Virtual Coaches in Healthcare: A Vision of the Future

CISE Distinguished Lecture

September 20, 2012 10:00 AM  to

September 20, 2012 11:00 AM

NSF Room 110

Abstract:

With health care costs raising astronomically and the number of aging increasing, there are not enough economic or human resources in the way of care givers to meet society's needs. A confluence of technologies including miniature electronics, digital communications, human-computer interaction, robotics, and machine learning makes possible the creation of intelligent assistants that monitor and communicate with users, understand their needs and goals, and compensate for diminished capabilities as we age or suffer a disability. This talk will highlight the research challenges in creating virtual coaches that monitor user activities providing reminders and advice to reach personal and caregiver goals.

Daniel P. Siewiorek is the Buhl University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.  He is the Director of the Quality of Life Technology Center, an NSF ERC in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh. Previously he served as head of CMU's Human Computer Interaction Institute.  His research interests span human interaction with intelligent systems, mobile and ubiquitous computing, and system reliability. He has designed or been involved with the design of nine multiprocessors, over two-dozen commercial computers, and over 20 generations of mobile systems.  He has written nine textbooks and is a recipient of major awards from AAEE, IEEE, and ACM. He is a Fellow of IEEE, ACM, and AAAS, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

To Join the Webinar:

The Webinar will be held from 10:00-11:00am EST on September 20, 2012 in Room 110.

To attend virtually, please register by August 15, 23:59 PDT at: https://mmancusa.webex.com/mmancusa/j.php?ED=190362862&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

After your registration is accepted, you will get an email with a URL to join the meeting. Please be sure to join a few minutes before the start of the webinar. This system does not establish a voice connection on your computer; instead, your acceptance message will have a toll-free phone number that you will be prompted to call after joining.  Please note that this registration is a manual process; therefore, do not expect an immediate acceptance.  In the event the number of requests exceeds the capacity, some requests may have to be denied.

Crowdsourcing -- Science Behind the News

When humans and computers work together, they can find solutions to many different types of problems. Luis von Ahn, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, explains the science behind crowdsourcing and how the concept is helping solve such diverse problems as digitizing books online and translating the web to foreign languages.

Credit: NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation (NSF)

NASA and Carnegie Mellon University Celebrate 10 Years of Innovative Partnership

A decade of innovative research, academic excellence and entrepreneurial successes highlighted a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Silicon Valley Campus in the NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, Calif., on Saturday, June 8, 2012.

In 2002, the NASA Research Park (NRP) began collaborative partnerships with academia, industry and non-profits to stimulate innovation and education in science and research disciplines critical to space exploration. NASA Ames partnerships were meant to create a dynamic, integrated research community that provides research and development (R&D) leadership into the 21st century. Key areas include astrobiology, information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Today, the NRP has more than 90 partners.

One of the NRP’s first partnerships was Carnegie Mellon University. It has been a hub for developing creative software management leaders and entrepreneurial startups. More than 650 students have graduated from this beacon of technological achievement, and in a wide-variety of R&D programs. Since its inception in 2002, CMU’s Silicon Valley campus has quadrupled in size and helped launch more than a dozen startups.

“With more than 400 VIPS attending, it was a celebration of CMU’s outstanding success in Silicon Valley, highlighting R&D and education innovative collaborations with NASA Ames and many Silicon Valley companies, especially in high-tech applications to disaster planning and assistance,” said Michael Marlaire, director of NASA Research Park.

Many CMU Silicon Valley alums credit their career success to novel teaching, encouraging them to try new ideas, shedding those ideas quickly if unsuccessful and moving on to the next new thing. That problem-solving DNA, so intrinsic to the CMU culture, is demonstrated by the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship program.

CMU's Silicon Valley campus offers part-time and full-time master's degree programs in software engineering, software management, information networking and electrical and computer engineering, as well as a Ph.D. program in electrical and computer science.

"We are celebrating not just our academic achievements, but our important role as a change agent in the dynamic eco-system of Silicon Valley, said Martin Griss, director of CMU Silicon Valley campus. “We are excited to achieve the envisioned balance and synergy between innovative education, research and entrepreneurship."

For more information about the Silicon Valley campus anniversary, go to  http://researchpark.arc.nasa.gov/.

For more information about the Silicon Valley campus anniversary, go to http://www.cmu.edu/silicon-valley/10years.

Lynn Speaks on Advanced Manufacturing at Carnegie Mellon

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2011 – Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III gave the defense perspective on advanced manufacturing yesterday while attending the launch of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

President Barack Obama created the partnership to bring together industry, universities and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies that, according to a White House statement, will “create high-quality manufacturing jobs and enhance our global competitiveness.”

The president’s plan, which leverages existing programs and proposals, will invest more than $500 million to jumpstart this effort, bringing together leading universities and companies to invent, deploy and scale these cutting-edge technologies.

In his remarks at the event, Lynn said the history of advanced manufacturing in the Defense Department can be told through three individuals: the inventor Eli Whitney, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, and Regina Dugan, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Before Whitney had success with the cotton gin, the deputy secretary said, he went to Congress in 1801 with a proposal to build muskets with interchangeable parts.

