Please join the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SPCEET) and the Department of Robotics & Mechatronics Engineering as we kick off our Spring 2022 Seminar Series with Dr. Panagiotis Tsiotras from Georgia Tech! Light refreshments will be provided.

Title:
Some Recent Advances in Sampling-Based Optimal Motion Planning for Autonomous Systems by Dr. Panagiotis Tsiotras, Professor at Georgia Tech
 
Abstract:
Computing efficiently feasible or optimal trajectories lies at the core of all autonomous robotic systems. Traditional techniques, based on optimal control and trajectory optimization, do not scale well for high-dimensional spaces, especially in the presence of several state constraints and/or obstacles and under tight time constraints. Sampling-based methods have been proposed over the last decade as a viable alternative to solve problems in high-dimensional spaces. However, these methods still encounter issues in terms of convergence speed and the ability to sample efficiently. In this talk, I will discuss our recent work on developing asymptotically optimal motion planning algorithms using sampling-based methods that expedite convergence using ideas from dynamic programming, thus bridging the gap between these recent methods and the more traditional methods based on optimal control. In addition, I will present intelligent sampling techniques to minimize exploration, along with extensions to joint semantic/geometric planning involving single or multiple agents.
 
Short Bio:
Dr. Panagiotis Tsiotras is the David and Andrew Lewis Endowed Chair Professor at the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech. At Georgia Tech, he is also the Director of the Dynamics and Control Systems Laboratory and an Associate Director for the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM). His current research interests are in optimal and nonlinear control and their connections with AI with applications to aerial, space and ground vehicle autonomy. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Mathematics. He is currently the Chief Editor of the Frontiers of Robotics and AI in the area of Space Robotics.  He is the recipient of the NSF Career Award, the IEEE Excellence Award in Aerospace Control, the Outstanding Aerospace Engineer award from Purdue, and the Sigma Xi Research Excellence Award. He is a Fellow of AIAA, IEEE, and AAS.

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About the Series:
The Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SPCEET) Seminar Series is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas within and across the college’s disciplines through research. We invite speakers from top research institutions and within SPCEET to give presentations on their ongoing and most recently completed research projects each semester.

The Seminar Series provides faculty, staff, and students an excellent opportunity to directly interact with leaders in their research areas, get valuable feedback on their ongoing work from peers, and create possibilities for high-impact collaboration.