Ronald Arkin

Vijay Kumar was born in Patna, India in 1962. Dr. Kumar received his Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1987.

Radhika Nagpal is the Fred Kavli Professor of Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University.

In this interview, Hagita discusses his work in robotics, with a focus on human-robot interaction, agent systems and networked robots, visual perception, and pattern recognition and learning. He recounts his robotics work at various research laboratories, such as Steven Palmer's lab at UC Berkeley, and his time and contributions at NTT and ATR. He reflects on the influences and successes of his career, his involvement in creating the IRC and Media Information Lab at ATR, and the collaborations on various projects (such as Robovie and RFID tags). Additionally he comments on the evolution and difficulties of robotics, and provides advice to young people interested in the field.

In this interview, Inoue discusses his career in the field of robotics, focusing on his graduate research and his work at the ETL and the University of Tokyo. Recounting his early interest in engineering and robotics, he outlines his involvement in several robotics projects, including development of a robot arm and intelligent robots. He comments on the state of robotics labs and funding in Japan and in America, reflects on the challenges of robotics, and provides advice to young people interested in the field.

In this interview, Matt Mason discusses his career in robotics, in particular in compliant motion, force control, and fine motion planning. Outlining his involvement in projects at IBM, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon, he provides insight into the state and evolution of robotics at the time. Describing his current work on manipulation and robotic hands, he comments on the future of robotics at CMU and of the field as a whole.