Opportunities and Challenges in Robotics

Abstract: 

Over the last 5 decades we have seen tremendous progress on utilization of robots. Yet we have barely started the true adoption of robot systems across manufacturing, services, healthcare, defense and space. The significant drivers are mass customization in manufacturing, automation of logistics, support for an aging population, securing our first responders and exploration of the universe. In this presentation we will present the most significant drivers, we will motivate the biggest challenges we are faced in the deployment of robots and outline some of the key research questions to be address for major new progress. We will present use-cases that exemplify state of the art and on-going research.

Biography:

Dr. Henrik I. Christensen is a Professor of Computer Science at Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering UC San Diego. He is also the director of the Institute for Contextual Robotics. Dr. Christensen does research on systems integration, human-robot interaction, mapping and robot vision. The research is performed within the Cognitive Robotics Laboratory. He has published more than 350 contributions across AI, robotics and vision. His research has a strong emphasis on "real problems with real solutions". He is actively engaged in the setup and coordination of robotics research in the US (and worldwide). Dr. Christensen received the Engelberger Award 2011, the highest honor awarded by the robotics industry. He was also awarded the "Boeing Supplier of the Year 2011". Dr. Christensen is a fellow of American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). His research has been featured in major media such as CNN, NY Times, and BBC.