The SIAI seminar series features speakers from academia, research labs, government agencies and the industry in topics of interest to the SIAI community.
Robust Robot Perception for Long-term Autonomy in Extreme and Dynamic Environments
Younggun Cho, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Smart Mobility Engineering and the Director of SPARO(Spatial AI Robotics) Lab, Inha University
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 2 p.m.
University Center Complex, Gallery
Abstract
Extreme and dynamic environments present many challenges for robot perception, including varying lighting conditions, adverse weather, complex terrains, and the presence of moving objects. As robots become more integral to applications such as search and rescue, exploration, and autonomous driving, the need for robust perception to ensure reliable operation in these challenging conditions has never been more critical. The seminar will focus on the challenges of robot perception in such environments, followed by an exploration of various approaches to enhance perception reliability. Specific techniques such as robust sensing of extreme environments (e.g., ocean), robust multi-robot SLAM in dynamic environments, and learning-assisted long-term autonomy will be discussed in detail. The seminar will also highlight several case studies where robust robot perception methods have been successfully implemented in underwater robots, autonomous vehicles, and delivery robots, demonstrating improvements in mission outcomes.
Keywords: Robust Sensing, Robust SLAM, Long-term Autonomy, Dynamic and Extreme Environments
About the Speaker
Younggun Cho is currently an Assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and Smart Mobility Engineering and the director of SPARO Lab (Spatial AI Robotics Lab) at Inha University, Incheon, South Korea. His research interests are robust sensing and sensor fusion, learning-based map representation, and robust SLAM in extreme environments. In relation to these topics, he has published several top-tier robotics journal papers (T-RO, IJRR, JFR, and RA-L) and top-tier robotics conference papers (IEEE ICRA). He received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Inha University, Incheon, Korea, in 2013, an M.S. degree in electrical engineering in 2015, and a Ph.D. degree in civil and environmental engineering with a dual degree in robotics program (2020) from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea. From 2020 to 2021, he was an assistant professor in the robotics engineering department at Yeungnam University.