Jonas Kiemel

I am a PhD student at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology working on the question of how robots can independently optimise their movements without harming themselves or their surroundings. Until now, robot movements have generally been pre-programmed in or generated by what are known as ‘model-based optimisation’ procedures. However, in practice these processes can only be used in limited ways in complex or constantly changing environments. For example, it is very difficult to define in advance movements which will function well if you do not know the exact setting in which the movements will be carried out. Moreover, it is often the case that there is no suitable mathematical model which can correctly describe complex environments. Although we are not always aware of it, we are constantly confronted with changing environments in our daily lives. If humanoid robots are to be better able to support our day-to-day tasks in future, they must also be able to interact with unfamiliar environments. One key technology in this area is the use of ‘reinforcement learning’, whereby the robot explores its environment through the principle of trial and error. In simple terms, the robot learns which movements yield good results. One challenge in this procedure is how to ensure that all movements carried out during the exploratory phase are safe, so that neither the robot nor any objects in the environment come to harm.

Through my PhD project so far, I have developed an approach towards this problem which guarantees safety during the exploration of an environment by assuming that only the robot moves while all other objects in the environment are fixed. During my research stay in New York I extended this approach by making it possible to factor in movements by other objects in the environment. The first step towards achieving this is to train the robot to avoid moving objects. The second step involves using what has been learned about the robot’s ability to take evasive action so as to be better able to assess the risk of a collision before making a movement. Experiments carried out at New York University have shown that this significantly reduces the likelihood of a risky action when exploring an environment. Taking dynamic environments into account substantially expands the potential range of applications of my research approach. My research stay at New York University therefore made a crucial contribution to my doctoral project. For the next step I am planning to publish my findings as part of a joint publication by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and New York University.

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View of the skyline of Lower Manhatten, New York

During my stay at New York University I particularly benefited from academic discussions with other members of my working group. Different perspectives on scientific questions frequently prompted interesting, nuanced and detailed discussions. I also got on well with my team members away from my research at the university. I was able to make personal and academic contacts which will last long after my time in the US is over. As you would expect of New York, our fifteen-strong team consisted of academics and researchers from all kinds of countries such as Italy, France, Serbia, India and China.

During my stay I had enough time on weekends to visit some famous sights such as the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park and One World Trade Center. In my view, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History are also to be highly recommended. Yet for all the lovely facets which New York has to offer, one must also bear in mind that the cost of living is much higher than in Germany.

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Manhatten Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge

The housing market is extremely competitive, so I lived in four different places in Manhattan and Brooklyn during my stay. For a time I was able to stay in a student dorm at New York University and I spent the rest in Airbnb lodgings. Rents for apartments in Manhattan are regularly over five times as high as rents for comparable apartments in German cities. You also have to expect to pay roughly twice as much for food and trips to restaurants. However, as long as you are aware of the high cost of living, New York offers enormous cultural diversity and thereby the opportunity to experience countless new things. Something which I will remember particularly strongly is the evenings I spent with my colleagues where I learned so much about the values and traditions of other cultures.