Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2025: Simulating Disaster Remediation with Gaussian Splatting and a Robotic Arm

This project covers a novel pipeline for simulating natural disaster remediation using Gaussian splatting and a robotic arm. The data in this project can be used to assist in cleanup efforts after natural disasters by providing a unified pipeline that allows for automated debris removal regardless of experience with robotics and computer science methods. This project is unique because of its combination of 3D Gaussian splatting reconstruction techniques with robotics for a natural hazards and geotechnical engineering use case. The target audience is those who are interested in easy and efficient debris removal after natural disasters, especially in situations where human debris removal is impractical or dangerous.