Abstract

Abstract: Autonomous robots are on the rise. With the advent of ride sharing platforms, such as Uber, and automated fulfillment centers like those used by Amazon, it has become increasingly important to determine where individual robots in a group should go, how they should get there, and when they should arrive. We study this fundamental problem in the context of robotics, where we develop trajectory generation methods that give each robot in a multi-robot system a specific destination, as well as the optimal path it should use to get there. In this talk, I will present a solution to this problem for robots that have turning constraints. I will then show how solutions like this can be used in formation control, the navigation of platoons of autonomous cars, and the creation of robotic structures using modular building blocks.

Bio: Mickey Whitzer is a final year PhD student in the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Dean Vijay Kumar. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University in 2012, and his Master of Science in Engineering in Robotics in 2017. He was awarded the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship and has participated in NSF programs mentoring students and teachers in robotics. Mickey’s research is in the areas of multi-robot assignment and coordination, and formation control. His work focuses on the assignment of heterogeneous multi-robot teams. Currently, he is a visiting PhD student, working with Dr. Amanda Prorok.