CARL lab is collaborating with Toyota Motor North America to create research and clinical applications for the Human Support Robot (HSR). Information about this platform can be found here. I worked with other lab members to create a ROS-based interface to use the HSR as a telepresence robot. With the UC Irvine School of Education, we are testing the usability of the robot for homebound children using the robot to attend school.

I also used the HSR for my PhD thesis research in modeling the neural systems of memory and schema consolidation (see Research page for details).

Android-Based Robotics Platform

CARL lab has also created its own affordable outdoor robotics platform for education and research. The robots are assembled using accessible commodity hardware, and our step-by-step instructions. From 2014-2018, I developed functionalities for this platform for the VitalLink Rescue Robotics Competition, a local annual event in which high school and college students create robots that rescue victims in a mock disaster zone.

The platform has also been integral for my work on outdoor robotics and neuromorphic hardware (see Research page for details).

For more information on the platform, please see http://socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma/ABR/index.html.

LEGO Mindstorms

I TA'ed for the Cognitive Robotics class taught by my PI, Jeffrey Krichmar. We used LEGO Mindstorms for instruction, enabling students to learn about embodiment principles by building their own robots, while also developing programming skills. The platform has been used for exploratory research in the lab, such as this study of genetic algorithms and evolutionary computation that Hirak Kashyap and I completed.