My name is Rob.
I’m a sixth year PhD candidate studying robotics at the University of Michigan. There’s a pretty broad spectrum of things that count as robotics, so to ground things out a little further, I am part of the Computer Science department and work with Prof. Edwin Olson in the APRIL Robotics Lab. My research interests lie in the intersection of navigation, perception, and human-in-the-loop. How can we communicate with robots effectively so that they may aid us in tasks that move them through large, potentially unknown environments?
When not banging my face against a keyboard, I often find myself cycling, playing ultimate as part of Ann Arbor Ultimate, or splitting a bomber of an exciting craft beer with my roommate Erik. Sometimes, I also just bang my face against my keyboard at home, but this time, for entertainment purposes. At the time of this writing, that means I’m probably playing Rocket League or Europa Universalis 4, since I’m a sucker for grand strategy. I’m also a board game hobbyist, and my recent discovery of the game Brew Crafters has resulted in a joyful intersection of interests.
I’ve lived in Ann Arbor since 2006 (Wait, some astute reader exclaims; I thought you were a sixth year. Correct, dear reader! I also happened to pursue my undergraduate studies in CS at the UofM), but originally come from the small Borough of Fair Haven, NJ. As a result, I have strong opinions about pizza, bagels, and (almost entirely) unjustified distaste for the cities of Boston and Philadelphia.