{"683580":{"#nid":"683580","#data":{"type":"event","title":"IRIM Spring 2026 Seminar | An Overview of IHMC\u0027s Work into the Design of Hardware and Autonomy for Humanoid Robots","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract: \u003C\/strong\u003EThe last five years have seen the transition of the perception of humanoid robots as almost exclusively a research platform to a viable commercial platform. The believed wide applicability of these platforms stems from their huge potential capabilities. With form factors inspired by humans, the hope is that these robots may one day be as capable as their biological counterparts. One of their areas of greatest potential impact are in highly uncertain, highly variable settings like disaster response. However, what goes into making this possible?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis talk will be broken into two parts. First, we will talk about the hardware design of humanoid robots, in particular the design of IHMC\u0027s custom humanoids, Nadia and Alex. These systems are highly articulated and thus highly complex, with many degrees of freedom and many subsystems. Beyond complexity, however, enabling them to move through environments dynamically and efficiently requires careful consideration of not only their actuator design but also the passive dynamics. Then, we will talk about IHMC\u0027s work in the design of autonomy and human interfaces to enable humans to team with humanoid robots to explore and work in novel environments. This will overview the approach for one of the earliest uses of virtual reality to control humanoid robots.\u0026nbsp; We will also highlight IHMC\u0027s design of a flexible autonomy architecture built on behavior trees that enables on-the-fly drafting of novel behaviors and reliable reactivity, including the inclusion of human intervention when encountered with uncertainty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBio: \u003C\/strong\u003EDr. Robert Griffin is a Senior Research Scientist at IHMC and Director of Research Professor at the University of West Florida. His research focuses on improving mobility and autonomy for legged robotics and powered exoskeletons. He is interested in system level approaches for improving the mobility and capability of these robotic platforms, including platform design, motion design and control, autonomy and manipulation, and perception.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Griffin leads the robotics group at IHMC, directing a number of projects focusing on advancing robotics. This has included the Office of Naval Research\u0027s SquadBot program, which has led to the development of the Alex and Nadia humanoid robots. He has also led the algorithm development for NASA Johnson Space Center\u0027s Valkyrie project, including using Valkyrie as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician. Dr. Griffin has also guided the development of a number of exoskeleton systems, including devices used for regaining mobility as well as worker assistance for the Department of Energy. The research in these projects has included the development of novel simplified models for locomotion, contact planning, environmental modeling, the development of autonomy algorithms, and hardware design. His work has resulted in a number of recognitions, including several best paper awards, qualifying as a finalist in the Toyota Mobility Foundation\u0027s Mobility Unlimited Challenge, a 2nd and 4th place finish in the Cybathlon Powered Exoskeleton race, and being named as the Outstanding Research Organization in the 2025 Humanoid Robotics Industry Awards.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Griffin earned his bachelor\u2019s degree from Tennessee Tech University, and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2017 with a primary research focus on the control of bipedal robotic mobility for humanoids and exoskeletons. This includes the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot with ONR and Virginia Tech\u2019s entry into the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAll Seminars Held on Wednesdays 12:15 - 1:15pm\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Featuring - Robert Griffin | Senior Research Scientist at IHMC \u0026 Director of Research Professor, University of West Florida"}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2025-08-06 14:10:45","changed_gmt":"2026-03-05 14:26:54","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-03-11T12:15:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-03-11T13:15:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-03-11T13:15:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-03-11 16:15:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-03-11 17:15:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-03-11 17:15:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"KLAUS BUILDING 1116 E\u0026W","extras":["free_food"],"hg_media":{"679528":{"id":"679528","type":"image","title":"Robert-Griffin.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobert Griffin |\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003ESenior Research Scientist at IHMC \u0026amp; Director of Research Professor, University of West Florida\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1772720589","gmt_created":"2026-03-05 14:23:09","changed":"1772720589","gmt_changed":"2026-03-05 14:23:09","alt":"Robert Griffin | Senior Research Scientist at IHMC \u0026 Director of Research Professor, University of West Florida","file":{"fid":"263701","name":"Robert-Griffin.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/05\/Robert-Griffin.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/05\/Robert-Griffin.png","mime":"image\/png","size":167002,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/05\/Robert-Griffin.png?itok=_R4UJsCi"}}},"media_ids":["679528"],"groups":[{"id":"322011","name":"College of Computing Events"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"545781","name":"Institute for Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"142761","name":"IRIM"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188087","name":"go-irim"},{"id":"187582","name":"go-ibb"},{"id":"8963","name":"biomechanics"},{"id":"69541","name":"humanoid robotics"},{"id":"7264","name":"autonomous"},{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"78771","name":"Public"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003Echrista.ernst@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}