Baxi Chong – A Comparative Framework to Explore Principles for Diverse Robot Morphologies and Capabilities

Abstract
Morphological diversity is one of the reasons for the remarkable success of biological locomotion. Inspired by biology, my research aims to facilitate morphological diversity in robotics. My talk will address the “why” and “how” of this diversification. The rationale lies in the potential of robots with redundant and complex morphologies to operate with reduced sensor and feedback control demands. In extreme cases, such as those with sufficiently redundant legs, reliable and predictable locomotion becomes achievable without any sensing or control. To explore the “how,” I employ a comparative approach, including theoretical, numerical, and robophysical models, to unveil the complex relationships between locomotion strategy and performance in unconventionally shaped robots. Ultimately, this research lays the foundation for developing task-oriented, re-configurable robots capable of adapting both morphology and control strategy to diverse tasks.

Bio
Dr. Baxi Chong is a postdoctoral fellow at the CRAB (Complex Rheology And Biomechanics) Lab in the School of Physics at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on locomotion, aiming to diversify robot morphology with reference to evolutionary biology. Dr. Chong has contributed to high-impact journals and conferences such as Science, PNAS, IJRR, and RSS. Additionally, he actively serves as a reviewer for robotics conferences and journals, including ICRA, IROS, IJRR, and TRO. Dr. Chong obtained his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech and his Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Hong Kong.

Details

• Date: Tuesday, February 27
• Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
• Category: Special Seminar
• Location: Grier A - 34-401A

Host

• Jeff Lang
• Email: chadcoll@mit.edu