Course Series

151-0623-00L :: ETH Zurich Distinguished Seminar in Robotics, Systems, and Controls

This course consists of a series of seven lectures given by researchers who have distinguished themselves in the area of Robotics, Systems, and Controls. Msc students in Robotics, Systems, and Controls are required to attend every lecture. Attendance will be monitored. If for some reason a student cannot attend one of the lectures, the student must select another ETH or University of Zurich seminar related to the field and submit a one page description of the seminar topic.

Professors: B. Nelson, R. Siegwart, R. Riener, R. Gassert, F. Iida

Lecture: Autumn Semester (HS), Fridays, bi-weekly, an hour seminar starting 15.15 in ML E12, followed by an apero. Detailed program see below.
Language: English
ECTS credits: 1

Program

Date	Speaker	Title	Description	Download
07.10.2011	Prof. Aristides Requicha, University of California	Nanorobotics: manipulation, autonomy and programming	I will discuss the current status and research directions of the emerging field of nanorobotics, which is evolving along three paths. The manipulation/assembly path focus on programmable assembly of nanoscale components (i) by manipulation with Scanning Probe Microscopes (or other robotic devices), (ii) by passive self-assembly, or (iii) by active self-assembly of robotic components...	Abstract & Bio
21.10.2011	Prof. Ed Colgate, Northwestern University, USA	Surface Haptics: Virtual Touch on Physical Surfaces	The touch screen is the preeminent human-computer interface of our times. Touch input technologies such as projected capacitance and in-cell sensing are rapidly advancing. But what about touch output? In this talk, I’ll discuss “surface haptics”: programmable haptic interaction for physical surfaces such as touch screens and touch pads...	Abstract & Bio
18.11.2011	Prof. Manfred Husty, University of Innsbruck	Global Kinematics	Various mathematical formulations are used to describe mechanism and robot kinematics. The mathematical formulation is the basis for kinematic analysis and synthesis, i.e., determining displacements, velocities and accelerations, on the one hand, and obtaining design parameters on the other. Vector/matrix formulation containing trigonometric functions is arguably the most favoured approach used in the engineering research community...	Abstract & Bio
25.11.2011	Dr. Andrew Davison, Imperial College, London, UK	Real-Time Monocular SLAM	Recent advances in probabilistic Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms, together with modern computer power, have made it possible to create practical systems able to perform real-time estimation of the motion of a single camera in 3D purely from the image stream it acquires. This is of interest in robotics, but also in other fields like wearable computing and augmented reality...	Abstract & Bio
02.12.2011	Prof. Paolo Dario, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna	The Science and Engineering of BioRobotics	Modern robotics combines technology and science: robotics technology allows to build new machines, smart and helpful in real-life scenarios; robotics science makes use of robotic systems to validate scientific models, or even to generate new scientific knowledge. Biorobotics is an emerging area of robotics pursuing an integrated approach to the study of robots and biological systems. A key aspect of biorobotics is the effort to model biological systems by methods and technology of engineering and robotics, with the two-fold aim of: 1) designing high performance machines for biomedical applications; 2) designing bio-inspired machines based on the concept of embodied intelligence for different (often non biomedical) applications...	Abstract & Bio

There will be two lectures on Dec. 16, 2011 & demos at the IDSC Open Lab. The first talk is from 15.15 to 16.00, the second from 16.00 to 16.45. Following the lecture, students have the opportunity to visit the demos at the IDSC Open Lab. At 17.15, you are cordially invited for an apéro in the ML hall.

16.12.2011
15.15 - 16.00

16.12.2011
16.00 - 16.45

Prof. Giorgio Metta, University of Genova

Prof. Stefan Schaal, University of Southern California & Max-Planck-Institut

The iCub Project: an Open Source Platform for Research in Embodied Cognition

Learning Dexterous Robot Manipulation Skills

I will describe the iCub project, an endeavor supported mainly by the European Commission to develop a common platform for researchers interested in the study of artificial embodied cognitive systems. The iCub is a humanoid robot of the approximate size of a three years old child, equipped with sensors ranging from cameras, microphones, inertial, force and tactile and distributed fully under the GPL license. It is adopted by about 20 laboratories worldwide and a variety of research is carried out often in collaboration...

Skillful and goal-directed interaction with a dynamically changing world is among the hallmarks of human perception and motor control. Understanding the mechanisms of such skills and how they are learned is a long-standing question in both neuroscience and technology, and will be a crucial ingredient towards developing truly autonomous robots. This talk develops a general framework of how motor skills can be learned...

Abstract & Bio

Abstract & Bio