Prof. Aude BILLARD (Plenary speaker, Robotics)
Full Professor, Learning algorithms and systems
Affiliation: EPFL, Lausane Switzerland
Website: Website
Talk Title: TBA
Talk abstract: TBA
Biography:
Aude Billard is full professor, head of the LASA laboratory and the Associate Dean for Education in School at the School of Engineering at the Swiss Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Prof Billard currently serves as the President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, director of the ELLIS Robot Learning Program and co-director of the Robot Learning Foundation, a non-profit corporation that serves as the governing body behind the Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL), and leads the Innovation Booster Robotics, a program funding technology transfer in robotics and powered by the Swiss Innovation Agency, Innosuisse.
Prof Billard holds a BSc and MSc in Physics from EPFL and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh. Prof Billard is an IEEE Fellow and the recipient of numerous recognitions, among which the Intel Corporation Teaching award, the Swiss National Science Foundation career award, the Outstanding Young Person in Science and Innovation from the Swiss Chamber of Commerce, the IEEE RAS Distinguished Award, and the IEEE-RAS Best Reviewer Award. Dr. Billard was a plenary speaker at major robotics, AI and Control conferences (ICRA, AAAI, CoRL, HRI, CASE, ICDL, ECML, L4DC, IFAC Symposium, ROMAN, Humanoids and many others) and acted on various positions on the organization committee of numerous International Conferences in Robotics. Her research spans the fields of machine learning and robotics with a particular emphasis on fast and reactive control and on safe human-robot interaction. This research received numerous best conference paper awards, as well as the prestigious King-Sun Fu Memorial Award for the best IEEE Transaction in Robotics paper, and is regularly featured in premier venues (BBC, IEEE Spectrum, Wired).
Prof. Lucy PAO (Plenary speaker, Mechatronics)
Palmer Endowed Chair Professor
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder, CO USA
Website: Website
Talk Title: “Sink or Swim: Modeling and Control of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines”
Talk abstract: Wind energy is among the fastest-growing sources of electrical energy worldwide. Compared to land-based wind energy, offshore wind energy has the advantages of increased wind resource availability and consistency, proximity to major population centers, and enabling larger-scale turbines. As such, over the last decade, installed offshore wind power capacity has grown at a phenomenal average rate of 27% per year. Currently, more than 99% of installed offshore wind capacity consists of fixed-bottom wind turbines in shallow waters (<60m deep). Globally, however, the majority of offshore wind resources are over water depths greater than 60m. Floating wind turbines are better suited in such deep waters. Though, compared to fixed-bottom wind turbines, floating wind turbines are more dynamic and exhibit potential instabilities, which require advanced modeling and control methods to ensure a safe and efficient operation. Beyond their existing objectives of maximizing power production while minimizing structural loads, floating wind turbine controllers must also avoid large platform oscillations and accommodate ocean wave and current disturbances. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities in the control of floating offshore wind energy systems. I will also summarize some of our recent work in developing models and multi-input multi-output controllers for floating wind turbines aimed at improving power quality, regulating the generator speed, mitigating structural loading, and/or other goals.
Biography:
Lucy Pao is a Palmer Endowed Chair Professor in the Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering Department and a Professor (by courtesy) in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) in the USA. She is also a Fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, a joint institute between the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and CU Boulder. She earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Her research has focused on engineering control systems, with applications ranging from atomic force microscopes to multi-megawatt wind energy systems. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) and is a foreign corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Selected recent recognitions include the 2017 American Automatic Control Council (AACC) Control Engineering Practice Award, 2017 European Academy of Wind Energy (EAWE) Scientific Award, 2019 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Nyquist Lecturer Award, 2022 CU Boulder campus-wide Outstanding Postdoc Mentor of the Year Award, 2024 CU Boulder campus-wide Outstanding Mentor Award for Faculty Mentoring, and 2020–2026 IFAC Pavel J. Nowacki Distinguished Lecturer.
