Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Dr. Ian Walker

Committee Member

Dr. Judson Ryckman

Committee Member

Dr. Apoorva Kapadia

Committee Member

Dr. Ge Lv

Abstract

This work explores and introduces prototype hardware for a new category of robots: ‘Robot Rooms’, in an effort to refine the concept of traditional smart spaces and human-robot interaction. Unlike traditional robots that tend to be compact and exist within a space, this new category of robots is designed to be expansive: they do not exist within a space but rather shape space around them. We present several design concepts for potential robotic elements of a Robot Room. We then develop and demonstrate, at full scale, a new and novel concept: a ‘slice’ of a Robot Room. This slice changes between an open space and various configurations identified as important to human activities in the home. It does so by creating chairs, a table, a bed, and a shelf, as desired by a human user. Testing of the prototype establishes the feasibility of the proposed Robot Room slice concept, and validates the ability to engineer it within prespecified specifications

Available for download on Monday, August 31, 2026

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