Nilanjan Sarkar, Ph.D.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Professor of Computer Engineering; Deputy Director of Assistive Technologies, Frist Center for Autism & Innovation
VKC Member
Overview of Interests
Sarkar’s primary research area is robotics, including developing robotic and computer technology that can aid individuals with disabilities. A current interest is developing emotion-sensing robotic technology for use with people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The idea is to develop a physiological profile of people with ASD that can be used to understand the core symptoms of autism. Furthermore, such physiological profiles could be used to predict social anxiety, which might lead to the design of interventions that can quantitatively analyze the effects of therapy. He is also interested in developing virtual reality technology that can be used to design social tasks for people with ASD and other neuropsychological disorders, as well as new methods of quantifying human interactions during interventions using advanced technology.
Website
http://research.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/rasl/
Topics