Head of the Collaborative Robotics Lab at Purdue University Richard Voyles talks about rescue robotics and advising politicians about robotics. Richard shares how he reacted to the Three Mile Island accident by doing robotics research focused on rescue robotics. He also talks about how robotics has been able to help out in the later nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukoshima. We hear about how long different types of equipment last in such extreme environments and the spectrum of work that is being done in the area. We also learn how things we take for granted are not always true in a rescue situation and that creates a challenge for the sensors used in that environment. Richard and Per then discuss the role of robotics in the community and the importance of considering it in the political landscape. This interview was recorded in 2015.
Prof. Voyles is head of the Collaborative Robotics Lab at Purdue University and Director of the Robotics Accelerator, Prof. Voyles knows robots! With expertise in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science, Dr. Voyles' research interest include novel robotic mechanisms, sensors, self-adaptive software, real-time control, and gesture-based human/robot interaction. His professional experience includes IBM, Avanti Optics, Integrated Systems and Dart Controls, tenured academic positions at the University of Minnesota, University of Denver, and Purdue University, positions with the federal government including leading the National Robotics Initiative at the National Science Foundation and Assistant Director for Robotics and Cyber-Physical Systems at the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House, and Board of Director positions on The Works, Easton Family Foundation, Minnesota Virtual Simulations and Mark V Automation.
His formal training includes the PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University, and BS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue. At Purdue, Prof Voyles studies infrastructure tools for self-adaptation in real-time and embedded systems. He also directs research in miniature robotics for search and rescue, including small crawling ground robots for penetration into rubble, hybrid serpentine robots for moving over rubble, and high-precision UAVs for inspecting rubble and structures from the air.
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