Frank Dellaert
Encyclopedia
Frank Dellaert is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
. He is also affiliated with the RIM@GT
center and is well-known for contributions to Robotics
and Computer Vision
.
, in Belgium
, from 1984 to 1989 and received an academic engineering degree (Burg. Ir.) in Electrical Engineering
. He attended the Case Western Reserve University
from 1993 to 1995 and received a master's degree
in Computer Science and Engineering. In 1995 he began studying at Carnegie Mellon University
where he worked as a Research Assistant and received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science
in 2001. In August of that same year, he joined the faculty of Georgia Institute of Technology
.
and Monte Carlo approximations
and how to attain efficiency with approximation methods. In 1999, together with his colleagues Dieter Fox
, Sebastian Thrun
, and Wolfram Burgard
, Frank Dellaert helped develop the Monte Carlo localization
algorithm, a probabilistic approach to mobile robot localization that is based on the particle filter
. His methodologies for estimating and tracking robotic movements have become a standard and popular tool in mobile robotics. Since joining Georgia Tech, he has explored probabilistic model-based reasoning, paired with randomized approximation methods in advanced sequential Monde Carlo methods, Spatio-Temporal Reconstruction from images, and Simultaneous Location and Mapping. While at Tech, he has applied functional programming
to robotics research and education, aiming to educate students about how functional languages embody many of the advancements in computer science and how well-suited it can be in that field.
Dellaert's research is also being used in such projects as SWAN, augmented reality research, and 4D
Cities. SWAN (System for Wearable Audio Navigation) is a wearable computer system that takes in details about the web and relays certain signals to the user, aimed at assisting the blind or others during low-visibility situations. Dellaert is researching ways to make its awareness system more exact and efficient. The 4D Cities project, developed by Dellaert and Grant Schindler with help from Sing Bing Kang of Microsoft Research
, provides a way to look at a 3D model
of a city over time. After looking at different images of a city from different points in time, the program is able to build a 3D model of the city for those times.
.
In 2005 Dellaert received a $90K NSF
CAREER award for "Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods for Large Scale Correspondence Problems in Computer Vision and Robotics."
In 2006, Dellaert was one of 8 Virtual Earth RFP (research for proposal) winners who each received a grant of up to $50,000. As a recipient of the grant
, Dellaert will research basic digital geographics that are expected to advance the state of the art, such as the 4-D Cities project.
Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing
The School of Interactive Computing is an academic unit located within the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology . It conducts both research and teaching activities related to interactive computing at the undergraduate and graduate levels...
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
. He is also affiliated with the RIM@GT
Georgia Institute of Technology Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines
The Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines is an interdisciplinary research unit at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The center was launched May, 2006, and consists of researchers from the School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing, College of Engineering, and Georgia...
center and is well-known for contributions to Robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and Computer Vision
Computer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
.
Early Education
Since his first interest in robotics when he was ten Dellaert has attended the Catholic University of LeuvenKatholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
, in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, from 1984 to 1989 and received an academic engineering degree (Burg. Ir.) in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. He attended the Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
from 1993 to 1995 and received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Computer Science and Engineering. In 1995 he began studying at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
where he worked as a Research Assistant and received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
in 2001. In August of that same year, he joined the faculty of Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Research
Frank Dellaert holds interests in the areas of robotics and computer vision, including Bayesian inferenceBayesian inference
In statistics, Bayesian inference is a method of statistical inference. It is often used in science and engineering to determine model parameters, make predictions about unknown variables, and to perform model selection...
and Monte Carlo approximations
Monte Carlo method
Monte Carlo methods are a class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to compute their results. Monte Carlo methods are often used in computer simulations of physical and mathematical systems...
and how to attain efficiency with approximation methods. In 1999, together with his colleagues Dieter Fox
Dieter Fox
Dieter Fox is a German roboticist and a Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is most notable for his contributions to several fields including robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and ubiquitous computing...
, Sebastian Thrun
Sebastian Thrun
Sebastian Thrun is a Research Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and former director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory . He led the development of the robotic vehicle Stanley which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, and which is exhibited in the Smithsonian...
, and Wolfram Burgard
Wolfram Burgard
Wolfram Burgard is a German roboticist. He is a full professor at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg where he heads the Laboratory for Autonomous Intelligent Systems...
, Frank Dellaert helped develop the Monte Carlo localization
Monte Carlo localization
In robotics and sensors, Monte Carlo localization is a Monte Carlo method to determine the position of a robot given a map of its environment based on Markov localization. It is basically an implementation of the particle filter applied to robot localization, and has become very popular in the...
algorithm, a probabilistic approach to mobile robot localization that is based on the particle filter
Particle filter
In statistics, particle filters, also known as Sequential Monte Carlo methods , are sophisticated model estimation techniques based on simulation...
. His methodologies for estimating and tracking robotic movements have become a standard and popular tool in mobile robotics. Since joining Georgia Tech, he has explored probabilistic model-based reasoning, paired with randomized approximation methods in advanced sequential Monde Carlo methods, Spatio-Temporal Reconstruction from images, and Simultaneous Location and Mapping. While at Tech, he has applied functional programming
Functional programming
In computer science, functional programming is a programming paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids state and mutable data. It emphasizes the application of functions, in contrast to the imperative programming style, which emphasizes changes in state...
to robotics research and education, aiming to educate students about how functional languages embody many of the advancements in computer science and how well-suited it can be in that field.
Dellaert's research is also being used in such projects as SWAN, augmented reality research, and 4D
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
Cities. SWAN (System for Wearable Audio Navigation) is a wearable computer system that takes in details about the web and relays certain signals to the user, aimed at assisting the blind or others during low-visibility situations. Dellaert is researching ways to make its awareness system more exact and efficient. The 4D Cities project, developed by Dellaert and Grant Schindler with help from Sing Bing Kang of Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...
, provides a way to look at a 3D model
3D modeling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...
of a city over time. After looking at different images of a city from different points in time, the program is able to build a 3D model of the city for those times.
Awards
Dellaert won a School of Computer Science Student Award during his stay at Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
In 2005 Dellaert received a $90K NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
CAREER award for "Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods for Large Scale Correspondence Problems in Computer Vision and Robotics."
In 2006, Dellaert was one of 8 Virtual Earth RFP (research for proposal) winners who each received a grant of up to $50,000. As a recipient of the grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
, Dellaert will research basic digital geographics that are expected to advance the state of the art, such as the 4-D Cities project.