Season 9: Robotics and AI

In Season 9, we’re sharing stories of how our researchers are leading the robotics and AI revolution, from policy and ethics, to programming and practical applications.

Listen here or find “Engineering Out Loud” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or any podcast app.

Two faculties having a conversation
The beautiful music of robotics and AI
How do you integrate ethics, policy, and practicality into the design of revolutionary robotics and artificial intelligence systems? Professors Kagan Tumer and Tom…

Faculty sitting on a chair and looking at camera
AI, explain yourself
Can we trust artificial intelligence to make good decisions? The answer is a resounding, maybe. More and more, society and individuals are entrusting AI to make…

Faculty is posing with his robot.
Robots: Will they walk among us?
For robots to be more useful around people, they’ll need to go where we go. But how? Associate Professor Jonathan Hurst thinks the answer is simple. Walking. But…

Faculty wearing a white shirt.
Socializing robots
Why should robots have artificial social intelligence? According to Heather Knight, assistant professor of computer science, if robots are going to help in hospitals or…

Faculty explaining his experiment to other faculty.
And on that farm, he had a robot
Will robots someday replace farm workers? Do we want them to? Joe Davidson, assistant professor of robotics, talks about the potential benefits of using robots in…

Faculty catching a little robot.
With a little help from my robot friend
What will it take for robot assistants to become more integrated in our daily lives? Assistant Professor Naomi Fitter thinks they’ll need to master the physical aspects…

Faculty and students are working on a project.
The age of autonomous vehicles
Self-driving cars and planes are in our future. What are we doing to make them safe? Assistant Professor Houssam Abbas uses tiny race cars to test autonomous driving…