Whitney took 10 muskets to Congress, disassembled them, and threw all of the parts in a pile, Lynn said.

“And then he reassembled them, with different parts constituting each new musket,” he added, “something that had never before been done. Congress was impressed.

“Eventually, the Department of the Army issued a contract for 10,000 new muskets to be built using this method,” he continued. “It was one of the first widespread uses of standardized parts, and it contributed enormously to the advance of manufacturing in the United States.”

In 1984, Augustine published a book called "Augustine's Laws," which Lynn said is well known in defense circles.

One of the laws charted the cost increase in high-performance jets and tactical aircraft against the increase in the defense budget, Lynn said, noting the lines crossed in 2054.

“What that meant was that in 2054 we would have to spend the entire defense budget to buy one airplane,” he said. “He observed that we could work this out. The Navy would get it for three days a week, the Air Force for three days, and the Marines would have it on Sundays.”

Costs have continued to rise at roughly the rate Augustine predicted, Lynn said, noting much of the reason is the time it takes to design and approve new equipment.

“The time horizon of design and development is increasing at a similar pace,” he said, “which brings us to Regina Dugan, the current director of DARPA.”

Under Dugan’s leadership, DARPA has focused on an advanced manufacturing effort that uses integrated circuits manufacturing as a model for open design and configurable foundries, Lynn said, leading to the ability to crowd-source design.

“Altogether, we think this can significantly speed up the manufacturing timeline -- on the order of dividing it by a factor of five,” the deputy secretary said. “That is to say we could do it five times as fast, which could yield enormous cost-savings.”

Lynn said the pilot of a vehicle DARPA built in less than 90 days was on display at yesterday’s event.

“This is a pilot, not yet a complete vehicle,” he said. “But for DOD, this pilot has the ability to undo Augustine's law and yield advances in manufacturing equivalent to what Eli Whitney ushered in during the early 19th century.”

The department will continue to work as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, Lynn said, to “develop this approach to manufacturing for DOD and to understand its broader implications for U.S. manufacturing.”

NASA, NSF Collaborate to Develop Advanced Robotics

David E. Steitz

Headquarters, Washington

 

Lisa-Joy Zgorski

National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va.

 

WASHINGTON -- The National Science Foundation (NSF) will take the lead with NASA and two other federal agencies to support the administration's National Robotics Initiative.

The initiative complements the administrations' Advanced Manufacturing Initiative and technology transfer efforts and supports the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively, with people and that enhance individual human capabilities, performance and safety.

"To help everyone from factory workers to astronauts carry out more complicated tasks, NASA and other agencies will support research into next-generation robotics," President Obama said during a speech Friday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Over the past five years, tremendous advancements in robotics technology have enabled a new generation of assistive systems and devices in industries as diverse as manufacturing, logistics, medicine, health care, military, agriculture, and consumer products.

"NASA has been focused on human-robotic interaction for more than a decade, leading to flight of our newest crew member on the International Space Station, Robonaut2," said NASA's Chief Technologist Bobby Braun. "Our challenge today is to develop robotics technology that can increase the effectiveness and safety of humans in space and deliver cutting-edge science. Through our participation in the National Robotics Initiative, NASA will create the new knowledge, technology and capabilities needed for our future space missions while benefiting life here on Earth, today."

It is becoming increasingly evident that these early, next generation products are a harbinger of numerous, large-scale, global, robotics technology markets likely to develop in the coming decade. The robotics initiative, which pays particular attention to fundamental research and education by academia and industry, seeks to engage our next generation of scientists and engineers in fields essential in the new global technology economy.

"It's exciting to be on the forefront of creating new knowledge and to play a catalytic role in the development of smart technology that enhances America's productivity and ultimately the quality of life of Americans," said NSF Director Subra Suresh. "It's also an opportunity to harness the expertise of our colleagues in several government agencies to tackle a major challenge and to bolster creative science and the U.S. economy. NSF is proud to lead this effort."

The purpose of the initiative is to encourage innovative collaborative research that combines computer and systems science with mechanical, electrical and materials engineering and social, behavioral and economic sciences to tackle the most important and challenging problems in producing this class of human-assisting co-robotics.

Investments in the initiative from NASA, NIH, NSF and United States Department of Agriculture may reach $40 to $50 million in the first year, with anticipated growth in funding as other agencies and industry partners engage.

NIH has used robotics for the rapid screening of potential drugs and the subsequent discovery of new drugs. NIH anticipates robotics will play an important role in rehabilitation, home health care, and advanced robotic surgery in the near future.

The USDA encourages automated systems and improved robotics for inspection, sorting, processing or handling of animal or plant products, as well as multi-modal and rapid sensing systems for detecting defects, ripeness, physical damage, microbial contamination, size shape and other quality attributes of such products.

NSF will manage the solicitation and peer review selection process. All participating federal agencies will work with partners to foster the exchange of ideas and technologies that will directly benefit American today and well into the future. For more information about the National Science Foundation, visit http://www.nsf.gov.

For more information about NASA, visit

http://www.nasa.gov.

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