Biyun Xie, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky’s Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, has received a CAREER Award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her research in human-robot shared control for robotic telemanipulation.
Xie’s work focuses on developing technologies that enhance collaboration between human operators and robotic systems in environments considered hazardous or inaccessible for humans, such as deep-sea locations and areas with high radiation exposure. Her research addresses the challenge of reliability in shared control systems, which involve joint operation between human input and autonomous decision-making.
According to Xie, the goal is to design systems that maintain operational effectiveness under extreme environmental conditions, including the temperature fluctuations and radiation levels commonly encountered in space exploration. She noted that despite the growing use of robotic arms for tasks such as sample collection in space, the reliability of shared control remains a limiting factor for broader application.
The NSF CAREER Award will also support educational outreach efforts, including collaboration with two local high schools to provide lectures, demonstrations, and research experiences. Undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky will participate in the project through the university’s ECE Undergraduate Research Program.
The NSF describes the CAREER Award as a program that supports early-career faculty who integrate education and research in alignment with the mission of their institutions.
Xie’s interest in robotics began during her undergraduate studies and was influenced by early exposure to robotics in popular media and hands-on lab experience. She emphasized the importance of mathematics as a foundation for students interested in pursuing research in robotics and other STEM fields.
