Robotics Research in the UNC System

Christopher BrownVice President for Research and Graduate Education

2015 IEEE RoboResearch Seminar

March 6th, 2015

UNC Strategic Directions

UNC Strategic Directions

• Defense, Military, Security

• Data Science

• Coastal and Marine Science

• Energy

• Advanced Manufacturing

Pharmacoengineering

• Competitive funding

• 74 pre-proposals requesting $105 million

• Six awardees covering all six priority areas

UNC ROI• NC Carbon Materials Initiative: Materials Design, Processing, and Manufacturing for

Defense and Energy Needs

Harald Ade, PhD, NC State University; Partnering institutions: North Carolina Central

University, UNC-Chapel Hill

• North Carolina Data Science and Analytics Initiative

Mirsad Hadzikadic, PhD, UNC-Charlotte; Partnering institutions: NC State University,

UNC-CH Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI)

• Revolutionizing and commercializing rapid molecular diagnostics for viral and bacterial

pathogen quantification in marine waters and seafoodpathogen quantification in marine waters and seafood

Rachel T. Noble, PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences; Partnering

institution: UNC-Charlotte

UNC ROI• Salinity Gradient Energy – An inexhaustible Clean Energy Resource for North Carolina

Douglas Call, PhD, NC State University; Partnering institutions: UNC Coastal Studies Institute,

UNC-Chapel Hill

• Pharmacoengineering: Integrating Engineering with Pharmaceutical Sciences to Improve

the Delivery of Therapeutic and Diagnostic Agents

Michael Jay, PhD and Frances Ligler, D.Phil., D.Sc., UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University

• Bioengineering microalgae for large-scale production of therapeutic antibodies against

Ebola, West Nile virus and rabies

TinChung Leung, PhD, North Carolina Central University; Partnering Institutions: UNC-Chapel TinChung Leung, PhD, North Carolina Central University; Partnering Institutions: UNC-Chapel

Hill, NC State University)

High-Tech Manufacturing

Dinesh Manocha, Computer Science, UNC-CH

Partnership with Kuka Robotics

Autonomous Robots

NC State Aerial Robotics Club:

2014 AUVSI SUAS World

Champions

Fenrir

NCSU Underwater Robotics Club

Seawolf VI

Autonomous Robots

Smart Energy Response

System (SERS)

Alper Bozkurt and David

Roberts, NC State University

Partners: MathWorks,

University of Washington, University of Washington,

MIT, BluHaptics, National

Instruments, University of

North Texas, Boeing, and

Worcester Polytechnic

Institute

Biobots

Edgar Lobaton, NCSU

Alper Bozkurt, NCSU

Medical & Assistive RobotsDemonstration-Guided Motion

Planning

Motion Planning for Concentric

Tube Robots

Ron Alterovitz,

UNC-CH

Ron Alterovitz

Comp Sci

UNC-CH

NASA / NC Space Grant

Course Development

A Service Learning Course Utilizing Mobile Robots (Duke)

Development of Bio-Inspired Robotics Program for

Space Systems Senior Deign Course (NCSU)

K-12 Prof Dev

Bringing Robotics into the Classroom (UNC-P)

High Country Robotics (ASU)

Student Team/Senior Design

IEEE SoutheastCon Hardware Competition (UNC-C)

NASA Lunabotics Competition (UNC-C)

NASA Robotic Mining Competition (UNC-C)

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s

Unmanned Air Systems Competition (NCSU)

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s

International RoboSub Competition (NCSU)

VIKING-BOT: Autonomous Mobile Robot (ECSU)

Funding opportunities

• DARPA Grand Challenge

– DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC)

• Department of Defense (DOD)

– Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)(DURIP)

• National Robotics Initiative (NRI)

– Deadline December 3, 2015, then annually

– funding from NSF, NASA, NIH, USDA, DOD, DARPA

– $30-50M in funding in 2015, 25-70 awards

NC Funding Opportunities

• Defense, Military, Security• Defense, Military, Security

• Data Science

• Coastal and Marine Science

• Energy

• Advanced Manufacturing

• Pharmacoengineering

Innovation to Jobs (I2J)

Invention/

Innovation

Proof of

Concept

Market

Validation

Product

Development

Company

Expansion

Pre-Commercial Arena Commercial Arena

Sequential Model of Innovation Commercialization Ecosystem

Innovation Expansion

(Jobs)1. University Innovation

Commercialization Council

2. Univ. Innovation Commercialization Grants

3. Small Business Innovation

Commercialization Grants

6. Rallying Investors & Skilled Entrepreneurs for NC (RISE NC) Network

5. Startup Investment Targeted

Exemption for NC (SITE NC)

4. Venture Multiplier

Fund

I2J Working Group Recommendations(Overview of components)

RECOMMENDATION SUMMARYTOTAL

COSTSOURCE

DevelopingandPositioningPre-CommercialInnovationsfortheMarket

1. Councilfor

Commercializing

UniversityInnovations

Definesbestpracticesforinnovation

commercializationatNCuniversities,promotes

inter-universitycooperationand

standardizationwherepossible,andcatalyzes

Nonew

funding

needed

Expensesminimal

andabsorbedby

participants

standardizationwherepossible,andcatalyzes

transformationinculturetoencourage

technologycommercialization

2. UniversityInnovation

CommercializationGrant

Program

Providesfundingandprocessfortechnology

proofofconcept,validation,

commercialization,translation,etc.,for

technologiesdevelopedbyNCuniversitiesand

researchnot-for-profits

$10MM

annually,

phasedin

overthree

years

Expandedstate

appropriations

Recommendations for NC

• Pursue state, federal, and private sector funding opportunities

• Promote collaboration among NC campuses

• Strengthen collaboration between academia • Strengthen collaboration between academia and industry

• Strive for commercialization of academic research