Sanjay S. Joshi
Seminar Information
Many people are faced with paralysis, amputation or other conditions that present important challenges in tasks of daily living. In addition, many workers are regularly faced with dangerous or challenging physical work environments, such as in manufacturing plants or in space. Advanced prosthetics and assistive robotics can help, whether the devices are attached to the body or are located remotely. However, a central challenge remains in determining how a person commands these devices. New research aims to use the body’s internal electrical system to command these devices. Electrical signals within the body can be measured in various places, including the brain, the nerves, and the muscles. In our laboratory, we are using muscle electrical signals as a basis for several different human-machine interfaces. We will describe how we combine muscle electrical sensing, control systems, machine learning, and robotics for a variety of human-machine systems.
Sanjay Joshi is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis, where he directs the Robotics, Autonomous Systems, and Controls Laboratory. Dr. Joshi received a BS from Cornell University in 1990, and MS/PhD from UCLA in 1992/1996, all in Electrical Engineering. After his doctoral work, he became a member of the technical staff at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California working on control systems and robotics. After joining academia, he began applying robotics and controls to the study of behavior, cognition, and human-computer interfaces. In 2010-2011, he was Visiting Associate Professor at Columbia University Medical School, New York City in the Department of Neurology. In 2014, Dr. Joshi formed the UC Davis Neuroengineering and Medicine Initiative, which led to the UC Davis Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine. From 2020-2022, he served as one of the founding Co-Directors of this center. His research interests include neuroengineering, robotics, controls, brain science, and space systems.