Prof. Sunil K AGRAWAL (Plenary speaker, Robotics)
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Rehabilitation Medicine
Affiliation: Columbia University, NY USA
Website: Website
Talk Title: “Rehabilitation Robotics: Improving Everyday Human Functions”
Talk abstract: Neural disorders, old age, and traumatic brain injury limit activities of daily living. Robotics can be used in novel ways to characterize human neuromuscular responses and retrain human functions. Columbia University Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory designs innovative mechanisms/robotics with these goals and performs scientific studies to improve human functions such as standing, walking, stairclimbing, trunk control, head turning, and others. Human experiments have targeted individuals with stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, ALS, and elderly subjects. The talk will provide an overview of these robotic technologies and scientific studies performed with them to demonstrate strong potential of rehabilitation robotics to improve human functions and quality of life of people.
Biography:
Sunil Agrawal received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1990. He is currently a Professor and Director of Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory at Columbia University, located both in engineering and medical campuses of the university. Dr. Agrawal has published more than 500 journal and conference papers, 20 U.S. patents, and 4 books. He is a Fellow of the ASME and AIMBE. His honors include a NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship from the White House in 1994, a Bessel Prize from Germany in 2003, and a Humboldt US Senior Scientist Award in 2007. He is a recipient of 2016 Machine Design Award from ASME for “seminal contributions to design of robotic exoskeletons for gait training of stroke patients” and 2016 Mechanisms and Robotics Award from the ASME for “cumulative contributions and being an international leading figure in mechanical design and robotics”. He is a 2023 recipient of a Paintal Chair from Indian National Science Academy. He was a Plenary Speaker at the 2024 IEEE International Conference in Robotics and Automation in Yokohama. He has successfully directed 40+ PhD student theses and has received Best Paper awards in ASME and IEEE sponsored robotics conferences. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Wearable Technologies” published by Cambridge University Press. He organized the IEEE BioRob 2020 conference in New York City and served as its conference chair.
Prof. Reza MOHEIMANI (Plenary speaker, Mechatronics)
Professor and James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair
Affiliation: University of Texas at Dallas, TX USA
Website: Website
Talk Title: “The Art of High-Precision Mechatronics”
Talk abstract: High-precision mechatronics has emerged as a critical field, enabling groundbreaking advancements through the synergistic integration of electromechanical components and sophisticated control systems. This presentation will highlight several innovative mechatronic systems, developed in the Laboratory for Dynamics and Control of Nanosystems at the University of Texas at Dallas over the past decade, that have pushed the boundaries of performance and accuracy. Our research has focused on developing arrays of active microcantilevers for high-throughput atomic force microscopy, on-chip scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic-precision lithography for fabrication of silicon qubits, and feedback-controlled MEMS force sensors capable of measuring dynamic forces with unprecedented sensitivity. By leveraging the power of feedback control, these systems have achieved remarkable performance levels, unlocking new applications in nanotechnology, materials science, biology, and quantum computing. This talk will delve into the underlying principles, challenges, and future directions of high-precision mechatronics, offering valuable insights for researchers and engineers alike.
Biography:
Reza Moheimani is a Professor and James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair in Science and Technology in the Department of Systems Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas with affiliate appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments. He is the past Editor-in-Chief of Mechatronics, and a past associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, IEEE Transactions on Mechatronics and Control Engineering Practice. He received the Industrial Achievement Award (IFAC, 2023), Nyquist Lecture Award (ASME DSCD, 2022), Charles Stark Draper Innovative Practice Award (ASME DSCD, 2020), Nathaniel B. Nichols Medal (IFAC, 2014), IEEE Control Systems Technology Award (IEEE CSS, 2009) and IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award (IEEE CSS, 2007 and 2018). He is a Fellow of IEEE, IFAC, ASME and Institute of Physics (UK). Moheimani received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from University of New South Wales, Australia in 1996. His current research interests include applications of control and estimation in high-precision mechatronic systems, high-speed scanning probe microscopy and advanced atomically precise manufacturing.
