ICRoM 2022 Keynote Speakers

Prof. Sunil K. Agrawal

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Prof. Sunil K. Agrawal

Columbia University

Sunil K. Agrawal received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1990. He is currently a Professor and Director of Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory at Columbia University, located both in engineering and medical campuses of Columbia University. Dr. Agrawal has published more than 500 journal and conference papers, three books, and 17 U.S. patents. He is a Fellow of the ASME and AIMBE. His honors include a NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship from the White House in 1994, a Bessel Prize from Germany in 2003, and a Humboldt US Senior Scientist Award in 2007. He is a recipient of 2016 Machine Design Award from ASME for “seminal contributions to design of robotic exoskeletons for gait training of stroke patients” and 2016 Mechanisms and Robotics Award from the ASME for “cumulative contributions and being an international leading figure in mechanical design and robotics”. He is a recipient of several Best Paper awards in ASME and IEEE sponsored robotics conferences. He has successfully directed 35 PhD student theses and currently supervises the research of 5 PhD students in ROAR laboratory. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Wearable Technologies” from Cambridge University Press. He was the Conference Chair for IEEE BioRob2020 organized in New York City.

Rehabilitation Robotics and Retraining of Everyday Human Functions

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Abstract: Neural disorders and old age limit the ability of humans to perform activities of daily living. Robotics can be used to characterize and retrain human neuromuscular responses. Columbia University Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory designs innovative robots and performs clinical studies to potentially improve everyday human functions such as standing, reaching, head turning, walking, stairclimbing, and others. Human experiments have targeted individuals with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and elderly subjects with vestibular disorders. The talk will provide an overview of some of these robotics technologies and scientific studies performed with them.

Learning Objectives:

1. Human functions in daily life and impairments
2. Robotics for functional rehabilitation
3. Clinical studies to improve human functions

Prof. Auke Ijspeert

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Prof. Auke Ijspeert

EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne)

Auke Ijspeert is a professor at EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland), IEEE Fellow, and head of the Biorobotics Laboratory. He has a B.Sc./M.Sc. in physics from the EPFL (1995), and a PhD in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh (1999). His research interests are at the intersection between robotics and computational neuroscience. He is interested in using numerical simulations and robots to gain a better understanding of animal locomotion and movement control, and in using inspiration from biology to design novel types of robots and locomotion controllers (see for instance Ijspeert et al, Science, Vol. 315, 2007 and Ijspeert, Science Vol. 346, 2014). He is also interested in assisting persons with limited mobility using exoskeletons and assistive furniture. With his colleagues, he has received paper awards at ICRA2002, CLAWAR2005, IEEE Humanoids 2007, IEEE ROMAN 2014, CLAWAR 2015, and CLAWAR 2019. He is associate editor for the International Journal of Humanoid Robotics and the IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. He is also a member of the Board of Reviewing Editors of Science magazine.

Investigating and assisting locomotion using modular robots

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Abstract: The ability to efficiently move in complex environments is a fundamental property both for animals and for robots, and the problem of locomotion and movement control is an area in which neuroscience, biomechanics, and robotics can fruitfully interact. In this talk, I will present how biorobots and numerical models can be used to explore the interplay of the four main components underlying animal locomotion, namely central pattern generators (CPGs), reflexes, descending modulation, and the musculoskeletal system. Going from lamprey to human locomotion, I will present a series of models that tend to show that the respective roles of these components have changed during evolution with a dominant role of CPGs in lamprey and salamander locomotion, and a more important role for sensory feedback and descending modulation in human locomotion. I will also present the Roombots project, a project in which we use self-reconfigurable robots to create an assistive environment for people who have limited mobility.

BioRob’s Research Topics:

1. Neuromechanical Simulations
2. Amphibious Robotics
3. Modular Robotics
4. Rehabilitation Technologies
5. Humanoid Robotics
6. Quadruped Robotics

Prof. Jacky Baltes

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Prof. Jacky Baltes

Ph.D., Outstanding Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering E-304, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), 129, He-Ping East Road, Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10610, R.O.C.

Dr. Baltes was born and grew up in Munich, Germany. Prior to his studies, he was an accomplished athlete. He is a three time German champion in speed skating and participated at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Winter Games. Dr. Baltes received his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of Calgary, Canada in the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning. For his Ph.D., Dr. Baltes developed a learning multi-strategy planning system called DoLittle. From 1996 to 2002, Dr. Baltes worked as a Senior Lecturer in the department of computer science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. In 2002, Dr. Baltes moved to the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, where he was promoted to Full Professor in 2008. In 2016, Prof. Baltes took up a position as Full Professor at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taipei, Taiwan, where he was awarded an Outstanding Professor supplement and is now the Director of the Educational Robotics Lab. Dr. Baltes also continues to hold an adjunct appointment at the University of Manitoba.

Robot Athletes and what we can learn from them

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Abstract: This talk focuses on the role of robot competitions as important benchmark problems for advanced research into intelligent robots. The talk introduces the pitfalls and common problems of benchmarking. The talk will introduce the Federation of International Robot Sports Association (FIRA) competition, in particular, the FIRA HuroCup event - a decathlon for fully autonomous humanoid robots. The HuroCup includes sprint, marathon, weight lifting, basketball, mini-drc, archery, triple jump, spartan race, United soccer, and obstacle run and is the most challenging competition for intelligent humanoid robots in the world. A recent research initiative which focuses on robot magic will also be introduced and the different research goals of the events are discussed. The important advances that help to develop robots for versatile low volume automation derived from these competitions will be discussed. In the conclusion of the talk, I will discuss recent research advances in my lab that grew out of work started as part of robot competitions. This includes skating and skiing humanoid robots.

Dr. Baltes and his students have participated at international robotics competitions for robotic soccer and urban search and rescue since 1998. His teams won honors in the FIRA HuroCup humanoid robot competition 2022 - HuroCup Adult Size Allround, 2022 2nd Place FIRA Taiwan Open Kid-size. He was elected as President of the Federation International of Robot Sports Association (FIRA). FIRA is the oldest robot soccer competition (started in 1996 by Prof. Jong-Hwan Kim from KAIST, Korea). He is the founding chair of the FIRA HuroCup competition. HuroCup is the most challenging competition for intelligent humanoid robots as a single robot must compete in 11 events (sprint, marathon, obstacle run, spartan race - uneven terrain and wall climbing, united soccer, long jump, basketball, weight lifting, mini-DRC, and archery). He was an Executive Committee member of the International RoboCup Federation from 2010 to 2022, and a member of the humanoid league organizing committee and the technical committee since 2002. He is also the founder and Chair of the IEEE Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) competition “Humanoid Application Challenge - Robot Magic.” IROS is the flagship conference for robotics. Dr. Baltes has published extensively and was on the program committee for several international conferences. Dr. Baltes has been founding member of two successful startups Cogmation Inc., Winnipeg, Canada and Taibotics, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Dr. Baltes also holds 1 U.S.A. patent, 2 Chinese patents, and 1 European patent.