Reid Simmons

Expertise

Topics:  Robotics, Robot Navigation, Artificial Intelligence, Multi-Robot Systems, Human-Robot Interaction, Autonomous Systems

Industries: Computer Hardware

A researcher in autonomous mobile robots, Reid Simmons has been developing robot systems that can work reliably in unstructured, unknown environments. He also works in multi-robot systems and human-robot interaction. His areas of specialty include: robotics, Artificial Intelligence, autonomy, architectures for autonomous systems, robot navigation, multi-robot systems and human-robot interaction. Reid is the director of the JPMorgan Chase & Co. AI Maker Space at CMU.

Media Experience

AI Undergraduate Courses are Becoming Increasingly Popular  — Business Insider
This piece discusses how more students from various backgrounds are showing interest in AI education. It dives into CMU's history of having one of the first AI programs, and Reid Simmons (Robotics Institute) details how CMU is expanding its programs to keep up with changes in the field.

CMU opens first AI maker space to let stu­dents ‘sharpen the cut­ting edge of AI’  — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"We want students from all over the university — from engineering, business and fine arts — to come and use their creativity to make interesting things happen," Simmons said. "Giving students the freedom to let their imaginations run wild is really what this space is all about."

CMU Puts AI To Work in New NSF-funded Institutes  — Carnegie Mellon University
"What we're trying to do is collaborate. We're not replacing caregivers; we're augmenting their capabilities," Simmons said. "The AI has to adapt to the individual and even more so, it has to adapt to the network the individual is in. We're intending that the AI is going to be assisting people over a long time, and while there will be plenty of time for the system to learn, there will also be plenty to learn."

The Salad Days of AI  — Carnegie Mellon University
Reid Simmons, who teaches the course with Stephanie Rosenthal, said using AI to grow vegetables is a good way for students to put the knowledge of AI-based autonomous agents that they learned in class into practice. Agents have applications in many areas, such as self-driving cars, intelligent factories and smart homes. Another — automated greenhouses — proved a good match to the need for a course exercise.

What the country’s first undergrad program in artificial intelligence will look like  — EdScoop
The Pittsburgh-based university already offers nearly two dozen courses in AI and related fields, said Reid Simmons, a Carnegie Mellon research professor who is currently on leave for the year while he works at the National Science Foundation.

This Scrabble-Playing Robot Is a Sore Loser  — The Wall Street Journal
"Sometimes, I hate this game," says Victor, a Scrabble-playing robot created by students under the supervision of Reid Simmons, a robotics professor at Carnegie Mellon University here. Victor's secret is that he talks a better game than he plays. He is a champion trash talker. A typical put-down: "Since you're human, I guess you think that's a pretty good move."