The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to announce another council member, Holly Yanco, has been appointed to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group beginning in August 2024. Yanco is very excited about joining the group and believes it’s a great opportunity to help vision new strategies that will be coming to computer science and robotics.  “I’m eager to work with a group of people who have knowledge in interesting areas that I haven’t explored,” Yanco said. “I’m excited to go out and learn about their process, which will enable me to see visioning from another perspective.” Yanco’s expertise in human-robot interaction, […]

In this installment of CCC’s Weekly Computing News, we are sharing an exciting opportunity for middle school students to explore the diverse field of robotics. Summer camp introduces young students to the broad field of robotics RoboXploration, a summer camp hosted at the UMass Lowell New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center, aims to introduce middle school students to the diverse field of robotics. Funded by a $50,000 grant from Amazon Robotics, the camp provides hands-on experiences such as building robotic components, coding for robotic control, and teleoperation, highlighting the breadth of robotics applications. Beyond practical skills, the camp includes field trips to industry leaders like MassRobotics and Boston […]

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to share that council member Holly Yanco and a team of researchers are leading an ambitious project called Collaborative Open-source Manipulation Performance Assessment for Robotics Enhancement (COMPARE), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), aimed at revolutionizing robot manipulation through a standardized ecosystem.  In an article from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Yanco said, “The inability to reliably grasp and manipulate objects in unstructured environments is a major limitation preventing fully assistive robot systems in the home for our growing elderly population, flexible manufacturing to improve the supply chain, and many other applications.” COMPARE has already engaged the robot manipulation community through workshops […]

Are you curious about where computational advancements will be in four decades? The Computing Community Consortium’s (CCC) council member Bill Gropp and The Computing Research Association’s Widening Participation (CRA-WP) board member Nancy Amato along with four other faculty members from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) shared their knowledge on how developments in computer science and robotics will impact society by 2067.  In an article from Illinois Alumni at the UIUC, these experts see a future of innovation and optimism despite possible challenges.  Computer Science In the future, Gropp explained that computing advancements won’t rely on faster hardware alone. Instead, compute speedups will depend on making processes more efficient […]

In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, robots are seen as a potential tool for childhood education and development. From educational resources to companionship, experts such as roboticist Henrik Christensen believe robots can mentor children.  “There are companies who have created robots to help children with autism. They have found that kids like to interact with them rather than other kids,” Christensen said. “It can be helpful for all children, especially with learning how to read or develop math skills. Kids can get mentorship individually at home.” Now let’s explore how robots can benefit children in various aspects of their growth and learning journey. Making learning engaging One of the primary […]

In recent years, industries have been struggling with a significant challenge: a shortage of skilled labor. This issue spans various fields, from manufacturing to healthcare, and is increased by factors such as demographic shifts, skill gaps, and economic fluctuations.  However, amidst these challenges, research such as the 2024 Robotics Roadmap see robotics and automation as a possible solution. Here’s how: Revolutionizing Manufacturing One of the most prominent areas where robotics is making a transformative impact is manufacturing. Traditionally labor-intensive processes have increasingly been automated, not to replace human workers, but to complement their efforts. Robots excel in tasks requiring precision, consistency, and repetition, allowing human workers to focus on more […]