Autonomy at scale: Where are we headed?

Abstract of the talk:
In this talk, we will take a closer look at Autonomous Agents and their various subsystems. We start with a bit of history and then dig into the various modules such as perception, localization, prediction, planning and control that enable Autonomous Driving or Flying. We will then address the enabling technologies that make an agent autonomous and how these technologies are integrated together to allow a vehicle to navigate streets or skies autonomously. Next, we will discuss their current challenges and brainstorm how to overcome them. Finally, we will talk about our current research and work at UAVIO Labs where we are working on true autonomy for the skies.

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Pre-requisites: No background needed. However basic knowledge in Machine Learning and Data Science will help you take significant knowledge back from the talk.

About the speaker:
Dr. Arjun Jain is an Adjunct Faculty at the Center for Data Sciences (CDS dept.) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore). He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Max-Planck Institute for Informatics in Germany and worked with 2020 Turing award winner Yann LeCun during his postdoc at NYU. He is part of the Theano development team and a contributor to Torch - both of which are widely used libraries for Deep Learning.

Dr. Arjun Jain is also Founder at UAVIO Labs. Previously, he co-founded Perceptive Code LLC, a Silicon Valley startup that builds intelligence into automobiles. Arjun has worked for several companies, including Yahoo! in Bangalore, Weta Digital in New Zealand and Apple in Cupertino.

He has been especially active in the human sensing related industries. Arjun served as a developer for Weta Digital’s motion capture system. This system has been used in many feature films, and Arjun was credited for his work in Steven Spielberg’s, The Adventures of Tintin (2011). Arjun’s work has resulted in several academic publications with currently over 5000 citations, patents, and has been featured by mainstream media, including in the magazines: New Scientist, Discovery, BCC, Vogue, Wired, India Today, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.

Note: Even though it will be an offline /in-person event @ Bangalore Sahaj office, we will also provide the link for people to join remotely.