Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Hi there! I am currently a Robotics PhD candidate at the University of Michigan in the Robot Studio Lab, and my research focuses on creating robot characters, design in HRI, and physical robotic touch.
I am a PhD student in the Robotics Department at the University of Michigan where I am part of the Robot Studio Lab led by Dr. Patricia Alves-Oliveira. My current research projects are: 1) Touch: Creating comfortable, safe, and intuitive touch interactions between robots and humans in medical and caregiving scenarios. 2) Vista: Exploring new design directions for socially engaging robots that can help make pediatric eye exams more accessible. By collaborating with a multidisciplinary team specializing in UX design, fashion, and medicine, we are developing a panel of robot characters for a robotic OCT system. 3) Futures: Visioning the future of design evolution in HRI through workshops with academic and industry experts.
I worked as a researcher at UC Irvine in the Cognitive Anteater Robotics Laboratory (CARL) led by Dr. Jeffrey Krichmar. In collaboration with Toyota Motor North America, we examined how to improve the usability of telepresence robotics by implementing autonomous navigation features to reduce cognitive load and improve user experience. Our paper was accepted for publication in the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning.
Research assistant to Dr. Jeffrey Krichmar. Worked on a study investigating how telepresence robots can better aid homebound students in their education and academic social settings.
Student researcher at the Chubb-Wright Lab at UCI. Special focus on attention, perception, and movement in regards to reporting centroids.