Taskin Padir

Remember the movie “Avatar,” where humans could take control of other bodies through technology? That’s basically what the Northeastern team is trying to achieve with their robotic avatar. “Hollywood is always a century ahead of the technology, but you know I think we’re catching up,” said Professor Taskin Padir, who leads the project.

Technology has come a long way since robots were first introduced into the automotive industry more than 50 years ago. “However, although robots can weld, paint and assemble car parts, they are still far from becoming equivalent to human workers,” said Taskin Padir, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University. “The robots […]

Meet Valkyrie: She’s 6 feet and 2 inches tall, weighs about 300 pounds, and cost $2 million — and one day this humanoid space robot, or more likely her much more advanced descendant, might help humans colonize Mars. NASA has provided MIT and Northeastern University with Valkyrie prototypes for further development; Northeastern’s Valkyrie is hosted […]

Robotics expert Taskin Padir says robotics and automation will have “brand new implications” for large, medium and small companies. These will include training the existing workforce with new skills such as supervising robots and developing strategies for integration of the robot workforce into the human workforce. “It only makes sense if these strategies and operational […]

Though robots are getting more and more involved in factory work and in a wide range of other types of jobs – including in the service industry and health care – their dexterity is not nearly as impressive. Since people first brought them to work in automotive factories more than 50 years ago, we have […]

Companies will also need someone experienced in A.I., since it will be the smarts in autonomous machines. “Applications of machine learning in robotics is on the rise,” said Taskin Padir, an associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, in Boston. “Each practical robot system will rely on some level of A.I. to […]

She’s a first step toward a goal of human colonization of Mars and beyond, a wonderful dream for a robot currently tethered to the ceiling of a warehouse in snowy Lowell, Massachusetts, an hour’s drive outside of Boston. The Lowell model is one of four units produced by NASA. The space agency held onto one […]

Valkyrie is one of the newest “kids” on campus at Boston’s Northeastern University. She stands 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 285 pounds and dreams about exploring Mars someday. However, Valkyrie isn’t a student. She’s an advanced humanoid robot that resides at the school’s Robotics and Intelligent Vehicles Research Laboratory (RIVeR). The organization is working […]