In a world where humans and robots are increasingly co-existing, student researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are working on projects to help humans better interact with their robotic partners, and to enable robots to be more capable, more efficient and more user-friendly human assistants. Here a student team has built a robot that can take visitors on a tour of a campus building. Using cameras and sensors, the team also employed speech recognition, computer vision and navigation technologies to create a robot that can recognize and move around obstacles in its way and take people to multiple locations. It also can communicate with its users verbally and using facial expressions on a computer screen.
Nuclear radiation is a rampant threat around the world—one that many may not even be aware exists. Together with the MIT Media Lab, WPI researchers are working to create a way for citizens to take the threat of nuclear radiation into their own hands, protecting themselves and others from unknown radiological releases.
Raghvendra Cowlagi, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), conducts research on a number of problems related to the challenges presented by autonomous vehicles, including optimal methods for planning and controlling their movements. Much of his research focuses on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones. In one current project, he is developing methods that will allow teams of unmanned aerial and terrestrial vehicles (UXVs) to cooperate as they respond to emergencies, including natural disasters.
WPI research team shows spinach leaves stripped of plant cells can become a vascular network to deliver blood, oxygen and nutrients to grow human tissues like cardiac muscle to treat heart attack patients. This green solution may solve the major problem now limiting the regeneration of large section of human tissues, bone, even whole organs to treat disease or traumatic injuries.
In this video, NOVA producer Alex Clark shares 3 fundamentals of shooting with a smart phone, from optimizing your phone to store high quality videos to holding your camera and framing your shot.
Want to elevate the lighting and audio in your videos? NOVA producer Alex Clark breaks down proper audio and lighting techniques to consider, whether you’re shooting with a professional camera or a smart phone!
Inspired by nature, Carlo Pinciroli, assistant professor of computer science and robotics engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), leads a research team in the Novel Engineering for Swarm Technologies Laboratory that is trying to give swarms of fairly simple robots a sort of collective intelligence, so they can sense their environment, communicate, and work together efficiently and safely.
In this presentation, we will introduce you with the world of drying. You will get a basic understanding of the concept of drying and the importance of drying. You will also learn about multiple innovative drying technologies that are developed in CARD. Our undergraduate researcher will also share his personal experience of working in the research lab and WPI.
This video will demonstrate some basic science behind how concussion occurs in the brain. A concussion is the damage to the brain caused by external head impact. In particular, the rotational part of the impact is the primary reason to cause the brain to change shape. This will lead to the so-called “brain deformation” that stretches brain tissue, in particular, the white matter region. This part of the brain connects different gray matter regions of the brain, and will, therefore, disrupt the information flow within the brain. When brain deformation is too great, injury will occur, which leads to concussive symptoms.