IISc HiRo Lab

The Human-interactive Robotics (HiRo) Lab is a research group in the Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber-Physical Systems at the Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru set up and led by Prof. Ravi Prakash.

Our group’s research interests lie at the intersection of robotics, machine learning and human-robot interaction - with a focus on robot manipulation for real world applications i.e., healthcare, retail, space robots etc. The central principle is to enable humans with different levels of robotic expertise to transfer their knowledge and experience about skills and tasks to the robot to explore and execute the tasks in unstructured novel scenarios.

Research advances (sketched above) are targeted in the domain of

• Interactive Skill Learning
  • Imitation Learning via Dynamical Systems, DMPs, Gaussian Processes
  • Imperfect Human Demonstration
  • Uncertainity Estimation
  • Bimanual Manipulation
• Generalization in New Situations
  • Generalization of Policy via Task-Parameterization (i.e., frame, object, obstacle, landmarks)
  • Generalization of Task via Object Relationship Modeling (i.e., affordances)
• Long Horizon Task
  • Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning
  • Task and Motion Planning/Learning
  • Spatio-Temporal Specification for Time-Critical Scenarios
• Low Level Robot Control
  • Impedance Control for HRI
  • AI augmented Optimal Control
  • Stability Guarentee for Interconnected Systems
  • Fail Safe Motion in Human Environment