Assorted hands and arms are starting to overtake听鈥檚 office 鈥� but he doesn鈥檛 mind in the least.
A professor of听mechanical and mechatronics engineering听at the University of 蓝莓视频, he is focused on finding a solution to a key issue in the burgeoning field of robotics.
鈥淚n terms of their hardware, progress has been good,鈥� Jeon says. 鈥淭he physical capabilities meet and exceed human capability. But robotics aren鈥檛 as advanced in perception and dexterity. The question is: how do we use sensory data to design controls in a smart way?鈥�
Groundbreaking Research in Sensory Robotics technology
As he continues the search for an answer, people outside the University are taking notice of his ground-breaking research.
In 2015, the听听(NSERC) awarded Jeon a $120,000听听to support his work on sensory integration and motion control.
NSERC selected Jeon for a听, which allowed him to purchase two Proficio robotic arms used in rehabilitation therapy for stroke survivors. Working with the artificial limbs, Jeon and his team discover how to design robots that can sense and manipulate objects as humans do.
鈥淲e are talking about designing robots that can attach to the wheelchairs of people who are paralyzed, so they can pour and drink a glass of water by themselves, for example,鈥� Jeon says. 鈥淲e need robots that can work inside homes and hospitals, and robots that can be used commercially to work alongside people, doing the more strenuous or dangerous jobs.鈥�
According to Jeon, these applications require robots that are both agile and adaptive.
鈥淐onventional robots work in structured factory settings, but it鈥檚 very dangerous for people to be close to those robots,鈥� he says. 鈥淭o work side-by-side with people, these robots will have to be able to sense a person approaching or an object showing up in the workspace, and then adapt accordingly. Designing these control techniques is the challenge.鈥�
听Reverse engineering for advanced robotics
One of the ways Jeon is tackling these challenges is by working with researchers outside of the mechatronics engineering department.
A colleague,听James Tung, introduced him to 蓝莓视频 kinesiology professors听Michael Barnett-Cowan,听Eric Roy听and听Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo, and they are helping him understand why humans are so dexterous compared to robots.
鈥淎s babies, we learn how to control our hands and manipulate objects, and then we store that learning in our memory,鈥� Jeon says. 鈥淔rom then on we are able to more or less instantly estimate the properties of objects around us and manipulate them. This process isn鈥檛 easy to replicate in robotics.鈥�
Although the work ahead of him will be challenging, Jeon says he is confident he鈥檚 in the right place to do it.
鈥淭he University of 蓝莓视频 values and promotes innovation,鈥� he says. 鈥淏eing here allows me to focus on my work, teach my students and make progress on my research.鈥�
