The Human-Tech Duo: Augmenting Learning and Adaptability with AI and Extended Reality

Lunch Seminar in presence

Building BL26/B – Room 0.19 (ground floor)
Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering
Via R. Lambruschini, 4/B

Mohsen Moghaddam
Northeastern University, Boston

Abstract:

Human-centered computing holds the promise of enabling a symbiotic relationship between humans and technology, prioritizing augmentation over substitution with software and machines. How can we realize this vision in industrial workplaces by harnessing AI and XR, coupled with new sources of data? In this talk, Dr. Moghaddam will discuss ideas to accelerate the progression from novice to expert in performing complex psychomotor tasks through adaptive interventions tailored to individual needs, skills, and knowledge. He will introduce an intelligent XR framework facilitating this through online activity understanding, error detection and prevention, expertise modeling, and the generation of personalized instructions. He will present examples of this concept in the areas of mechanical assembly, precision inspection, and interactions with industrial robots and automated machines. He will conclude by presenting a research agenda and discussing avenues for future research on human-technology teaming within diverse industrial contexts.

Mohsen Moghaddam is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, affiliated with the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, and serves as the Director of the Symbiotic and Augmented Intelligence Lab (SAIL) at Northeastern University, Boston. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the Next Level Lab, Harvard University, and a Visiting Professor engaged with the HumanTech project at Politecnico di Milano. He earned his PhD in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and served as a Postdoctoral Associate at the GE-Purdue Partnership in Research and Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing before joining Northeastern. His research focuses on exploring human-centered computational models, algorithms, and tools at the intersection of AI and spatial computing to enhance learning and creativity in various cognitive and psychomotor tasks within industrial settings. His research is sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Navy, Northeastern University, and industry.