Someone's URSA Experience 2022

Last week I was very lucky to meet and interview Naomi Fitter of Oregon State’s Share Lab, where they are using robotics in a very unexpected way. Professor Fitter and her team are working to create different and positive human-robot interactions in all sorts of ways. Her main project now is working with a robotic comedian, who does stand up comedy and actually programs and responds to the crowds. I asked her all about her work and her background as well and what she would tell to prospective engineers like myself who want to further robotics.

I first asked Prof. Fitter about how she got involved and interested in robotics and in teaching. She had started off as a Spanish/Mechanical Engineering dual degree, and then joined a robotics team where she learned how much potential there is in the robotic field. She talked a lot about her goals of both being able to conduct ground-breaking research and also teach. It was very interesting to talk to her because I saw a lot of my own goals and aspirations in what she was saying. Next I asked her about her research and projects, specifically her favorite and her least favorite. Prof. Fitter said that her robot comedy was her favorite and she enjoyed that it was a real world project, but still meaningful. She said the hardest part of working with the robotic entertainer was testing and learning how to better the program. The robot in early stages had trouble reading the room and adapting the comedy set to what the crowd liked/didn’t like.

I also asked about the hard parts of being a researching professor. She said that its a handful dealing with all of the deadlines and the trade off of both having to teach, and do her projects. She said that the fun parts and the fact that she can do research that’s out of the ordinary and be a part of the potential for robotics makes up for all of the negative bits of her job.

Towards the last part of our interview I asked Prof. Fitter about any advice she would give to people wanting to join the robotics field. She said that getting involved in research as an undergrad and building experiences and building network is key. Making yourself known and getting experience while still in the early years of your career can make all the difference. She also said that going into grad school and doing more research is extremely important and can really boost your career. She said that as a professor and researcher she had to learn to apply for grants and money for her research. She also said the try different things and maybe try the industry to see what is best for you.

The last question I had for her was related to the research I’m conducting now. I asked specifically how robotics could possibly be used to help neurodivergent people or people with ASD. She doesn’t conduct specific research on this, but she said that there is some studies on how robotics could help teach children with ASD social skills, and that the early stages show that robots might be more effective at teaching social skills than humans. This could be novelty effect though, as the children might engage more with the robots because they’re more interesting to look at and are something very different than what these children are used to. To say the least, there are many open ended questions and many options to explore with robotics and neurodiversity.

More to come soon,

-Chloe