TerraSwarm PI Pieter Abeel honored as recipient of the PECASE

TerraSwarm PI Pieter Abeel was honored at the White House on May 5th as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for his contributions to machine learning and robotic manipulation of deformable objects and his dedication to the education of the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Pieter Abeel is co-investigator of the Human Intranet project, a two-year Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) STARnet funded project to develop a first-generation Human Intranet intended to boost human input-output performance as an open, scalable, form fitting platform. According to his website, Pieter Abeel's work includes the development of apprenticeship learning algorithms which have enabled advanced helicopter aerobatics. His group has also enabled the first end-to-end completion of reliably picking up a crumpled laundry article and folding it. His current research focuses on robotics and machine learning with a particular focus on challenges in personal robotics, surgical robotics and connectomics.

Established in 1996, the PECASE is the highest level of recognition for science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Considerations for the award include public education, community outreach, and commitment to community service as shown through scientific leadership.