Congresswoman Trahan Applauds $1.8 Million Federal Research Grant for UMass Lowell

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) applauds the awarding of $1,813,500 in federal grant funding to the University of Massachusetts, Lowell (UML) by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The grant will enable the university to collaborate with Brown University, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center on research for legged robots that will assist sailors with shipboard firefighting and maintenance.

"When sailors sign up to serve, they deserve to be confident that we're doing everything possible to prioritize their safety. This federal investment in humanoid robotics research shows incredible promise in bolstering personnel safety aboard ships, especially during dangerous events like fires," said Congresswoman Trahan, a strong supporter of cutting-edge research at UML. "I'm proud to have advocated for an increase in federal funding for critical initiatives like this, and I look forward to seeing the tremendous advancements yielded by the researchers at UMass Lowell."

"Together with my colleagues Reza Ahmahzadeh, Yan Gu, Adam Norton and Paul Robinette, I am looking forward to working with the Naval Research Laboratory, Naval Undersea Warfare Center and Brown University to improve the state-of-the-art of legged robots to support the Navy and Marines. Our research will focus on walking and balancing in dynamic environments, on robot manipulation under difficult conditions and on human-robot interaction to make the robots easier to use for sailors and marines. At UMass Lowell's New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center, we will put the robots and their software through extensive testing," said Holly Yanco, UMass Lowell computer science faculty and Distinguished University Professor.

"UMass Lowell greatly appreciates the support of Rep. Trahan in securing this research funding. We value our strong partnership with Brown University, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Led by Distinguished University Professor Holly Yanco, this project is an example of how UMass Lowell excels at ensuring our "use-inspired' research quickly translates to support for our sailors, as well as for our soldiers, first responders and dual-use commercial applications," said Julie Chen, Vice Chancellor of Research and Economic Development at UMass Lowell.

The program, led by the NRL in partnership with UMass Lowell and other leading research institutions, will increase the impact and use of robotics by the United States Navy and the Department of Defense. The objective is to significantly advance the state of the art in autonomous humanoid robots operating in highly complex and unstructured environments in collaboration with sailors.

Currently, the Navy is focused on two areas of use for humanoid robotics, including firefighting, which puts sailors at risk for serious injury. Humanoid robots that can work with sailors, perceive the fire and hazards, manipulate the hose, and navigate over knee-knockers will keep sailors safer and put shipboard fires out quicker. It is also prioritizing maintenance and is supporting research that will enable the use of humanoid robots to reduce the amount of time spent on maintenance tasks.

During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Trahan successfully supported a $5 million increase in funding for the Navy's Humanoid Robotics in Complex Unstructured Environments program to better support the Department's research into ways to prioritize the safety of sailors by investing in robotic alternatives for dangerous activities.

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