Engagement

Since 2023, I have been contributing as a Teaching Assistant for a robotics course, where my responsibilities extend beyond traditional classroom support. I help maintain and upgrade the fleet of mobile robots, ensuring reliable hardware performance for student experiments.

Key Contributions:

• ROS2 Migration: Worked on migrating the robot fleet from ROS1 to ROS2, implementing updated communication frameworks and improving system reliability.
• Sensor Integration: Integrated and configured sensors including Ultra-Wideband (UWB) beacons and Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) systems for the teaching lab setup.
• Localization Stack: Worked towards the developement of the localization codebase used in student experiments, including sensor fusion with Extended Kalman Filter (EKF).
• Testing & Validation: Conducted extensive testing and validation of robot systems to ensure consistent performance across the fleet.
• Student Support: Provide hands-on debugging assistance, helping students troubleshoot hardware issues, sensor calibration, and software integration challenges.

I have had the opportunity to contribute to the supervision of Master's students, supporting them through challenging research projects at the intersection of robotics, computer vision, and machine learning.

Research Topics Supported:

• Real-Time Construction Object Detection: Developing efficient deep learning models for detecting construction materials and hazards in dynamic environments.
• Imitation Learning Deployment: Bridging the sim-to-real gap by deploying learned policies from simulation onto physical robotic platforms.
• Human Motion Understanding (Ongoing): Analyzing human body kinematics and intent prediction for safe human-robot collaboration.

Where technology meets humanity. While robots excel at precision and efficiency, art infuses them with soul. The DESSAIM project explores this intersection, investigating how swarm robotics can become a medium for artistic expression.

Working closely with professional artists and choreographers, the team develops emergent behaviors that transform robot swarms into living canvases. The robots respond to music, human presence, and each other — creating performances that blur the line between machine and art.

My Contribution: I worked on the operation of the mobile robots during performances, ensuring reliable swarm coordination and real-time responsiveness during live events.

Impact:

• Contributed to public art performances reaching diverse audiences — from tech enthusiasts to art lovers with no robotics background.
• The project demonstrates that robots can evoke emotional responses and foster connection between technology and humanity.

Learn More About DESSAIM →

I was part of the organizing team for the Robot and Art Workshop at IEEE ICRA 2024, which brought together researchers, artists, and industry practitioners to explore the creative potential of robotics.

Workshop Highlights:

• Keynote talks from leading figures in robotic art and computational creativity.
• Live demonstrations of swarm choreography and interactive installations.
• Hands-on sessions where participants programmed robots for artistic motion.

Workshop Details →

Building on the success of the ICRA workshop, the team launched a series of Motion Composition Workshops designed to engage the general public with robotic systems in a creative and accessible way. I contributed to developing and facilitating these sessions.

Workshop Format:

• Participants — with no prior robotics experience — learn to control a robotic arm through intuitive interfaces.
• They compose artistic trajectories, creating visual patterns and motion sculptures.
• Sessions conclude with collaborative performances where multiple participants coordinate their compositions.

Inspiring young minds is one of the most rewarding aspects of this work. I participate in our lab's outreach programs, helping with school visits and interactive workshops for students of all ages.

Outreach Activities:

• Lab Tours: Guided tours where students see research robots in action — from drones to mobile platforms to manipulators.
• Hands-On Workshops: Age-appropriate activities where kids program simple behaviors, understanding cause-and-effect in robotics.
• Q&A Sessions: Open discussions about careers in robotics, encouraging curiosity and demystifying the path to becoming a roboticist.