PhyRC Challenge

EmPRISE Lab is proud to host the PhyRC (Physical Robotic Caregiving) Challenge, a multidisciplinary competition aimed at advancing innovation in robot-assisted caregiving. The Challenge features two tracks—robot‑assisted dressing (fixed-base manipulation) and robot‑assisted bed bathing (mobile manipulation)—and unfolds over two phases: a simulation phase and a real‑robot phase. The top teams from simulation were invited to demonstrate their solutions in person at ICRA 2025, with generous sponsorships from Kinova (Gen 3 7‑DoF robot for the dressing track) and Hello Robot (Stretch 3 robot for the bathing track).

Learn more about PhyRC Challenge!

RCareWorld Hackathon

In association with EmPRISE, Big Red APDI will be hosting an RCareWorld hackathon this April. RCareWorld is a human-centric simulation world for physical and social robot caregiving with support for realistic human modeling, home environments with multiple levels of accessibility, and robots for assistance.

For more hackathon information click here!

SoNIC Workshop

SoNIC is a weeklong summer research workshop to support underrepresented students in pursuing a PhD in computer science.

Learn more about SoNIC!

The students and instructor gather around a white robotic arm, which holds a fork above a plate with food on it

CS 4750 Demo Day

Other Outreach Events

We would love to demonstrate the research in assistive robotics being carried out in our lab to K-12 students and beyond. Please get in touch with us through this Google form: