> robot non-verbal communication via light and color
Undergraduate research at the HIVE Lab, University of Richmond. The core question: can a robot signal its internal state, like attention, hesitation, or readiness, to a nearby human without saying a word, using only light and color? The work even made it on stage in a live human-robot dance performance (scroll down).
what it does
Built a waveform library (Triangle, Sinusoidal, Modulated, and Rectangle wave classes) that drives NeoPixel LED animations on iRobot Create 3 robots.
Animations are controlled over ROS2 topic-based interfaces, so a robot's light behavior can be triggered by its actual task state in real time.
Integrated NeoPixel LED control with CircuitPython on an Adafruit Sparkle Motion Mini board, including non-blocking serial reads over usb_cdc.
Assisted on multi-robot coordination algorithms aimed at humans and robots working safely in close proximity.
stack
- iRobot Create 3 + ROS2 (Python) for robot control and topic-based messaging
- NeoPixel LED strips driven via CircuitPython on Adafruit Sparkle Motion Mini
- Zenoh, Linux, NumPy for the coordination/communication layer
- Rhino8 for 3D modeling of test fixtures
- SSH-based access to lab hardware for iteration and debugging
field notes
- Wrote a research wrap-up document for future lab members covering the full project arc, setup guides, and known issues.
- Timeline: Jan 2024 - Nov 2025, as part of the Dept. of Computer Science at the University of Richmond.
in the wild: "Interconnected"
The work went live on stage. Alongside Prof. Patrick Martin and fellow student Jordan Attys, I helped develop the robotics algorithms and wearable computing systems behind "Interconnected," an improvisational dance performance choreographing humans and robots together in real time.