AI and Robotics for Caring and Assisting People in the Most Vulnerable Stages of Life

Abstract:  

Infancy and the elderly stage (65+) are the most vulnerable periods of our lives. In this talk, I will present our recent work on several fronts to improve care during these stages. This includes our innovative approach to managing infant pain in NICUs, our research on closed-loop music intervention for individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related dementia (ADRD). Additionally, we have been developing novel robotic grasping and manipulation algorithms and solutions to reduce household workload.

Bio:

“Yu Sun is a Professor in the Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing at the University of South Florida and Director of the Center for Innovation, Technology, and Aging (CITA). He previously served as Assistant Professor (2009–2015), Associate Professor (2015–2020), Associate Chair of Graduate Affairs (2018–2020), and was a Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford University (2016–2017). He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Utah in 2007 and completed postdoctoral training at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (2007–2008) and the University of Utah (2008–2009).

His research focuses on robotics, AI, computer vision, and healthcare applications. He founded the IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Robotic Hands, Grasping, and Manipulation as its first co-chair. Dr. Sun has published extensively, holds 15 U.S. patents, and received the 2018 USF Excellence in Innovation Award. He has also served in editorial roles—including Editor-in-Chief, Senior Editor, and Associate Editor—for major journals such as the International Journal of AI and Robotics Research, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, and in leadership roles for conferences including ICRA, IROS, and UR.”