News
RASL’s Director, Dr. Nilanjan Sarkar, awarded NSF Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) Grant
Oct. 9, 2024—Vanderbilt researchers, led by Professor Nilanjan Sarkar, have received a $900,000 National Science Foundation grant to explore AI-driven solutions aimed at enhancing communication between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals. The project, supported by NSF’s Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) program, focuses on addressing the communication barriers, known as the “double empathy problem,” that...
Miroslava presents her work in Glasgow at the CONNECT Workshop!
Sep. 20, 2024—We’re thrilled to have presented our recent work, “Design and Real-World Data Adaptation of Fuzzy Logic for Naturalistic Feedback from a Social Robot in a SAR-VR System for Apathy Intervention in Older Adults”, led by Miroslava Kennedy at the CONNECT Workshop @ 24th ACM International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents in Glasgow. This research tackles...
RASL’s RAPID Project Featured in VUMC News!
Aug. 23, 2024—RASL’s project RAPID was featured in VUMC News this week! This initiative, supported by a $1.1 million National Science Foundation grant, involves Vanderbilt University and North Carolina State University researchers developing advanced wearable technology to anticipate problem behaviors in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project includes a specially designed shirt and wrist-worn sensors...
Congratulations to the Senior Design Team!
May. 9, 2024—Congratulations to the senior design team for receiving a Senior Design Award for their work on Thermal Feedback in AR! This project was mentored by the RASL lab, under the guidance of Alexandra Watkins.
Ph.D. Defense of Dr. Tiange (T) Zhang
May. 7, 2024—Congratulations to Dr. Zhang on the successful defense of her dissertation! She is the 25th Ph.D. graduate of the RASL Lab!
Ph.D. Defense of Dr. Akshith Ullal
Apr. 29, 2024—Congratulations to Dr. Ullal on the successful defense of his dissertation!
Akshith and Abigale present their NSF funded projects at the NSF S&CC PI Meeting!
Mar. 12, 2024—Akshiths poster discusses the AR Project and Abigale’s poster discusses the driving simulator and ongoing deployment across the country. You can find Abigale’s poster here: Abigale’s Poster
RASL Director, Dr. Nilanjan Sarkar, receives prestigious NSF CIVIC Stage 2 Award
Sep. 25, 2023—RASL’s very own Dr. Sarkar, in collaboration with Dr. Keivan Stassun from the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and Mary Baker-Ericzen from San Diego State University, has received the CIVIC Innovation Challenge Award of $1 Million from the National Science Foundation. The award will go towards exploring an integrated AI and behavioral science-based driving...
PhD Defense of Alexandra Watkins
Jun. 26, 2023—Alexandra successfully defended her PhD Dissertation! Congratulations Dr. Watkins!
Miroslava presents on four NSF funded projects at the Regional Innovation Showcase!
May. 1, 2023—Her poster presented four ongoing projects in the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab (RASL) that aim to address societal challenges with use-inspired technologies. See the poster here!
Successful Deployment of SARConnect in Ohio!
Mar. 23, 2023—Ritam and Nibraas visited our collaborators at The Ohio State University last month to successfully deploy SARConnect at two nursing homes in the Columbus area! Learn more about the SARConnect project here!
Miroslava and Abigale Present RASL Work at CSUN 2023 in Anaheim
Mar. 17, 2023—Presentation Link: https://vanderbilt.box.com/v/CSUNPresentation2023
PhD Defense of Ashwaq Amat
Feb. 24, 2023—Ashwaq successfully defended her PhD Dissertation! Congratulations Dr. Amat!
RASL Director Nilanjan Sarkar receives nearly $2.7 million in NSF and NIH funding to explore how augmented reality can ease loneliness in older adults
Sep. 13, 2022—“The lack of social connections in older adults can lead to serious health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, depression, and suicide,” said Sarkar, an expert in human-machine interaction. “Three-dimensional interactive technologies offer real promise when it comes to enhancing a person’s perception that their friends and loved ones are physically present.” The new research...