Dr. Jean Chagas Vaz – Lab Director
Jean Chagas Vaz is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department of J. B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville. He joined the Louisville Automation & Robotics Research Institute (LARRI) to perform research in telepresence systems and search & rescue legged robots.
Prior to joining UofL, Dr. Chagas Vaz worked with various robots, including humanoids, quadrupeds, mobile robots, hexapods, etc. His research primarily focuses on enhancing overall locomotion, manipulation, haptics, and telepresence skills in cyber-physical systems.
Furthermore, Dr. Vaz has participated in several robotics’ competitions such as: the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge; the 2018 Geekpwn Robotics Agent Challenge; the 2021 ANA Avatar XPRIZE Semifinals; and the 2022 ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals.
Nicolas Kosanovic – Ph.D Student
Nicolas (Nick) is a highly-motivated 2nd-Year ECE Ph.D student at UofL interested in telepresence manipulation, grasping, and haptic feedback. He received a BSe in Mechanical Engineering with High Honors from UNLV in 2022, where he worked at DASL developing humanoid robotic telepresence for the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals.
Recently, Nick’s work has been focused on developing DOLA, TELOS’ prime bimanual telepresence system. This multifaceted system demands extensive research in low-latency media transmission, image processing, virtual reality, force control, motion capture, haptics, tactile sensing, kinodynamic retargeting, sensing, etc…
Outside of work, Nick likes to play clarinet in wind bands.
email: [email protected]
Jordan Dowdy – Ph.D Student
Jordan is a first-year Ph.D. student with expertise in robotics, focusing on advancing long-distance mobile manipulation in quadruped systems. With a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Jordan brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex challenges in robotic autonomy.
Prior to the Ph.D. program, Jordan conducted research at the Laboratory for Applied Robotics Research and Integration (LARRI), where they explored advanced techniques in physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). Jordan’s current research aims to push the boundaries of mobile robotic systems, with a particular emphasis on enhancing autonomy and manipulation capabilities in complex and dynamic environments.
email: [email protected]
Ashutosh Prakash – Ph.D Student
Ashutosh Prakash is a 2nd-year Ph.D student in ECE at UofL, researching humanoid walking.
email: [email protected]
Andy Tran – Undergraduate Researcher
Andy Tran is a 2nd-year undergraduate student at UofL, pursuing a BSe in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science and Engineering.
Currently, Andy is working on enhancing an older robotic mobile manipulator with telepresence abilities.
In his free time, Andy likes to play League of Legends.
email: [email protected]
Tommy Ball – Undergraduate Researcher
Tommy Ball is a 2nd-year undergraduate student at UofL, pursuing a BSe in Electrical Engineering and minors in Computer Science and Physics. Tommy is focusing on intuitive control of quadruped robots using virtual reality.
Outside of work, Tommy loves playing Ultimate Frisbee.
email: [email protected]
Griffin – Undergraduate Researcher
Griffin is a 1st-year undergraduate student at UofL, pursuing a BSe in Electrical Engineering.