The Grainger College of Engineering

Kris Hauser

Kris Hauser
Kris Hauser
  • Professor
(217) 244-0821
3233 Siebel Center for Comp Sci

For More Information

Education

  • Ph.D., Computer Science, Stanford University, 2008
  • B.A., Mathematics, University of California at Berkeley, 2003
  • B.A., Computer Science, University of California at Berkeley, 2003

Biography

Kris Hauser is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests lie in robot planning and control, a field devoted to providing the decision-making capabilities needed for robots and other intelligent agents to perform complex physical tasks. His research builds upon the theoretical foundations of state space dynamics and optimality, but attempts to overcome the shortcomings of classical theory when faced the complexities of real-world systems, such as high dimensionality, uncertain dynamics, bounded computation, and integration with perception and learning. The methodologies at the foundation of this work include optimization, probabilistic methods, AI, control theory, and physics simulation, and theory is bridged with practice on real-world physical robots in the context of a diverse range of applications with social impact, including robot locomotion and manipulation, medical robots, human-operated robots, warehouse automation, and intelligent vehicles.

Prof. Hauser received his PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2008, bachelor's degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 2003, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley. He then joined the faculty at Indiana University from 2009-2014, where he started the Intelligent Motion Lab, and then joined the faculty of Duke University from 2014-2019. Prof. Hauser is a recipient of a Stanford Graduate Fellowship, Siebel Scholar Fellowship, Best Paper Award at IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots 2015, the NSF CAREER award, and two Amazon Research Awards. He also works as a consultant for Google's autonomous driving company, Waymo.

Academic Positions

  • Professor, Affiliate Appointment, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2020-Present
  • Professor, Affiliate Appointment, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019-Present
  • Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2021-present (Associate Professor, 2019-2021)
  • Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, 2014-2019
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Informatics, Indiana University, 2009-2014

Documents

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

I frequently involve undergraduates in my research, both as independent study students and summer interns. My lab also participates in competitions, so I also take on students who are interested in contributing to a team effort. My minimum guidelines are that you have a 3.7 GPA, relevant coursework, and can contribute at least 10 hours per week to research.

Research Interests

  • Robot motion planning and control, semiautonomous robots, and integrating perception and planning, as well as applications to intelligent vehicles, robotic manipulation, robot-assisted medicine, and legged locomotion.

Research Areas

Research Topics

  • Robotics

Selected Articles in Journals

  • P. Naughton and K. Hauser. Structured Action Prediction for Teleoperation in Open Worlds. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 7(2): 3099-3105, April 2022. doi: 10.1109/LRA.2022.3145953
  • F. Wang and K. Hauser. Dense Robotic Packing of Irregular and Novel 3D Objects. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 38(2):1160-1173, April 2022. doi:10.1109/TRO.2021.3097261
  • W. Sun. G. Tang, and K. Hauser. Fast UAV Trajectory Optimization using Bilevel Optimization with Analytical Gradients. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 37(6):2010-2024, Dec, 2021. doi:10.1109/TRO.2021.3076454
  • K. Hauser. Semi-Infinite Programming for Trajectory Optimization with Nonconvex Obstacles. International Journal of Robotics Research, Jan. 10, 40(10-11), 2021. doi:10.1177/0278364920983353.
  • M. Draelos, G. Tang, B. Keller, A. Kuo, K. Hauser, J. A. Izatt. Optical Coherence Tomography Guided Robotic Needle Insertion for Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Nov. 20, 2019. doi:10.1109/TBME.2019.2954505
  • K. Hauser, S. Wang, and M. Cutkosky. Efficient Equilibrium Testing under Adhesion and Anisotropy using Empirical Contact Force Models. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 34(5):1157-1169, 2018. doi: 10.1109/TRO.2018.2831722
  • K. Hauser and Y. Zhou. Asymptotically Optimal Planning by Feasible Kinodynamic Planning in State-Cost Space. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 32(6): 1431-1443, 2016. (Impact factor 2.432)
  • K. Hauser. The Minimum Constraint Removal Problem with Three Robotics Applications. International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), 33(1):5-17, January, 2014. doi: 10.1177/0278364913507795 (Impact factor: 2.863)
  • K. Hauser, T. Bretl, J.-C Latombe, K. Harada, and B. Wilcox, Motion Planning for Legged Robots in Varied Terrain. International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), Vol. 27(11-12), pp. 1325-1349, 2008. (Impact factor: 4.095)

Articles in Conference Proceedings

  • G. Tang, W. Sun, and K. Hauser. Time-Optimal Trajectory Generation for Dynamic Vehicles: A Bilevel Optimization Approach. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), October, 2019. (45% acceptance rate)
  • F. Wang and K. Hauser. Robot Packing with Known Items and Nondeterministic Arrival Order. Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS), June 2019. Best paper award nominee. (31% acceptance rate)
  • F. Wang and K. Hauser. Stable Bin Packing of Non-convex 3D Objects with a Robot Manipulator. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May, 2019. (44% acceptance rate)
  • Y. Zhu, L. Abdulmajeid, and K. Hauser. Data-driven Approach for Fast Simulation of Robot Locomotion on Granular Media. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May, 2019. (44% acceptance rate)
  • S. Wang and K. Hauser. Real-time Stabilization of a Falling Humanoid Robot using Hand Contact: An Optimal Control Approach. IEEE-RAS Int'l Conference on Humanoid Robots, November, 2017. (54% acceptance rate)
  • Z. Li, P. Moran, C. Dong, R. Shaw, and K. Hauser. Development of a Tele-Nursing Mobile Manipulator for Remote Care-giving in Quarantine Areas. IEEE Int'l. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), May 2017. (41% acceptance rate)

Service on College Committees

  • Associate Director for Robotics, Center for Autonomy, 2019-

Teaching Honors

  • Indiana University Women in Computing Inspirational Teacher Award (2011)

Research Honors

  • Best paper from the IEEE Technical Committee on Model Based Optimization for Robotics (2022)
  • Amazon Research Award (2020)
  • Amazon Research Award (2019)
  • Amazon Research Award (2018)
  • Best paper award, IEEE Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids) (2015)
  • NSF CAREER Award (2013)

Recent Courses Taught

  • CS 498 IR1 (CS 498 IR2) - Intelligent Robots
  • CS 498 IR1 (CS 498 IR2, CS 498 IR3, CS 498 IR4, CS 498 IRU) - AI for Robot Manipulation
  • CS 588 - Autonomous Vehicle System Eng
  • CS 598 KKH - ADV Comp. Topics in Robotics
  • ENG 572 - Professional Practicum
  • ENG 573 - Capstone Project

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