Looking A“Head” to the Future of Autonomous Robots
Alfred Ramos-Santos has always been intrigued by robots and animatronics. That interest is now fueling his University of Maryland (UMD) MATRIX Lab apprenticeship project. Ramos-Santos is a senior at Great Mills High School and currently enrolled in the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center Computer Aided Drafting & Design (CADD) Program. He takes STEM-oriented classes at the Tech Center while finishing his degree requirements at Great Mills. Through his Tech Center program, Ramos-Santos was paired with the MATRIX Lab to complete an apprenticeship. He’s now building an autonomous robotic head with working eyes. “The goal is to create a system that can recognize my face and track movement through a sensor camera. When you’re speaking to the head and you move, the head’s eyes will follow,” Ramos-Santos explained. “If all goes well, I’ll be happy to incorporate hearing and speaking features.” Ramos-Santos said future versions of the head would use a microphone to listen, a large language model like ChatGPT to generate a response, and a 3D-printed mechanism to speak. Ultimately, the head would be able to recognize and interact with people. This type of humanoid robot technology has many different applications, including providing company and conversation in the world of social care, explaining complex concepts in the education field, even engaging with audiences in the entertainment industry. In addition to completing his project, Ramos-Santos says he’d like to use his time at the MATRIX Lab getting hands-on experience learning new skills like soldering, 3D printing, and 3D modeling. He says he also wants to learn more about programming and autonomous systems and eventually decide which type of engineering to focus on in the future. Ramos-Santos says taking the time to explore the possibilities of engineering was what drew him to the field. “Seeing all the innovations that people come up with is inspiring for me,” he said. “I can’t wait to contribute to the future.” After graduation, Ramos-Santos said he’s interested in attending UMD, or following the Southern Maryland ENTRY Program. Through ENTRY, students complete their associate degree at the College of Southern Maryland then spend two years as a UMD student, taking classes at the College Park campus or the USMSM campus. About the high school apprenticeship program The Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center partners with organizations including the Patuxent Partnership (TPP) and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) on the Tech Jobs Rule apprenticeship program, which helps connect students like Ramos-Santos with facilities like the MATRIX Lab.
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