Shared Autonomy in Human-Robot Collaboration

Speaker: Elahe Abdi, PhD - Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Mechatronics Engineering, Monash University, Australia

Location: VYKM-1

Short CV:  Dr. Elahe Abdi is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Mechatronics Engineering, Monash University, Australia. She is the Director of Robotics in Medicine and Interaction Laboratory (RoMI Lab) and the Education Liaison Representative at the Australian Robotics and Automation Association. Dr Abdi received the PhD degree in Robotics in 2017, from EPFL, Switzerland. She then established her research team at Monash University, active in human-robot interaction with application in medicine, construction and service robotics. She is an Associate Editor for the Robotics Reports journal, and Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Robotics and AI. Elahe was a Finalist for the Women’s Agenda Award “Emerging Leader in STEM” 2021, and Women Leading Tech Award Education/Research 2023. Most recently, she was named as one of Science and Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM 2023-2024.

Abstract: With an ageing population and an increasingly acute workforce shortage, it is time for alternative ways to maintain or even improve economic productivity. In this talk, I present augmenting human capabilities with robot assistants as a potential solution. I describe the ongoing research in the design of intuitive user interfaces and control strategies for human-in-the loop control of robots with example applications in surgery and construction. This is achieved through rethinking the design of machines and their user interfaces, and by leveraging advanced perception and artificial intelligence. The goal is to empower a more diverse and inclusive workforce using intelligent robots that can assist humans in otherwise physically or mentally challenging tasks.