News

Newsweek Magazine recently published a list of "America's Greatest Disruptors: Medical Marvels," celebrating researchers and companies "pushing the technological boundaries of health care." WNCG faculty member Dr. Andrea Thomaz was featured along with her colleague Dr. Vivian Chu and their company, Dilligent Robotics. Dilligent Robotics developed robots for deployment in healthcare settings—an innovation that has become especially critical to healthcare processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here via Newsweek.

Professor Alan Bovik and his research team were recognized for algorithms that optimize streaming media at the 72nd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards. While winners were announced earlier this year, the awards were presented in a virtual ceremony livestreamed on November 4. The team included WNCG alumni Kalpana Seshadrinathan, Rajiv Soundararajan, and Hamid Sheikh; all three researchers completed doctoral programs at the University of Texas at Austin, where they were advised by Bovik. 

WNCG professor Andrea Thomaz appeared on The Robot Brains Podcast this week to talk about her research, her robots, and how her company Diligent Robotics has been changing healthcare during the pandemic. The podcast is hosted by renowned artificial intelligence researcher, professor and entrepreneur Pieter Abbeel. Pieter is joined by leading experts in AI Robotics from all over the world as he explores how far humanity has come in its mission to create conscious computers, mindful machines and rational robots.  Listen to the episode on The Robot Brains Podcast website.

The National Academy of Television and Arts & Sciences has awarded Alan Bovik, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, and his team of student collaborators with a 2020 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award. The team will be recognized for algorithms that optimize streaming media to millions of homes around the globe.

Diligent Robotics, a healthcare technology company founded by WNCG professor Andrea Thomaz, is on the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. As highlighted in Forbes, robots like Diligent's Moxi are increasingly being used for essential functions in the patient-care setting. Read more at Forbes.com.  

WNCG professor Andrea Thomaz was interviewed by Austin Monthly on how her company Diligent Robotics is "revolutionizing health care in the age of COVID-19." Read the full interview on Austin Monthly.

Picture your typical hospital scene: Patients being admitted at the front desk, doctors performing consultations, nurses administering medicine … and robots wandering the hallways toward the supply closet? Robots in the storeroom may not be the norm quite yet, but it’s happening in Austin thanks to WNCG professor Andrea Thomaz and her company, Diligent Robotics.

The Television Academy announced today that Alan Bovik, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, and his team of former students and collaborators will be honored with a 2015 Primetime Engineering Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development. The team will be recognized for their development of an advanced algorithm that enhances the video viewing experiences for tens of millions of people throughout the world.