About this event

Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) Associate Professor Christos Papachristos will discuss advances in resilient autonomous robotics, from GPS-free exploration to collaborative ground-air systems. A light lunch will be served. Free, but registration is required. The lecture is part of CSE's biweekly townhall lecture series, which runs from noon to 2 p.m. on Fridays.  

Field robotics capable of serving real-world applications continue to revolutionize sectors such as infrastructure inspection, defense and security, emergency response, transportation and even scientific exploration of extreme environments, ranging from other planets to oceanic depths. Significant effort has been made to embed these robotics with resilient autonomy features, making them reliable enough to operate fully autonomously for large parts of the prescribed mission.

Papachristos will present several key research innovations towards the goal of long-term resilient autonomy, and which include:

a) the ability to autonomously (with no assistance from external information, such as GPS) explore, navigate and characterize unknown environments that range from office-like spaces to underground,

b) the capacity to leverage objects in their environment through physical interaction, and use them like tools,

c) the development of heterogeneous system-of-systems platforms, combining ground and airborne robots, and

d) the onboard real-time deployment deep learning-based frameworks for the autonomous identification of mission-relevant entities in the robot’s environment.

Finally, this talk will present the next frontier for long-term resilient autonomy, which is the capacity for self-sustained operation without requiring support from pre-existing infrastructure for recharging and/or human crews for maintenance. Via this breakthrough, a novel generation of perpetually deployable robotics will finally be unlocked, capable of persistent presence in the field and on-demand readiness for action.

About the speaker: Christos Papachristos is an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, and director of the Robotic Workers Lab

His research is focused on autonomous systems and field robotics, including unmanned aerial vehicles as well as mobile manipulation systems, emphasizing reliable robotic autonomy and resourceful physical interaction in the wild. His vision is ubiquitous autonomous robots that exhibit operational resilience in harsh settings by relying on multimodal perception, intelligent exploration and advanced mobility as well as AI-guided mission resourcefulness through mobile manipulation and cognizant physical interaction with their environment. Aligned with these goals, the Robotic Workers Lab deals with the development of novel systems and algorithms while also field-testing the relevant robotic solutions.

Papachristos received his master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and obtained his Ph.D. in aerial robotics from the University of Patras, Greece. He has authored more than 90 refereed publications and serves as an associate editor at various journals and conferences. He has participated and/or led several large, multimillion-dollar robotics research projects on both sides of the Atlantic, for organizations such as the National Science Foundation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, NASA and the EU Horizon Programme.

Additional information

• Attendance type: In person
• Cost: Free, must register in advance
• Event type: Lectures & Seminars