Robotics, Computer Vision, and Graphics

(Oliver Brock, Rod Grupen, Allen Hanson, Erik Learned-Miller, Sridhar Mahadevan, R. Manmatha, Howard Schultz, Rui Wang)

Robotics, Computer Vision, and Graphics at UMass Amherst represent the interface between computers and the world in which we live. To interact naturally with computers, we must have computers that can relate to their environment through visual and physical interactions, from recognizing the face of an approaching person to learning about dynamics by bouncing a ball. In robotics, our expertise ranges from sophisticated grasping techniques and novel motion planning methods to complex tool use and experimenting with new types of dynamically stable robots. In computer vision, our strengths include scene modeling, face identification, object recognition, and reading the text of signs in complex outdoor environments. Our graphics group focuses on high speed realistic rendering techniques and visualizing complex lighting effects. A major cross-cutting interest is the desire to model basic learning processes in humans and machines using data acquired from sensors mounted on robots and mobile video cameras. By adapting our computers' strategies of grasping, reaching, moving, and recognizing to real world data rather than to synthetic laboratory data, we are building systems robust enough to operate in realistic scenarios.

Autonomous Learning Laboratory
The Autonomous Learning Laboratory (ALL), formerly the Adaptive NetWorks (ANW) Laboratory, focuses on both machine and biological learning. Areas of study include reinforcement learning, artificial neural networks, and biologically-inspired models of adaptive motor control.

Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval
The National Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval (CIIR) is an NSF created S/IUCRC Center. The CIIR carries out basic research and technology transfer in the area of text-based and multimedia information systems. The research group investigates questions related to searching and browsing collections of documents.

Computer Graphics Laboratory
The Computer Graphics (GFX) Laboratory focuses on modeling of the real world, and simulation of physically based illumination phenomena. Research topics include global illumination algorithms, real-time rendering, graphics hardware based rendering, and geometric acquisition of the real-world.

Computer Vision Research Laboratory
The Computer Vision Research Laboratory was established with the goal of investigating the scientific principles underlying the construction of integrated vision systems and the application of vision to problems of real-world importance.

Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics
The Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics investigates planning and control methodologies for complex, multi-objective robotic systems, geometric reasoning for automated assembly planning, and robot learning. Research platforms include integrated hand/arm systems, mobile robots, legged systems, and articulated stereo heads.

Robotics and Biology Laboratory
The Robotics and Biology Laboratory develops algorithms and methods that enable robots to perform complex tasks in unstructured and dynamic environments, a research area referred to as Autonomous Mobile Manipulation. Our approaches require the integration of hardware, control, planning, manipulation, perception, learning, and reasoning. Some of the insights from our robotics research also apply to structural molecular biology, where we investigate algorithms for protein structure prediction and protein docking.