Autonomous Systems

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Robots have long worked in factory environments, separated from humans and left to perform repetitive tasks in highly controlled workplaces. However, a major shift is taking place. Robots are moving beyond the factory floor to work in less predictable workplaces, shared with humans. The challenge is that robots can no longer execute a path or trajectory in open-loop. They must sense their environmental surroundings and react in real-time. The prototypical example is autonomous driving. Rather than redesigning roads with autonomous cars in mind, we are asking the cars to operate within the current infrastructure. Vehicles must continuously sense their surroundings, safely navigate through construction zones, avoid unexpected hazards, and even deal with erratic drivers.This shift is demanding a new generation of robots that act autonomously and intelligently and are capable of safely performing tasks in real-world environments. Dr. Stephen L. Smith, Canada Research Chair in Autonomous Systems, is working to develop the intelligence and planning algorithms that will power this next generation of robots.The chair's research is tackling some of the fundamental challenges in creating robots that can seamlessly operate in human-centric environments. Smith's research seeks to create robots that possess several key capabilities. Robots should adapt their behaviours to the preferences of their users, and should operate safely and efficiently in the presence of uncertainty. These challenges will be addressed by developing algorithms that enable robots to 1) learn how to perform tasks through simple interactions with a user; 2) plan safe and efficient motion in real-world environments.; and 3) proactively identify unsafe situations and seamlessly hand off autonomy to human supervisors.The goal of this research is to create robots that can be integrated directly into the current infrastructure, without requiring custom facilities or other modifications to the workplace. This would greatly expand the range of industries where autonomous systems can be used to improve efficiency and labour productivity, enabling applications from agriculture, robot fleets in delivery applications, material transport in manufacturing environments and beyond.