*Presentation will be recorded.
Abstract:
Autonomous systems lend themselves to translational research. Complexities due to human interaction, terrain conditions, weather conditions, and dynamic obstacles cause issues in localization, navigation, perception, and cognition. These issues result in problems like GPS denial, noisy and inaccurate sensor data, and unpredictable dynamic system response. This presentation serves as an update on the status of the Autonomous and Unmanned Vehicle Systems Lab and its preliminary successes in translational research, turning theory into practice for a range of autonomous systems. Case studies for several projects in the lab that have had results published or are in the process of publication, and with technologies submitted for provisional patents are provided as examples of translational research. In addition, an update on the new Center for Autonomous Construction and Manufacturing at Scale will be presented.
Bio:
William R (Bob) Norris Ph.D., MBA, is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), director of the Autonomous and Unmanned Vehicle System Lab (AUVSL) as well as the founder and director of the Center for Autonomous Construction and Manufacturing at Scale (CACMS). Prof. Norris holds Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees(1996 and 1997 respectively) in General (Systems) Engineering, an MBA from Duke University (2007), and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering (2001) from UIUC. He holds 14 US patents in the areas of system architecture development, artificial intelligence, and autonomous vehicles. Prof. Norris' current assignment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was preceded by stints as a business owner/ consultant, as an executive researcher at Deere & Company, a researcher at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA), and the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Lab. While at Deere & Company, he served in multiple business, program management, and engineering positions in the Deere Moline Technology and Innovation Center as well as Deere & Company's Commercial and Consumer Equipment division. His focus was on the introduction of robotics products and AI solutions for military, homeland security, private security, residential, and emergency responder market segments. In his role, he directed the revolutionary creation of the first large-scale, manufactured autonomous/ unmanned ground vehicle from concept development through product delivery including service and support. As an engineering clinical associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Prof. Norris has created a successful autonomous system research program with over 20 students and 10 research programs in 5 years, He is in the process of initiating a Center at UIUC using project funding from the US Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center. Prior to his education, he served with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division managing a paratrooper unit.