11/29/2023
By Paul Robinette
Who: Salah Bazzi of Northeastern University
When: Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 at 11 a.m.
Where: Dandeneau 321
Abstract: Despite having a slow and noisy neuromotor system, humans manage to dexterously interact with complex (nonlinear, underactuated, non-rigid) objects on a daily basis. This feat of human sensorimotor control is not yet fully understood, with much of the current research in human motor control being focused on highly simplified movements. This talk presents a series of experimental studies inspired by how humans manipulate a complex object, such as transporting a cup of coffee. Using different experimental manipulations of this cup-of-coffee task, we reveal the different strategies that humans use to computationally simplify this control problem. Using tools from dynamical systems theory, control theory, and information theory we show that humans seek control solutions that are 1) stable, 2) predictable, and 3) afford simple internal models.
Bio: Salah Bazzi is an Associate Research Scientist in the Institute for Experiential Robotics at Northeastern University. The overarching goal of his research is to understand the underlying principles of human sensorimotor control, specifically complex object manipulation, in order to endow robots with similar dexterous capabilities. Salah received his B. Eng. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 2012 and 2017 respectively. He then joined Northeastern University’s Biology Department as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in 2017 where he started to conduct research in human movement neuroscience. In 2021, Salah joined the Institute for Experiential Robotics as an Associate Research Scientist, where his efforts are now focused on using insights from human movement neuroscience to improve state-of-the-art robotic manipulation. His research articles have been nominated for the Best Student Paper Award at the International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM) in 2015 and the Best Paper in Cognitive Robotics Award at ICRA in 2020.