Proposed UML Center to Expand Robotics R&D in Massachusetts

The CIRCLe group of, from left, Fred Martin, Sarah Kuhn, Holly Yanco, Georges Grinstein and Jill Drury at the UMass Lowell’s Robotics Lab. In the foreground are two of the lab’s prototype rover robots.

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The Computer Science Department and the Department of Regional Economic and Social Development (RESD) are joining forces to create a new center for the emerging field of human-robot interaction.

The proposed Center for Interactive Robotics, Computing, and Learning (CIRCLe) aims to advance intelligent robotics technology and information visualization, grow robotics industrial clusters within Massachusetts and expand upon educational partnership programs with K-12 schools and universities. CIRCLe’s proponents include Profs. Holly Yanco, Georges Grinstein, Fred Martin, and Jill Drury of computer science and Sarah Kuhn of RESD.

UMass Lowell’s Robotics Lab, headed by Yanco, is a recognized leader in human-robot interaction research, focusing on discovering design and interaction principles, building system-level support and defining new evaluation methods, particularly in the areas of emergency urban search and rescue and assistive technology for people with physical disabilities. The Engaging Computing Lab, led by Martin, is at the forefront of educational robotics, studying how design-based experiences transform learning for students of all ages.

Martin and Yanco have developed and run numerous educational programs in the past, including the Artbotics program funded by the National Science Foundation, as well as robot science fairs, summer camps and teacher workshops.

The Lab for Interdisciplinary Design, headed by Kuhn, supports practice and research in innovative, project-oriented teaching and learning across disciplines, while Grinstein’s Institute for Visualization and Perception Research focuses on the development of highly interactive visualizations and systems that enable scientists to explore large, high-dimensional datasets by visual and other perceptual means.

According to the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, there are more than 150 robotics companies and research institutions in the Commonwealth, employing more than 1,500 people. The proposed Center can help companies improve their products, from conception and testing to product release.

“We can also serve as an incubator for start-up firms, training the next generation of workers for this industry through our education programs in the Center,” says Yanco.

In July the project was awarded a two-year, $120,000 grant from the UMass President’s Office to hire a center coordinator, who will serve as liaison between faculty members and regional companies engaged in research projects and will be responsible for identifying funding opportunities and drafting proposals to agencies and other potential corporate and institutional partners.

Yanco and her colleagues will submit their first grant proposal to the NSF’s Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program in January. “Our goal is for the Center to be self supporting in five years,” she says.