September 4, 2021

Mobility21’s RISS Rayna Hata has completed her project centered around the localiation of vision or mobility impaired pedestrians as they cross urban intersections using the PedPal app and has this to say about her experience:

“This summer, I had the pleasure of working in the Intelligent Coordination and Logistics Lab under the mentorship of  Dr. Stephen Smith and Dr. Isaac Isukapati.  While crossing an intersection feels like an easy task, vision-impaired pedestrians face difficulties such as spending multiple cycles of signal changes to understand the intersection or straying off from the borders of the crosswalk. My end goal for this project is to have the app and the device accurately track and guide the pedestrian as they approach and cross the intersection.

This research experience was my formal introduction to the field of robotics research. This experience solidified my interest in pursuing a graduate degree and a career in Robotics upon graduation. I cannot thank Mobility 21 enough for this sponsorship and support, and I am excited to keep working with the lab throughout my school year to complete this project.” 

The Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute Summer Scholars program connects students from across the country and world to contribute to robotics research alongside top CMU researchers. With 43 scholars from 11 countries and 33 home universities, the 2020 RISS cohort is the largest cohort since the inception of the program in 2006. Forty percent of the 2020 participating scholars are from communities underrepresented in STEM.