CARNEGIE MELLON DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICA L E NGINEERING
Currently, Messner is advising Ph.D. candidate Scott Moreland, who is working on traction and suspension sys- tems for robots for planetary exploration.A key challenge of
robotic missions to the moon, Mars, and other extraterrestrial envi- ronments is designing vehicles for the soil, terrain, atmospheric, and gravity conditions that are unlike anything found on Earth. With guidance from both Messner and Associate Research Professor David Wettergreen, Moreland is focusing on this unique challenge. Wettergreen recently joined the Department of Mechanical
Engineering as one of four new courtesy faculty members who are emphasizing the many connections between mechanical engineering and robotics topics. Wettergreen’s work in creating robotic explorers for investiga- tions underwater, on the surface, and in air and space builds upon his research in perception, planning, learning, and autonomy. Wetter- green has a two-decade history of developing robots, including his groundbreaking work on Dante, a robot that explored volcanic craters in Antarctica and Alaska; Hyperion, a rover that demonstrated sun-synchronous navigation in the Canadian Arctic; Zoë, which has mapped microbes in the Chilean Atacama desert; and DEPTHX, an underwater vehicle that autonomously explored Mexican cenotes. His current research focuses on mobility and navigation for lunar rovers, as well as perception and learning for autonomous scientific investigations. Research Professor Sanjiv Singh, another MechE courtesy faculty member, has research focused on two themes: percep- tion in natural and dynamic environments, and multi-agent coordination. Currently he leads efforts in collision avoidance for air vehicles (near Earth and between aircraft) and ground vehicles, using novel sensors that can look through obscurants. Another research area seeks to provide accurate tracking and situational
awareness in dynamic environments, such as those encountered in search and rescue, using radio signals to compute location. Singh is also developing a multirobot architecture to perform complex tasks, such as assembly, that cannot be performed by a single machine. Tasks are distributed between robots and human operators so that the strengths of each can be exploited. Courtesy faculty member Assistant Professor Bruno Sinopoli
is interested in using robotics technologies to develop micro sensor integrated systems that combine computing, storage, radio technol- ogy, and energy sources on a single chip. When distributed over a wide area, networks of these embedded devices can perform a variety of coordinated tasks that range from environmental monitoring and military surveillance to navigation and control of a moving vehicle. Assistant Research Professor Yaser Sheikh, a courtesy faculty
member, is also engaged in pushing the limits of robotics. Sheikh is part of the People Image Analysis (PIA) Consortium at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, which develops and distributes technolo- gies that process images and videos to detect, track, and understand human faces, bodies, and activities. His research focuses on develop- ing a theory of vision that allows artificial systems to navigate in environments where both static and mobile obstacles exist.
Robotics: An Emerging Focus for Mechanical Engineers According to Department Head Nadine Aubry, the growing focus on robotics within MechE reflects the altered landscape in which mechanical engineers are working today. “The earliest generations of professionals in our field were more narrowly focused on automo- biles, airplanes, and other technologies that represented the leading edge of their time period,” says Aubry. “Today, as technology takes off in myriad directions, mechanical engineers are embracing a much wider range of interests and research focuses, including robotics. I’m delighted that the Department of Mechanical Engineering here at Carnegie Mellon has embarked on so many robotics innovations.” According to Aubry, robotics projects at MechE are helping to attract outstanding mechanical engineers from around the world, who want to play a role in these leading-edge efforts. “Many of our professors have waiting lists of graduate students who want to join their robotics teams,” says Aubry. “It’s certainly a fantastic recruitment tool to have these kinds of high-profile research efforts taking place within the Department. Our ongoing leadership role in robotics and other emerging areas will help us continue to attract the best and the brightest students, researchers, and faculty, while also reflecting positively on our global community of alumni.”•
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