A summary of the project states: “The challenges of manipulation, navigation, and understanding of data growing at a fast pace will not be resolved simply by advances in computing because of limitations in the users’ cognitive power. By changing the way that we interact with data, we can optimize the human element. It has been shown that gesture interaction facilitates information retention and mathematical reasoning. The advent of gesture-based gaming provides a huge opportunity for advancing the human-computer interaction field by exploring new and more radical forms of physical expressions in ways that promote reasoning. As a Fulbright Scholar, I plan to study and teach about these physical forms of problem solving.”

At Purdue, Wachs focuses his research on two connected disciplines related to machine vision: intelligent systems and human-machine interfaces. He studies production systems, with interests in machine and computer vision, robotics, tele-operations, human computer interaction, and assistive technologies and health support systems.

Wachs’ Intelligent Systems and Assistive Technologies Lab performs state-of-the-art research in machine vision specializing in the fields of intelligent systems and human-machine interfaces. Students work on a diverse projects ranging from designing visual algorithms that are capable of recognizing human body gestures to enabling robots to perform high level tasks with speed and efficiency even in complex environments. One ground-breaking project is the System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality (STAR) project, experimenting with augmented reality to improve the effectiveness of telementoring between surgeons. [Watch the STAR project video.]

He and his students also work with a human-like robot called “Baxter”, who may be able to help with surgery. “What we have here is a robot that will act as a surgical assistant to the main surgeon,” said Wachs in a 2014 interview with CBS News. "It’s not meant to replace the surgical assistant, but it’s meant to compliment them.” Baxter will be trained for menial surgical tasks so human hands can do more important surgical tasks. A surgeon can call for an instrument and Baxter will hand it to her.

Wachs’ PhD students made a video showing how to run a laboratory consisting of a robotics simulation with Baxter so that distance learners and other off-campus students can learn these topics. “The video is the result of simulating a pick and place task using the software V-Rep,” says third-year IE PhD student Maria Eugenia Cabrera. “Students taking the course are learning about programming robots to perform tasks, and by using these simulated environments they can actually see the direct result of the few lines of code that they prepare for a given task."

The Fulbright Program is co-sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State and the Commission for Educational Exchange between the USA and Argentina. The primary source of funding for Fulbright is an annual appropriation from the United States Congress and a matching grant from the Government of Argentina. Assisting the Bureau with the administration of the Fulbright Program are a number of private organizations, including the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), a division of the Institute of International Education.