Robotics Research
Results and resources from our robotics initiatives
The robots are coming! Actually, they are already here—in our homes, workplaces, transport systems, and even places of education and entertainment. Robots are increasingly among us, sharing our world, and it is important to understand how we can best interact in order to help humanity. This is the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), where our research is currently primarily focused. We have also actively researched the use of robots as a compelling context for teaching such subjects as beginner computer science and programming.
Projects
- Institute for Personal Robots in Education
Resources and robot kits for use in computer science education, in a joint effort with Georgia Tech and Bryn Mawr College. - Human-Robot Interaction Research
Active research projects ineight universities and other labs around the world, focusing on the shift from "robots as tools" to "social robots."
Research Tools and Services
- Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio
A Windows-based environment for academic, hobbyist, and commercial developers to easily create robotics applications across a wide variety of hardware. Extensive online training materials include more than 30 tutorials, videos, and an active online community for peer technical support. See also:
Microsoft Robotics Studio Introduction on Channel 9
Microsoft Robotics Blog - Microsoft Robotics Downloads
Software is a free download for research and non-commercial purposes. - CCR and DSS Toolkit
Concurrency and Coordination Runtime and Decentralized Software Services libraries and tools
Publications
- Q&A: Robots in the Computer Science Classroom
- Robotics Academic Courseware
Microsoft Academic Resource Center includes extensive courseware for robotics in the classroom - Experiences Teaching CS1 with Personal Robots, Microsoft Research Latin American Academic Summit, 2008
Events and Opportunities
- Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Pioneer Workshop 2009
March 10, 2009 - 2009 Robotics: Science and Systems Conference
June 28–July 1, 2009 - RoboCup Symposium 2009
June 29–July 5, 2009 - IJCAI Robotics Workshop 2009
July 13–16, 2009
