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Xuesu Xiao, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, remains dedicated to improving human lives and encouraging future roboticists via his research in George Mason University's RobotiXX Lab. His significant contributions to robotics and to the university were recently honored with two prestigious awards: the Outstanding Research Award from the College of Engineering and Computing and the Faculty Excellence in Research Award from George Mason's Office of the President.
"During Xuesu’s brief two years at George Mason, he has established himself as a productive researcher who can independently lead research and also form fruitful collaborations," said David Rosenblum, computer science department chair. He commended Xiao's ability to secure research funding totaling $9.4 million.
Gaining momentum
Xiao’s lab has grown quickly, now supporting a postdoctoral fellow, a research engineer, more than 20 graduate students, more than 10 high school students, and a diverse array of robots. "I envision future after-disaster missions to be efficiently conducted by fully autonomous robots that are highly capable of reliably moving through challenging and most likely adversarial environments," Xiao explained, asking, “How can robots drive very quickly without maybe falling off a cliff or colliding with a big tree trunk or rock?"
Xiao's goal is to minimize the involvement of human operators by developing intelligent mobile robots that can function with minimal supervision. His work has been instrumental in real-world after-disaster deployments, including the Mexico City earthquake, the Greece refugee crisis, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster decommissioning.
Xiao’s researchers, whom he calls the XX-men and XX-women, are working on robots that can climb, steer themselves, see in the dark, and learn from their surroundings. Rosenblum also emphasized the lab's contributions to social robot navigation, which addresses the challenge of navigating autonomous robots in human-occupied public spaces while respecting social norms, like keeping right when traveling along a sidewalk in the United States.
The RobotiXX Lab's success is supported by sponsors, including the U.S. Army Research Lab, the National Science Foundation, and Google DeepMind. Xiao's past work at Google facilitated significant in-kind donations of used robots to the lab.
A competitive edge
In addition to encouraging technical advancements, Xiao is committed to fostering the next generation of roboticists. The RobotiXX Lab not only supports students' participation in national robotics competitions but also organizes the BARN Challenge and partners with Google to run the EarthRover Challenge, among other initiatives.
"We believe competition brings everybody together," Xiao said, emphasizing the importance of standardized testing and collaboration in advancing the field of robotics.
Xiao's recent awards are a testament to his innovative research and his commitment to his field; as Xiao and his team continue to innovate, their contributions will undoubtedly shape the future of robotics.