Taskin Padir
Professor,
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Amazon Scholar,
Amazon
Office
- 120 EXP
- 617.373.8114
Lab
- EXP 101
Research Focus
Experiential robotics, human-robot teaming at the extremes, embodied artificial intelligence
About
Taskin Padir holds concurrent positions as a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northeastern University, and an Amazon Scholar. He received his PhD and MS degrees from Purdue University. He was the Founding Director of the Institute for Experiential Robotics at Northeastern University. His research focuses on shared autonomy, human-in-the-loop robotics, humanoids, collaborative robotics, embodied AI, and human-robot teaming at the extremes. He led teams at the DARPA Robotics Challenge, NASA Sample Return Challenge. His research was funded by NSF, DARPA, NASA, DoD, DoE, ONR, USACE, the ARM Institute, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and numerous industry partners including Amazon Robotics, Verizon, MathWorks, and Intel.
Education
- PhD (2004), Purdue University, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- MS (1997), Purdue University, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- BS (1993), Middle East Technical University, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Honors & Awards
- 2024 Faculty Research Team Award
- 2023 Impact Award
- 2022 Amazon Scholar
- 2022 Faculty Research Team Award
- 2020 Faculty Research Team Award
- Kalenian Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
Leadership Positions
- Executive Committee of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division of the American Nuclear Society, 2021-2022
- Editor, International Conference in Robotics and Automation, 2019-2024
Professional Affiliations
- IEEE
- Robotics and Automation
- Control Systems
- Computer; Engineering in Medicine and Biology
- ACM
- Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
- Sigma Xi
Research Overview
Experiential robotics, human-robot teaming at the extremes, embodied artificial intelligence
Robotics and Intelligent Vehicles Research Laboratory
The Robotics and Intelligent Vehicles Research Laboratory (RIVeR Lab) at Northeastern University, originally founded in 2010 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, aims to advance the capabilities of autonomous robots and intelligent vehicles. Research activities focus on design, analysis, implementation and control of intelligent vehicles, mobile robots, walking robots, manipulators and adaptive systems. Aligned with Northeastern University core values of contribution, diversity, engagement, integrity, and opportunity, our projects bring science and technology together with real-world problems.
Selected Research Projects
- Co-worker Robots to Impact Seafood Processing (CRISP): Designs, Tools and Methods for Enhanced Worker Experience
- – Principal Investigator, NSF Future of Work, Human-Technology Frontier
- Automation for Characterization and Evaluation of Personal Protective Equipment in Manufacturing Plants
- – Principal Investigator, ARM Institute (DoD)
- Coordination of Dyadic Object Handover for Human-Robot Interactions
- – Co-Principal Investigator, NSF M3X
Research Centers and Institutes
Director
Institute for Experiential Robotics
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- R. Luo, M. Zolotas, D. Moore and T. Padır, “User-customizable Shared Control for Robot Teleoperation via Virtual Reality,” 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2024, pp. 12196-12203, doi: 10.1109/IROS58592.2024.10802544.
- A. Trivedi, M. Zolotas, A. Abbas, S. Prajapati, S. Bazzi and T. Padır, “A Probabilistic Motion Model for Skid-Steer Wheeled Mobile Robot Navigation on Off-Road Terrains,” 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Yokohama, Japan, 2024, pp. 12599-12605, doi: 10.1109/ICRA57147.2024.10611343.
- A. Allison, N. Hanson, S. Wicke and T. Padır, “HASHI: Highly Adaptable Seafood Handling Instrument for Manipulation in Industrial Settings,” 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Yokohama, Japan, 2024, pp. 4191-4197, doi: 10.1109/ICRA57147.2024.10611022.
Feb 07, 2025
Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, COS, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Jul 19, 2024
Innovating Through Artificial Intelligence
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, state economic development and technology leaders, and other officials visited Northeastern to learn from faculty how AI can solve some of the most pressing issues in the state and the world. CEE Distinguished Professor Auroop Ganguly, ECE/Khoury Distinguished Professor Jennifer Dy, and ECE Professor Taskin Padir were in attendance.
Jul 10, 2024
Robotics Student Awarded Amazon Robotics Day One Fellowship
Oscar De La Garza, MS’25, robotics, is participating in an internship at Amazon Robotics as part of being named one of just seven students awarded the 2023 Amazon Robotics Day One Fellowship. The fellowship supports emerging leaders in science from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM, awarding scholarships, mentorship, and career opportunities.
May 08, 2024
2024 URF Scholars Recipients
Several engineering students received 2024 URF Scholars Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. URF Scholars are students who are graduating this year and who have earned a PEAK Experiences Award, applied for a distinguished fellowship, or participated in graduate school advising.
Feb 01, 2024
Faculty and Staff Awards 2024
The College of Engineering recognized faculty and staff at the annual faculty and staff awards event and thanked everyone for their hard work and dedication in support of our students, college, and university during the 2023-2024 academic year. View award recipients and photo gallery.
Nov 30, 2023
New Robotics Lab To Lead Innovative Research
The newly opened space in EXP for the Institute of Experiential Robotics will allow for interdisciplinary collaboration in the advancement of robotics.
Sep 01, 2023
India’s Landing on the Dark Side of the Moon Is Cheered, Now Comes the Hard Part of Space Exploration
After India’s successful moon landing, ECE/MIE Professor Hanumant Singh and ECE Professor Taskin Padir are excited to see what the future holds for lunar exploration and what role robots will play.
May 01, 2023
Discovering a Passion for Robotics Through Research
Serena Lin, computer engineering, participated in the UPLIFT (Undergraduate Program for Leaders in Future Transformation Program) where she started research in her first semester as an undergraduate. With a variety of hands-on research experiences, including an NSF REU and working at the Institute for Experiential Robotics, Lin found her passion in robotics.
Jan 25, 2023
Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Jan 24, 2023
Faculty and Staff Awards 2023
Faculty and staff in the College of Engineering were recognized at the annual awards event in a variety of categories for their contributions during the 2022-2023 academic year.