| Nancy Pollard is an Associate
Professor in the Robotics
Institute and the Computer
Science Department at Carnegie Mellon
University. She received her PhD in Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science from the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in
1994, where she performed research on grasp
planning for articulated robot hands. Before joining CMU, Nancy
was an Assistant Professor and part of the Computer
Graphics Group at Brown
University. Her primary research objective is to understand how
to create natural motion for animated human characters and humanoid
Research / Projects
I am interested in understanding physical interaction with the environment --- how do we select and apply exactly the right forces to maneuver bulky and heavy objects, scramble over large rocks using both hands and feet, or use hand held tools? In robotics, a better understanding of these interaction forces can help us create more dexterous robots that can operate in an environment such as the home. In computer graphics, an understanding of interaction forces can help us to create more natural looking motion when a character climbs, performs athletic maneuvers, or manipulates objects.
One of my particular areas of interest in both robotics and graphics is to model convincing hand motion---a difficult task, as the hands have almost as many degrees of freedom as the rest of the body. I also have a specific interest in new techniques for evaluating perceived quality of human or humanoid motion.
Please see my publications page for papers and web sites for specific projects.