SVEN CREMER

SkinSim is an open-source simulation environment for multimodal robot skin available at https://bitbucket.org/nextgensystems/skinsim. It is a useful tool for designing large tactile sensor arrays and simulating physical Human-Robot Interaction scenarios.

This was an international competition in which participants had to build hardware and develop software that autonomously picked items from a shelf and placed them in an order bin. This required solving problems related to perception, planning, manipulation, error detection, and error correction. The competition was held May 26-28 in Seattle at the 2015 International Conference in Robotics and Automation (ICRA). More info under http://amazonpickingchallenge.org.

During two very intense months, I developed a software package that allowed the PR2 to serve as an interim waiter by pouring wine for Sky Ball guests. The fundraising event took place in the American Airlines Hangar at DFW International Airport on Oct 5th and honored US military service members, veterans, and their families. Nearly 3,000 people attended.

I was responsible for the care and management of UT Arlington’s PR2, which is a $400,000 mobile robot with two 7 DOF arms. My work included software administration, repairs, hardware upgrades, and training of new users. I also developed and performed new demos for visitors and events.

This was a collaboration between the UT Arlington’s Research Institute (UTARI) and QinetiQ North America (QNA). The project ran under the title “Advanced Human-Machine Interfaces and Assistive Robot Platforms”. My task was to research and develop new technology to enhance the usability of Human-Machine Interfaces for the next generation of assistive/service robots. My tasks also involved writing quarterly reports, creating presentations and videos, and conducting demos. The work was done under the supervision of Professor Dan Popa.

As a member of the NGS group at UT Arlington, I helped Sellmark to automate their riflescope impact tester. I designed the motor mount and chain drive system, power management, and the LabVIEW integration of servo drive and accelerometer.