Robotics Institute graduate student, Daniil Lisus, was awarded first place in the 2024 U of T Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) in March for his presentation, Helping Autonomous Cars See What Our Eyes Can’t.
In only three minutes, Lisus presented on his PhD research that explores combining data from lidar and radar sensors — known as sensor fusion — to improve autonomous vehicle driving in all-weather conditions.
In a U of T 3MT first, Lisus also received the People’s Choice Award in addition to a first-place win.
“The Robotics Leadership Program pushed me to step outside my comfort zone and apply to the U of T 3MT competition,” says Lisus. “More than that, the program connected me to a network of mentors and peers who helped me refine my presentation and communicate my robotics research to the public.”
As a 2023-24 Robotics Leadership Program (RLP) trainee, Lisus also presented and placed first in the Robotics Institute 3MT Competition. Each year, RLP trainees participate in an institute-wide competition aimed at helping trainees develop the skills and confidence to communicate their research effectively to a general audience.
RLP was launched in 2022 by the Robotics Institute Outreach Committee to provide co-curricular leadership training to Robotics Institute graduate students. The program is tailored to meet the unique needs of students by complementing their technical studies with skills development in communication, EDI literacy and outreach through hands-on workshops and community projects. RLP is generously supported by Magna International.
Lisus will go on to represent the University of Toronto at the Ontario Regional 3MT Competition later this spring.