A University of West Florida-Institute for Human Machine & Cognition research team received a $478,000 grant for the acquisition of advanced robotic platforms and equipment from the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program of the Office of Naval Research. The grant was one of only 64 grants awarded in the nation. Dr. Robert Griffin and Dr. Matt Johnson, who both hold dual appointments with IHMC and UWF through the Intelligent Systems and Robotics program, and Dr. Hakki Erhan Sevil, UWF ISR faculty member, worked together to apply for the funding.
“The Office of Naval Research has been an enormous supporter of both IHMC and the UWF ISR program for as long as I have been here,” Griffin said. “This is clear through the projects they have sponsored with us, as well as the granting of this third DURIP to augment our capabilities within the ISR program. While much of their focus and involvement with us has been towards humanoid robots, the research they have supported and DURIPs they have granted have allowed us to greatly expand our capabilities both to conduct top-tier research and support and train the next generation of engineers and scientists. We’re looking forward to the next phase of this work, which will allow us to take our state-of-the-art robotic systems out of the lab and into the real world.”
According to the Department of Defense, “the DURIP program equips universities to perform state-of-the-art research that boosts the nation’s technological advantage, while ensuring that the future science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce remains second to none.” This funding will significantly enhance UWF and IHMC’s ability to develop, test and deploy mobile robotic systems in real-world environments…