Bob Bolles

Richard D. (Dick) Klafter, one of the early leaders in the field of robotics and automation and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, was born on 5 August 1936 and died 11 November 2019. He received an undergraduate degree at MIT, two graduate degrees from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the City University of New York (1969).

In this interview, Dickmanns discusses his interest and involvement with the field of robotics, especially in computer vision, control design, and autonomously driving vehicles. He outlines the theories and structures behind his research projects, the challenges he faced in developing them, and the final results and applications produced. Additionally, he reflects on his career influences, his contribution to the field, and the evolution of robotics over the past few decades and projected into the future.

In this interview, Choset recounts his career in robotics and his contributions to the field. He describes his early interest in motion which led him to study robotics, and his early collaborations with Ruzena Bajcsy and Joel Burdick which helped guide his career. He speaks about his research at Carnegie Mellon, especially his work on medical robots, his contribution to the development of the snake robot, and his various industrial and student collaborations, and the practical applications that arose from it. Additionally, he reflects on the evolution of the field of medical robotics, and provides advice to young people interested in the field.

In this interview, Parker discusses her early life and how she became interested in robotics and artificial intelligence. She also discusses the various projects she has worked on, her main work creating robots that can work with people, where the robot can infer what to do without human command. She also talks about the barriers young women face going into IT fields and what they can do to get into the field and succeed.

In this interview, Asada discusses his interest in with robots and robotic interactions. He outlines his research in image processing as it relates to robotics and automation, as well as on robotic behaviors, robot-environment and robot-human interactions, and machine learning. He reflects on his involvement with the development of the RoboCup program, and on his own accomplishments and those of his previous students. Additionally, he reflects on future research endeavors and the future potential of the field of robotics, and provides advice for those who wish to pursue it.

In this interview, Allison Okamura discusses her work in robotics, focusing on manipulation, planning, and sensory feedback and haptics. Describing her time with Immersion and at Johns Hopkins and Stanford, she outlines her involvement with robotics projects, such as Da Vinci Surgical System and the snake robot, and the innovations and successes of her work. Additionally, she describes her involvement in the robotics community, the role of women in robotics, and the challenges and potential of the field.