUE Teaching Award! Congrats to the ENGR 100.850 team: Derrick Yeo Kelly Bowker Nabilah Khachab & all the IAs! Read: https://lnkd.in/eBBiv-iJ

The bionic leg with plans freely available for researchers to build gets a boost. A new $1M National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will help build out the ecosystem for the Open-Source Leg–a robotic lower-limb prosthesis. “This grant is a key step toward engaging the wider research community–developing the infrastructure for an open-source project is challenging both to fund and create, and we’re very thankful for the continued NSF POSE award,” said Elliott Rouse, professor of robotics and mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. “Inspired by how the Linux Foundation democratized computing and sparked countless innovations, we want to democratize access to robotics research on a broader scale, fostering breakthroughs that can transform lives," adds Senthur Ayyappan, research engineer. Read: https://lnkd.in/gpCBGmSN

New faculty are key components to building our robotics program. This latest cohort are some pretty exceptional roboticists and collaborators. We're happy to have the following faculty join us over the next year as we define the discipline to meet the emerging needs of society and make robotics an inclusive field for aspiring experts. • Bernadette Bucher, Assistant Professor starting this fall • Steven Ceron, Assistant Professor starting January 2025 • Xiaoxiao Du, Lecturer starting this fall • Yulun Tian, Assistant Professor starting Fall 2025 Read more about each: https://lnkd.in/gjTs3brH