JESSICA HODGINS
Professor, Computer Science and Robotics
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Dr. Hodgins's research focuses on the coordination and control of dynamic physical systems, both natural and human-made and explores techniques that may someday allow robots and animated creatures to plan and control their actions in complex and unpredictable environments. Her current research focuses on generating motion for computer animation by using motion capture data in combination with physically realistic simulation. Hodgins and her students have used dynamic simulation to animate human behaviors such as running, bicycling, diving, and vaulting. She and her colleagues have also used human motion data to bias planning algorithms towards more natural postures, to construct interfaces for avatars, and to capture the motion of muscles and skin. Hodgins is now refining some of these techniques for the control of a humanoid robot. Hodgins and her students have also explored passive simulations for animating phenomena such as clothing, water, breaking objects, and explosions.