Allen Z. Ren 任至意
My research interests lie in improving generalization performance and safety of robotic systems around humans and allowing
their fast adaptation in new, potentially out-of-distribution environments and tasks. Currently I am particularly interested in
(1) identifying the simulation setup and dataset for optimal task performance in
Sim-to-Real transfer and
(2) quantifying uncertainty and providing generalization guarantees for end-to-end neural network policy and language model planner.
Experiences
Research Intern, Dexterous Manipulation Team, Toyota Research Institute (TRI), Summer 2022
Ph.D. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 2019-Present
M.S.E. Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, 2018-2019
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics, Johns Hopkins University, 2015-2019
Ph.D. Research
|
Sim-to-Lab-to-Real: Safe Reinforcement Learning with Shielding and Generalization Guarantees
Kai-Chieh Hsu*, Allen Z. Ren*, Duy Phuong Nguyen, Jaime F. Fisac**, and Anirudha Majumdar**
*Equal contribution in alphabetical order; ** Equal advising
Artificial Intelligence Journal, October 2022
Progress and Challenges in Building Trustworthy Embodied AI Workshop, NeurIPS 2022
Oral, Generalizable Policy Learning in the Physical World Workshop, ICLR 2022
Arxiv | Journal | Website | Bibtex
|
|
FlowDrone: Wind Estimation and Gust Rejection on UAVs
Using Fast-Response Hot-Wire Flow Sensors
Nathaniel Simon, Allen Z. Ren, Alexander Pique, David Snyder, Daphne Barretto,
Marcus Hultmark, and Anirudha Majumdar
Under Review at International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2023
Arxiv | Video | Bibtex
|
|
Failure Prediction with Statistical Guarantees for Vision-Based Robot Control
Alec Farid*, David Snyder*, Allen Z. Ren, and Anirudha Majumdar (*Equal contribution)
Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS), 2022
Arxiv | Video | Bibtex
|
|
Stronger Generalization Guarantees for Robot Learning by Combining Generative Models and Real-World Data
Abhinav Agarwal, Sushant Veer, Allen Z. Ren, and Anirudha Majumdar International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2022
Arxiv | Bibtex
|
Undergraduate Research
|
Legged Robots Change Locomotor Modes To Traverse 3-D Obstacles With Varied Stiffness
Zhiyi Ren, Ratan Othayoth, and Chen Li American Physical Society, Robophysics, 2018
Abstract | Bibtex
|
Service
About Me
I am from Jiangsu, China. As much as I want to use my first name in Chinese, Zhiyi, I find it very difficult to pronounce for non-native speakers.
I enjoy watching and playing soccer, hitting the gym, and traveling/backpacking. I am also an aviation enthusiast and hold a private pilot license (my story in Chinese).
Feel free to reach out on email or wechat (ID: allenzren) for research collaboration, job opportunities, startup ideas, or a Cessna ride down the Hudson :)
|