UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1106 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 1106

Submission ID: 20126

Submission UUID: bd2d05e3-8736-4ef4-8680-facb32a7849d

Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=3C4zTuKz9Pg818vbjbxF3dQ8quPRcbP-s59p6V2K0tE

Created: Sat, 08/09/2025 - 06:55 PM

Completed: Sat, 08/09/2025 - 06:55 PM

Changed: Thu, 09/04/2025 - 03:38 PM

Remote IP address: 69.254.218.199

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal

Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal

Research Mentor Information

Primary Research Mentor Name Xinyao Zhang

Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns Cynthia

When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Dr.

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) xzhang@eng.famu.fsu.edu

Position Title Faculty

FSU College (if applicable) FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Headshot (optional) 1-lab logo.png

Additional Research Mentor(s)

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Overall Project Details

Title of the Project Teaching Robots to Be Smart Teammates Using AI

Project Keywords Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Manufacturing, Data Analysis, Predictive Modeling

Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes

Number of Research Assistants Needed 6

Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Open to all majors

Project Location: College of Engineering Building

If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? Bus routes from FSU main campus to Engineering Building, https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/students/bus-routes

Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote

Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 5-10 hours a week

Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? During business hours

Overall Research Project Description Inspired by the power of effective teamwork, our research tackles challenges in modern robotics: enabling humans and robots to collaborate as true teams. To achieve this, robots evolve from simple tools into intelligent partners capable of understanding human actions and anticipating their needs. For example, teach a robot to pass the correct tool to an operator or assist a technician with a complex assembly task.
Our research group builds the AI brains for next-generation collaborative robots. This project offers an exciting opportunity to become an AI trainer and data detective, turning raw data into robotic intelligence.

Research Tasks • Explore literature in the field of human-robot collaboration.
• Write Python scripts to clean, process, and visualize data.
• Develop and test predictive algorithms.
• Participate in weekly team meetings to share ideas and results.
• Document findings in a final research poster or report.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: • Curiosity and willingness to learn about AI, data, and robotics.
• Basic programming familiarity. No expert coding skills are required.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Mentoring Philosophy • Identifying mentees’ goals.
• Developing a relationship founded on mutual respect.
• Evaluating mentees’ talents and building on them.
• Encouraging questions, experimentation, and out-of-the-box thinking.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://xinyao-zhang.github.io/

Please add any additional information here (if applicable): If you are interested in joining my lab, feel free to attend my roundtable (3:00-3:30 pm on 09/02 or 09/04) using this Zoom link (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/9937971059). You could also reach out by email (xzhang@eng.famu.fsu.edu) with the subject line "UROP Project". Please attach your resume and include your background and research interests.

Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? Yes

Roundtable times and Zoom links 3:00-3:30 pm on 09/02 or 09/04, https://fsu.zoom.us/j/9937971059

For those who were unable to attend the roundtable sessions, you can view the recorded meeting [https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/0wk3R7qOXrQW8i4CaZUVEhsVFPtStOKho1KsicHSWXMpQLuCU9Wus9Jv2P--TbZB.lLcl54m8x0pdtnNb?startTime=1757012467000]. I've also summarized the key points from the discussion below. Feel free to reach out if you're interested in joining this exciting project!

Project Overview
- Dr. Xinyou Zhang (Cynthia Zhang) introduced a research project on human-robot collaboration
- Research focuses on making robots "real teammates" for human operators in industrial settings
- Project aims to equip robots with human-like intelligence for proactive collaboration
- Dr. Zhang is a first-year research faculty from the industry and manufacturing engineering department
Technical Requirements
- Basic programming skills recommended but not required at expert level
- Python knowledge (NumPy, scikit-learn) and familiarity with platforms like Jupyter Notebooks or Google Colab is helpful
- Dr. Zhang teaches data engineering and can provide resources for students to learn necessary skills
- Project will be tailored to match students' skill sets and interests
Project Structure
- Emphasis on undergraduate researchers (first and second-year students through UROP)
- Both independent research and collaborative work possible depending on project scope
- For UROP timeline, focus will be on simulation environments rather than physical robots
- Long-term lab members may get hands-on experience with real robots
Application Scenarios
- Manufacturing processes: assembly and disassembly of products
- Recycling applications: disassembling used electronic products to extract valuable materials
- Data types will include:
- Time series data from sensors (temperature, speed, powder quantity)
- Image data from cameras
- Focus on anomaly detection for preventive maintenance in manufacturing
Action Items
- Interested students to email Dr. Zhang with "UROP project" in the subject line

Roundtable Info

Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 3:00
End Time: 3:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/9937971059
Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 3:00
End Time: 3:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/9937971059

UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

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Year 2025