New computer science building to boost robotics research at UIC 

In an increasingly autonomous world, how do we ensure drones and self-driving cars work with each other, and with humans, safely and responsibly? 

Researching this question will be a centerpiece of the Computer Design Research and Learning Center, UIC’s new computer science facility, which opened July 16. The building will house a state-of-the-art robotics lab, where Wenhao Luo, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, and other researchers will put autonomous robots to the test. 

“My primary focus is on building algorithms for robots to safely interact with each other and effectively collaborate with each other and with humans, including in scenarios like self-driving, search and rescue, exploration and agriculture,” Luo said. “How are we going to leverage knowledge from artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable decision making for robots?” 

Luo examines problems that robots face and translates them into mathematical formulas and theories. He then tests how best to program those algorithms into the robots so they can come up with the right solutions by themselves. 

Self-driving cars that navigate city streets and autonomous drones that fly the skies encounter myriad obstacles out in the world, from traffic lights to pedestrians to other robots.

“Should I yield to other drivers? How fast can I drive? How am I going to take preventative actions?” Luo said of the questions they must answer. These encounters sometimes require split-second decisions, the outcomes of which could be hugely consequential. 

“If we want robots to make decisions, they need to, first of all, understand the environment,” Luo said. “But based on current technology, robots are not that capable. They cannot perceive the environment like humans, so they need some calibration system.” 

The Computer Design Research and Learning Center’s robotics lab will house a motion-capture system with 10 to 15 ceiling-mounted infrared cameras to track the robots’ operation in a large area, from ground robots to fast-moving quadrotor drones. The cameras will record the robots as they perform tasks within the area. Luo and his team will analyze and use those positional and motion-capture data to improve the robots’ decision-making. 

“This particular feature will allow us to do research in robots at scales,” Luo said. In addition to providing sufficient space and height to test large groups of drones, the lab will allow the researchers to construct a simulated city on the lab floor to test interactions between multiple small-scale self-driving vehicles.  

Luo joined UIC in early 2025. His research group will continue to grow once the new robotics lab opens. In addition to graduate students, he is seeking undergraduate student researchers and plans to host internships for local high schoolers. 

“This is an excellent platform for inviting more collaborations not only within the department but also across departments, given the interdisciplinary nature of robotics,” Luo said. “We have many professors working on different domains of artificial intelligence, and this really provides an opportunity for us to demonstrate those capabilities through embodied intelligence that integrates AI with physical autonomous systems.”